Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1883-09-21

the kerds are Coming We Play Em Fu
lallThey're Worth"
"W hen the kerds ara coming W.
t play 'em for all they're worth. Max
the dealers eyes start out Of thei
sockets, and don't stop the lick til
you've busted the machine, or lucl
changes. This advice was given m,
the other day by one OF the ol,
timers. during a conversation regard
ing faro and other games which ar,
play ed at most frontier towns openl,
and publicly.
Il made run at Gracia's ons
night and scooped 'em TO the tune OF
$1,000. and before they know'd they
were hurt, and when Charley wa.
bankin', 1 tapped him for over ss.O0
inside CT thirty minutes, aud then
turned damned fool and blew il in
at Colds. My rule, young fellow.
is to stop when luck changes, and it's
a burned good rule. but / can no
more follow it than doctor can his
own medicine. When I'm winnin' (
want to break the bank; when / lose,
play on hoping for a good streak.
Sometimes she comes, sometimes she
doesn't"
GAMBLERS SIGNS.
Speaking about good streaks,
gamblers are very superstitious about
signs and tokens. / suppose7"
"Superstitious! l should say no.
They may look bold and free and
easy, but tell you every one Of 'em
has more superstition to the square
inch than mule has kicking power.
Look at old Hill-quiet, clever man
as ever lived, generally speaking, but
if you want to see him riled Just
interfere with one OF his pet supsr.
stitions and he'll curse blue streak.
He's great believer in spiders. Let
one Of them black, ugly things be
about him while he's dealing and he's
as happy as a dead Injun. Why,
one night a stranger dropped In IN
during the game; the bank was win
ming every lay out, and, spying a
spider crawling on Hills shoulder,
he brushed it off and killed it Well,
such yelling, and swearingl Hill
stopped the game, and the startled
stranger left the place in q hurry.
Since this Hill has had bad luck, and
attributes it to the spiders death.
Il lost cool $1,000 one night by
just having a feller's boot on my
chair during the game. When I
found out the case I just raised my
voice with both hands and made q
very pretty speech. The Teller apol
ogized and staked me with hundred
and took his foot away. ] started in
and soon swamped the bank. I tell
you l want no mans foot on my
chair while I'm handling the paste
boards. Why that's Brownie, I've
seen him throw many a five dollar
gold piece away, just because some
one would beat his faro game. He'd
look. through his money, and il he'd
find the piece the player had changed
in, he'd throw il over the housetops,
just because the money was bad luck
for the bank.
"Uh! I tell you these things sound
funny, but there's something in them.
Why, sir, one Of our boldest dealers
gets nervous and shaky il certain men
visit their rooms during q game.
Now, there's Mac, he's q good 'ur
and bold; still. he thinks Muphy's q
hoodoo or bad luck for him, and some
times he'll stop dealing when Murphy
comes in. His partner, Eddleman,
is Just as superstitious.
"There's Joe. Just let him meet q
strange LADY and the devil himself
couldn't persuade him that he wasn't
going to have good luck. But let his
washerwoman bring home q collar
ironed on the wrong side and be be-
lieves bad luck will follow him for q
week. I've seen him stop q big game
because he happened to find he had
put on a different pair OF socks from
what he had intended IN his servant
should forget to black the heel Of one
of his boots, Joe would consider this
a sign OF good luck, and would back
his faro game to any amount
"Ned's the coolest Of all. He be-
lieves in streak Of luck; and also
has some net superstitiona He be-
lieves good luck will follow him IL he,
by mistake, pnts on his stockings
wrong side out, and 10 never % happy
at dealing faro as when he finds the
Low OF his necktie has slipped under
his right ear. II its gotten under
his left ear he gives the dealers boz
to Brownie"
| wHIMs OF PLAYERS.
"How about the players who buck
the game, are they cranky alsoi"
"Yes. There's Cooley Bearer, for
instance. I've known him TO follow
an old woman along the streets Just
to get the nib OF her cigarette. This
he'd keep for several days in his
vest pocket, on the left side, and ther
go and buck the tiger. II he'd win
he'd say the cigarette brought good
luck. II he lost. then he'd say thu
woman must have been praying wber
she was smoking.
Then there was Lance his hobb,
, was that il he could touch q hump
back person upon the hump without
the party knowing it he would b,
, fortunate and strike q bonanza
|, Last summer one OF the Boston tour
lists had a hump. He followed hin
, to the old churches, curiosity shop
and other public places and sevcra
, times was on the eve of stealthil,
touching the hump, when the gentle
, man would turn iaround. So persist
, ent did Lance become that the gen
tleman reported him to the polic'
: : and the annoyance ended, much I,
! Lance's chagrin and modification
He often said, If l could have dom
, it, then it's goodbye to banks bu
he didn't do it.
Another favorite superstition som
. players have is to bet high on certail
cards if certain things occur during
, game Ifthe dealer drops any none,
in making change then the ace an
king should be played TO loss. II
negro enters n room smoking. Ia