Trademark Poker 'The Prop' by Pete Hautman

Peeky Kane, an attractive woman in her 40s, is a prop-hired to keep shorthanded poker games going at a casino owned by a Native American tribe near Tucson, Arizona. She gets paid $110 per eight-hour-shift plus health insurance, keeps any money she wins at the tables. Because she's shrewd and talented, Peeky has managed to put together a small nest egg, some of which goes to her troubled 21-year-old daughter, Jaymie. Peeky's lover, Buddy Balcomb, is also a poker addict, whose own winning streak may be over. Peeky's life takes a few sharp turns after some crooked dealers find a new way to steal money and make her an unwilling accomplice. As this short but action-packed novel shows, Hautman is the kind of cool, expert player who keeps the cards coming.