New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1885-11-08

majesty I have rarely played without the pres
ence of fours, Two or three Tines
eSenns Least There are d th f e%d fellows of
baSer sort VINO are given TO playing POKER WIN
short pac of thlrty-tNO cards. as USED iof euchre
ecarte and piquet The altitude of the hahds one
can hold rapid succession in this pa5taid
sport is startling enough three OF a KIN! is as
nothing. aud flush Is cut down III the twlhtIihg
Of an eye Ii faxes little while to get used 10 tle
change OF tue hands in relative importance ne
greater frequency OF apparently gigantic hallds
leads many cuchre piayels now and again 10 WISH
audibly that they were PLAYING poker. u Is wen
tor hem that their wish IS nos glabtcd III l rJ
uursery tale the woOd-cutter and his w'le "n" np'
three wishes. did not lind them very pros, dnlc
and most of those who express desire 10 change
for moment from euchIe TO poker wouId ma
they had jumped rom the frying pan INTO tie nre'
mere l. the leadIug case o. tie commerce. trdFI
eller I'D the Pullman car Oh the Paclhc hdl1oad
He had frafernlZed with mining mi iilpuHlre VINO
owed his 1ortuue to has faculty OF taklns an'"it
age of an opportunity and OF ms Eel ow-naH. As
the tram sped across the prairie they dropped INTO
friendly game OF euchrr. After they played i9r
and am ho tdroe Or a sG' 'n' q"cs"' and the
ewes of IN commercial traveller frightened as he
pazed on his hand. wish we wIpe pIiIS VIZ
his cards and answered not. "What do YOU say to
changing the game y suggested the commercial
traveller IL should ike TO play tins ndnd al
poker" The millionaire glanced at ms cards
aga and remarked pleasantly, " Wen, idont chic
If do but you must let me '1an ana ta%e Ii,s
queen "Oh certainly" replied the G3mlnercla
traveller eagerly; "Fl bet you nifty dollars Oh III.
hand 81 will sec that aid go hundr d better
returned the miner The commercial tavSneT
snllcd with great glea: "Il raise you two hun0red
and fifty" he said, counting out four hundred DOL
lars. well" remarked the millionaire calmly +;
IF you want to play poker IN IN your bi hold hct
some what staggered he young man, out lie hd1
confidence and Il thousand dollars and he calico;
What have your asked the ml"e-Cwher
have four kings" the young man answered, throw.
ing them on the board Then III take Inc money,
the millionaire remarked, have tour acss, a in
he threw them down before the astoh1S,loI
commercial traveller. THAT'S all hthi,
said the latter, as soon rs no
had caught his breath. =" that's all Ught-the
money Is YOurs-but what want to kno" Is, what
IN blues did you take that Queen Ior = mus we
see that there can be fnesse IN poker even as III
whist.
TO the late Canon Br0okfeld Tor little temporary
assistance. he began by SAYING: VIII not attehlp
TO disgu Sc from you, sir. that am uan di Color
And Will not attempt 10 disguise 1r"'u you VA
the mining millionaire and the commercial traveller
were gambling We NAV hope that the loss OF ms
money served the commercial traveller as whoIe-
some corrective of the gambling SORT. as different
Us possible from the spnit OF sclenhc inquiry ana
sef-improyement III which one o1ght Always ~
| play poker IL is to be confessed at once tnal
poker differs from whist and from chess IT'S chict
rivals as an intei ectu recreation III that II must
be pl ayed Tor money. CHESS is usuaiiy It's own lc
ward and Whist can be. and indeed often is inter-
| pstIug without the attraction OF added money
| But in poker the stakes must have definite pc
cunlarv value or the game SINKS speedily n,o mere
| ch,Id s nlAy We play poker for chips. aud chips
must have a specie basis; IN poker a. IN he larger
game OF life. an irredeemabIe currency Is an UNI
mixed evil.
So long, however, as the chips have money
value il Is of very lttle Importance how small that
| value NAV ne the genuine student and lover OF
poker VIII play his game. just the same. whether
the single chip represents the rench cenflInc or
| the American double eagle. The limit OF snge
bet may he nigh low as the cIrcurls anccS war
| rant IT should be always at least twenty time
| the smallest chip. and this smallest chip shoud I've
the unit of tue play, by winch mean II sn9u'u We
| accepted as the pToper ante. As II Is the iuni
which makes the play high or low. TINS sh"uld al
ways be agreed on first, aud then the value OF inc
smallest cup may br determined. n esS the limit
Is nj least twenty times the single chip the finest
points Of artistic play are not possible, as me pun
| is barred and the power 10 bun - an essential
part of ppker. Dlut is ike the Pr SIDE Is veto
a most valuable device, tut TO be used spaTlngiy
and only for good cause. With "A proper proportion
betwe the limit and the single CHIP ami proper
proportion between the money value of the emp
and tn. private means of the payers, poker
Is a. free from faint OF gambling as any game can
be- VIII st, or CHESS itself :,
In one of his most thoughtful essays, Mark
Twain has recorded the result OF Judicial attempt
to discover whether Old Sedge " WAS or WIS not
"A game of chance The case cane before a Wis"
jud &c the Far West the counsel for the dricn,
produced "a clobd OF witnesses VINO rwoie int pIo
SledSo" was game OF skill : AZ Inc prosecution
brought forth testimony a. abundant that II NaS a
| game of chance. modern modification Of the
| ordeal by battle was accepted as decisive OF inc
| issue. jury of twelve was empane'leh; SLY oil
! the jurors old players who maintained that
Old Sledge was a game OF skill aud six were
| foolish Young men who declared vaInly that II was
| a game of .chance. The jury was locked m the
SIX complies of jurymen played against each other
I skill ~. iuck in less than an hour one "i I'M
partisans of chance sent out to borrow more money
1 aud before long the jury had agtetd on th"ii
verdict and were unanimously OF the opinion
! that "Od Sledge was game OF sSiH -
| whist is game of hlull and 30 Is poker a game
! of skill BRANDT MATTHIAS.