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Yeah -- you would think that if she were the banker's girlfriend/wife that the other players would have known about it. That part didn't make any sense.

Admittedly, it would be a bit of a stretch to believe the banker (Paul Ford) could keep his relationship with his pretty, and considerably younger girlfriend/wife (Joanne Woodward) a secret from everyone in the town. However, I think I have a explanation that might make an otherwise seemingly impossible relationship, feel possible.

Because, we're never informed about how long the banker and Joanne have actually been together prior to pulling off the Big Con. They could've been together for just a few weeks, or, possibly even a few months prior? We simply don't know. Then, I think it's very possible they could've kept their relationship a secret for a short amount of time at least. For instance, while it might be impossible to hide their relationship from the town for one or two years. It would only be difficult (but not impossible) to hide their relationship for a couple of months. While, keeping it hidden for only a few weeks shouldn't be any problem at all, if they were motivated to do so.

Also, the audience is never specifically informed about the true nature of their relationship. Is it really a boyfriend/girlfriend, or, a husband/wife type relationship? Or, is it more like, Joanne's character hooking-up with a older "Sugar Daddy" banker who is looking for one last hot time between the sheets before he's 6-feet under, type of relationship? Personally, I believe it's the latter one, which works best for me because, it's the only type of relationship that both participants have a mutual interest in keeping their affair a secret from everyone in order to avoid public humiliation.

Reason: The much older, responsible and long time respected banker of the town is embarrassed by the nature of his "Sugar Daddy" relationship with Joanne. He realizes that if he's seen in public with Joanne on his arm, everyone will presume correctly that she's only with him because of his money, and he will be the mockery of the town as a result. And, Joanne would be embarrassed to be seen publicly with Paul (the banker) out of fear of being branded a prostitute who is trading her young beauty for money to gamble with. Not the kind of reputation you want back then. But they carry on with their affair with the mutual understanding that they can't be seen together.(how's that for logic?)

While the banker is embarrassed of his relationship with Joanne, he can't resist the opportunity to "be with" someone of Joanne's younger beauty, and overall hotness, but, he can't keep financing her card playing until he runs out of money either.

So, Joanne approaches Henry Fonda with a opportunity to pull off a big con at the annual poker gathering in the town where her sugar daddy banker lives. Then later, both Joanne and Fonda approach Paul Ford with the idea for the con and how he fits into the big scheme of things, provided nobody knows about the relationship between the banker and Joanne before hand. The Banker agrees to go along with his part in the con because, it keeps him in good standings with his bought-and-paid for young hotty (Joanne), and it will give Joanne plenty of her own money to gamble with instead of Paul Ford having to stake her using his own hard earned money, that he's accumulated after decades of lending and collecting.

The last paragraph is all speculation on my part of coarse, but, I think that it's a very reasonable possibility that might explain "How", and, "Why" the town and the annual gamblers had no knowledge of the relationship between the banker and Joanne's character prior to the Big Game.

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I have wondered about that because this banker had to go home sometimes in the future. If he had some kind of relationship with Ruby then it would have to be long distance. Also, these "poker hounds" would have heard of or learned of them if they were really into big time poker. These gamblers would have had a reputation and they would have been found out sometimes in the future unless they moved way out west.

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