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tinhorn

Derogatory epithet for a cheap but flashy gambler, named for the cheap tin cans often used for shaking dice.[1]

Brasada Spur: In August of 1872,[1] Bart Maverick asked the barber at the Bella Union Hotel about the gambling opportunities in King City,[3] Kansas.[1] The barber was very proud to tell him that, among other things, King City hosted the largest poker game in the state, but they didn't allow strangers. When the manicurist explained that the millionaires in the poker game didn't want any tinhorns shooting for their high bank rolls or short stakes, Bart asked her if she was implying that he was a tinhorn. She apologized, saying she meant "all those other tinhorn."[3]

The Long Hunt: When Lefty Dolan met Bret Maverick[4] in February of 1877[2] and believed him to be a fellow road agent or bank robber, he was disappointed to learn Bret was, in fact, a professional poker player. Dolan referred to Bret as "only a tinhorn gambler."[4]

Escape to Tampico: When Bret Maverick approached Steve Corbett about running the games at La Cantina Americana in June of 1877, Corbett misunderstood Bret's intentions and said "I don't need a tinhorn to come in here and tell me I can make more by rigging the games."[5]

Relic of Fort Tejon: After Carl Jimson shot Bret Maverick in the shoulder during a poker game[6] in July of 1878,[2] Jimson exclaimed that the "tinhorn got nervous about a big hand."[6]