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Stacey, Coral

Faro and blackjack dealer at the Golden Nugget in Deadwood, Dakota Territory[1] in 1877[2] and wife to Tony Cadiz.[1] (December 28, 1844 – November 11, 1925)[2]

Coral worked as a dealer of faro and blackjack at the Saint-Cyr Casino in New Orleans in 1873, where she met Tony Cadiz. They partnered together, using each other's powers of persuasion and confidence to bilk casino patrons out of extra cash. Their partnership was successful enough that they decided to make it permanent. They were married on July 5, 1874.[2]

In early 1876, Cadiz heard of the gold strike in Deadwood Gulch and decided he and Coral should set up their own casino in the new mining camp of Deadwood. They arrived in Deadwood in early June and set up their operation, the Golden Nugget, in a tent. By early July, the were able to celebrate their second anniversary in the Golden Nugget's permanent structure on Main Street.[2]

In March of 1877, as competition in the Deadwood saloons grew more fierce, Cadiz began looking for a new attraction that could generate higher revenue. He and Coral traveled to St. Louis on a talent expedition.[2] There, they met Dandy Jim Buckley. Recognizing him as a card sharp, they decided to set him up for a robbery and stole $7,000, leaving Buckley broke and stranded.[1]

In April,[2] returning to Deadwood aboard the Dakota Queen, Coral and Cadiz met Bret Maverick. Cadiz lost over $4,000 to Bret in an embarrassing poker game. Coral approached Bret on deck after the game and offered to partner with him in Deadwood, but before Bret could answer, he was sucker-punched by Cadiz's prize fighter, Battling Kreuger, and knocked out. Cadiz and Coral robbed him of his money and had Kreuger throw him overboard.[1]

In May,[2] Bret managed to reach Deadwood with Dandy Jim Buckley and Noah Perkins. Bret and Buckley had convinced Perkins to fight Kreuger in a boxing match at the Golden Nugget at two-to-one odds. When thousands of dollars were gathered by a group of miners, Coral put up the Golden Nugget as security against the bet. Perkins pulled out of the match, but Bret stepped in to replace him and managed to beat Kreuger. Coral and Cadiz lost the saloon to the miners, and left Deadwood to start again elsewhere.[1]

See: Stampede