Was an avid poker player and is rumored to have had a photographic
memory so good, he could memorize the positions of cards in a deck.
When a check written by Chico was found in mobster
Bugsy Siegel's wallet at
the time of his death, Chico was interrogated by police. He insisted
the check was payment of a gambling debt from a poker game. When asked
about his knowledge of Siegel's criminal activities, Chico stated, "We
never discussed business." Groucho Marx later said of this incident,
"Chico was lucky that Bugsy was shot. If Bugsy had tried to cash that
check, it would have bounced. Then Bugsy would have shot Chico."
