The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1875-01-09

the peers of England, who needed rest TO
| their wearied tongues after having talked al
day and half the night in Parliament. In tn
| same way poker was needed to stir up the ex
hausted fires Of our American orators. burn
out on the stump. No political campaign o.
session of Congress is possible or endurable
without its poker Accomplishments.
"Short" whist is said to have orig natet
from the game being cut in half one night tx
enable Lord Peterborough to recover some
heavy losses, showing the aristocratic begin
ming even of the modification of the origina
game, which used to "walk its dull round" te
''cheat the drowsy moments. My country
men do not like the SAVIOR of royalty anC
aristocracy which hangs around these Older
games. They do not like to respect the SYM
bolisms of power which they imply, nor to
Behold four kings, in majesty revered,
With hoary whiskers and forky beard,
And four fair queens, whose hands sustain 9
The expressive emblem Of their softer power;
-Four knaves in garb succinct, trusty band,
Caps on their heads, and halberds in their hand
And parti: colored troops, shining train,
Draw forth to combat on the velvet plain.
So far do they carry their repulsion that
after poker, their favorite games are all-fours
and euchre, in which plebeians and knaves
both capture and outcount the court cards.
Poker is in every sense arepublican game
one in which birth and rank 60 very little
way, and selfassertion and enterprise very
great way. Poker is piquet cut down to pro-
portions which enable the players to Scoop
their adversaries with the happiest dispatch.
It is the antipodes of silent game, its es-
sence lying in the art of blufing and finess-
ing In poker, more than any other game, a
cool face is better than ''cold deck" 1--WE
saya ''deck" of cards in Anne RIGA, beca use
the game used to be most often played on the
decks of Western steamboats, in the intervals
between exulosions.) The motto of poker is
carpe diem, or rather carpe dimes, since the
ordinary game is "ten cents ante.
The author of this little manual does not
expect all who read it to become Immediately
proficient in poker, for the game is difficult,
and to excel in playing it demands almost
genius. Still, as my venerable friend Gen.
Dix would say, g Est quiddom prodire tenus, 81
mon datu ultra" and do not conceal from
reap the reward of public benefactor in CIV
ing to the youth of England new game. I
do not hope to convert the aged. They are
welded to whist, and old people cannot learn
new games, the study of which is like the
study of languages, they both employ the
most prominent faculties OF the mind. men,
ory, reflection, etc.
In infancy this occupation tends to the de-
velopment Of the mental powers and the pro-
gress Of reason; but in after life it interrupts
the growth of ideas. OF the youth of Eng
land, however, I hope great things, and to
them II dedicate-I consecrate" lin the
q great benefit to q young man to master
great game wise diplomatist said: "vous
ne saves pas lie whistle, jeune homme? Quelle
triste viellesse vous vous preparez !! But
whist letters itself in its dotage. Already
good partners cannot be found, and bad part
ners at whist are trials to the temper which
oven Job could not have endured for any
great length of time.
saint in heaven would grieve to see his hand
Gut up by one who will not understand.
In poker every man paddles his own canoe,
md is responsible TO himself alone for his
listakes and losses. ''Troy owes to Homer
what whist owes to Hoyle," but Hoyle could
not play poker, and the poker-playing at
Washington and the Southwest is Is far SUI
perior to the ordinary poker-playing as my
Morphy's chess-playing is to the
play Of country parson in Buckingham
hire.
There are several sorts of poker, as for in
stance plain poker, draw poker, twenty-deck
poker, and nthe variations of these are innu-
nerable. / will say, however, that man
should not play twenty-deck unless he has
our eyes in Els head or a purse g deep IS the
hiatt of Nevada silver-mine. The real
PANE, the game par excellence, is dIaH poker,
xhose deligh full uncertainty, after the antes
md blinds are already ON the board, is the
harm Of the game and the leading encourage.
nent 10 bluff 5s
OF THE ANTE AND THE BLIND. -.ss
Something to play for is Of the essence OF
his game. The ante shonld not vary; it
hould comprise one fish of established value,
md each player should ante up each time,
he dealer putting up another fish for the
privilege Of the deal and the last call In the
anne way the blind always gives additional
life and force to the game. have always mo-
iced that where parties subscribe largely to .
took venture they have faith in it whether
/ is worth anything or not, and that this is
he principle of the ante and the blind.
OF BLUFFNa.
II Hercules and Lychas play at dice,
Which is the better man The greater throw
NAV turn by fortune from the weaker hand.
So Is Acides beaten by the page.
Without the blind the beginning of poker
: iral Nithoat the bluff the ending Of it is
AMID. II these bits of tiaesse were absent,
he stronpest card would in all cases deter
oine the fortune of the players; all science
nd skill would disappear from the game and