Favorite Firearms: The Poker Gun

by
posted on November 4, 2023
Smith & Wesson Model 10 M&P

A Smith & Wesson Model 10 M&P that I saw growing up came to be known as “the poker gun.” My grandfather, Hix Green, kept it in a box on the top shelf of his closet. Born in 1900, he worked as a ranch hand in Texas in 1924. The ranch owner kept this pistol in his truck, but it was stolen. The ranch hands felt so bad that they all chipped in and bought him a brand-new, identical pistol. While the ranch owner was thrilled, the gun thief was arrested a few weeks later, and his original gun was returned. He gave the new gun back to the cowboys to decide what to do with it.

They played five-card draw, and my grandfather claimed he won with a royal straight flush. The likelihood of this always seemed to be astronomical, and I wonder if the older cowboys ceded him the winning hand. He couldn’t afford a new holster, so he altered the existing one, chopping off the bottom for his barrel—to suit his needs on horseback.

In 1941, he worked for a branch of General Motors. When the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, he went out and purchased a new box of .38 wadcutters, dating it as such: Dec. 9, 1941. He shot six rounds in the backyard in Atlanta and decided he was still an expert cowboy and placed the six rounds you see here back in the gun. He was too old to join the military, so he joined the auxiliary police for Fulton County, helping to replace the men who had gone overseas. They issued him this badge and baton to do his duty.

Strangely, my father claimed he never heard the poker story from his own father. Well, grandpa could weave a pretty good tale. True or not, the entire family knows the story, and I was fortunate to end up with the small collection. It’s too good of a tale to forget, and the Model 10 M&P has become my favorite gun.

—R. Barry Green

Latest

John Parker flowing piece flintlock muzzleloader right-side view on white background
John Parker flowing piece flintlock muzzleloader right-side view on white background

Captain John Parker's Fowler: Witness To History

While thousands of firearms were used in and around the Massachusetts towns of Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775, few survive today. One survivor is the flintlock fowler used by Capt. John Parker of the Lexington militia.

New For 2025: Mossberg 590M Standoff & 500 Slugster Pump Shotguns

The Mossberg 500 is one of the most popular pump-action shotguns ever made. That doesn’t keep the company from making updates and improvements, as evidenced in the new-for-2025 590M Standoff and 500 Slugster series.

Preview: Warthog Sharpeners V-Sharp Elite A4

Warthog USA’s V-Sharp Elite A4 pairs the company’s most feature-packed portable blade-sharpening unit with a detachable wooden base for added stability.

The Men & Guns Of Lexington Green

On April 19, 1775, 250 years ago, approximately 80 armed militiamen from Lexington gathered on their village green to confront several hundred British infantrymen. The events of that morning began a conflict that would ultimately establish the United States of America.

"Battle Road" & The British Retreat To Boston: 250 Years Later

After the fights at Lexington and Concord's North Bridge, the British column had to return to Boston. On its way, the regulars were set upon by hundreds, then thousands, of armed militiamen hell bent on revenge.

Preview: Hawke Airmax 2-7X 32 mm AO

Shooters looking to add optics to their air rifles should choose airgun-specific scopes such as those in Hawke’s Airmax line—which offers four models.

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.