Editing Titanic Thompson (section)

==Early life==
Thomas was born in [[Monett, Missouri]], but was raised mainly on a farm 50 miles to the south, near [[Rogers, Arkansas]], in the [[Ozark Mountains]]. His mother remarried following desertion by Thomas' father, who was himself a gambler. Thomas began conducting his nomadic, lucrative career of hustling in the rural south-central United States ''circa'' 1908, leaving home at age 16 with less than one dollar in his pocket. Unable to read or write effectively, he had attended school only sporadically, and felt unwelcome in the home of his stepfather. Thomas spent most of his youth developing skills he would use later, such as shooting and understanding odds at card games through marathon dealing of hands.<ref name=cook/>