Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-03-15

What Has Come Of General Schenck's
Neat Little Book on the Great Amer.
lean Game

What Has Come of General Schenck's
Neat Little Book on the Great Amer.
lean Game
Vanity Fair. February IS
Excitement of one sort or another is an absO-
lutte necessity to those for whom unkind
Providence has provided only the dreary Occu-
patton of ''killing time" For them each day
must have it's eliminating point; and. satiated
with dinners the play, concerts. and countless
dances, the pleasure-seeking world mas found at
last mighty panacea in the subtle mysteries Oh
poker.
For those who play only for the sake of
amusement no game could be better. 1t Is far
superior TO Napoleon, which an American
friend of mine.once described to me as a game of
''brute force; for you either win or lose with
each deal. whereas in poker unless YOU are
'ante' You can retire and bide your time But
when it is possible for any one PLAYER to raise
the ''ante" at his pleasure to an indefinite amount
and when the rise" is absolutely unlimited
then poker becomes a dangerous pastirne There
are lew. perhaps, who know what pitch it has
lately reached in several London houses. II is
no longer game; it is a serious business. Lit
tie poker dinners are now arranged almost
nightly The piouS pretense of having a low
table and a high one is nearly exploded.
Those whose modest means might induce them
TO play at the former are soon detected and SIM
ply hOt asked again; while the Plunger is be-
sieged with invitations and the ''hig' table is
full to- overlooking. Everything. of course,
goes by comparison. and that which might seem
low at 1.-The Turf" is high where ladies are con-
cefned, and there are always ladies at poker
parties 1t is Just their presence that makes DO
ker so dangerous They get more excited than
the men and plunge more desperately One in
teresting spInster OF my acquaintance, after
winning fa3 the other night was so elated with
her success that she seriously talked of buying
ayearling and commencing active operations on
the turn Reflection, however, and subsequent
losses nave. am glad to say. somewhat dalnped
the ardor of her sporting proclvities.
How immensely the love of play has In
creased of late may be judged from the fact
that only two years ago lady whose poker
parties are now famous. was SO anxious that the
game IN her house should never exceed the most
modest proportions that she positively forbade
anybody TO bet more than ten shillings at
time; yet new the sums won and lost i'm single
night undeI the same roof are appalling. But
1t Is only during the last few months that the
poker fever has arrived at really acute stage
Just before Christmas a small party of poker
ites who had already gained a reputation for
unusually high stakes, sat down to play one
evening at 10 o'clock. In a couple OfhOurs they
had so far exceeded their former efforts that it
actually cost player ESQ to '.gO in'-by which
1T must be understood that before anybody was
allowed to bet. which is really the beginning
and the essence of the game the sum of $50
had to be placed in the pool by each player. The
result was extraordinary from the tact that only
&,pV CHdH9eu HdHlS WHEN tHe party broke up.
am told by one who was present that he was
surprised the final amount was small for at
one time between 81 600 and IS 600 had been
lost and Won peer with large family must
IN these days be rich indeed if he can afford the
luxury OF a younger son who cOntriyes to lose
81 500 in one year at poker. But such has
lately been the case The youth in question is
only just OF age and rejOices i'm the handsome
annual allowance of $500. Still he plays-and
to his credit be it said, still he paws: but when
~
must before long. some well-knOWn member of
the prosecuted race" will grumble no doubt
at the meagre 10 per cent. awarded him in lieu
OF his moderate $50.
While the unlucky lose 40 much some ono
more fortunate and with better knowledge of
the game must OF course win. Two thousand
pounds Is the modest sum which report places
TO the credit of one successful PLAYER during
the year oI grace 1881. To pocket so large an
amount as the result of pOst-prandial poker
during a twelye-mOnth would naturally produce
In the human breast feeling of goodwill
towards men; but it is not every successful
Piunger who subsequently goes out of his way
20 present his less fortunate opponents with
eueh handsome souvenirs of the fray as pearl
pins. jewelled studs and enamelled sleeve-links
There are many, however, who rejoice at this
moment in such sparkling poker menentos from
the great winner OF the past year.
To General Schenck, who less than ten wears
ago first brought poker to England and at the
request of the late Lady Waldegrave wrote out
ire rules OF the game, We are undoubtedly in
debted for the present gambling mania in pr-
waite life. which, as We have already shown. is
doing such serious injury tO the poorer members
Of society. Surely it is possible to amuse one
self after dinner without trying to ruin ones
friends or enrich oneself. Poker i'm moderation
Is an excellent safety-yalve no doubt for after
dinner excitement, but carried to the length
which II has lately reached it becomes serious
social scandal There are plenty of gaming
clubs and to spare for those who choose to fire.
quent them In the meanwhile it should not be
possible TO say that any hostess can offer greater
Inducements to play in private house than
Those provided By the keeper of public hell