Ralph Compton Never Bet Against the Bullet (The Sundown Riders Series)

Silver Hart, Colorado lives and dies by the coal mining, and when the railroad bypasses them, their livelihood is in peril. However, the man from the railroad says that for a hefty sum of money they can create a spur line, saving the town. A hefty sum that the town does not have. Their only hope is a former gambler, Asa 'Big Red' Newcombe. The town pools their money so Newcombe can enter the big poker game. Winning the big pot carries as much prestige as it does money, but his goal is simple: get the money and save his town. Newcombe's opponents include wealthy ranchers, tinhorn gamblers, and men that he recognises as outright outlaws. And many of them will stop at nothing to make their fortune, whether they have to cheat, drug, or kill to make it happen.