Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1885-01-24
LUCK.
Mighty Uncertain Quantity in Games o
Chance.

Chance.
Everyone has noticed the air of grin
suspicion with which the man is regard.
ed who tells story about cards. Poker,
playing has become so popular now
that the game is almost understood
Playing for pennies and buttons goes or
in our best families. and ladies who for.
merly confined themselves TO bezique,
chess, Lotto, old maid. whist. euchre
casino, parchesi. and like brisk and en-.
tertaining novelties, have all given way
to the seductions of the little game OF
draw. The beauty of poker is that il is
a new game at every deal, and it is the
only game of cards which never be
comes wearisome, unless the luck very
much against you. Poker stories art
almost innumerable.
Quite the most remarkable one even
heard was that about Harry Genet. the
former politician. who ruled New York
for short time, and subsequently went
to prison. The game occurred when
Genet was at the height of his fame and
fortune. Seven men were at the table
too many by two persons at least
and they were all friends They were
playing S. limit, and at that time they
were not playing straight flushes. The
highest hand was four aces. Genet LOST
81 800 on one hand. He held the ace
and three kings. Everybody came in
Genet raised them and they Staid
Then they drew cards. Genet discarded
his two extra cards, which happened to
be an ace and nine spot, and drew to
his kings. He almost turned cold when
he got another king on the draw. Ev-
erybody around the table drew cards.
and when they got to the sixth PLAYER,
who also had threeS. the dealer was
obliged to gather the discards. reshufFie
them, and deal them out again. The
betting began, but in the course of a
few minutes they discovered that Genet
and the sixth man at the table had eX-
traordinary hands. SO they fled and
leaned back in their chairs to watch the
betting. Genet knew that nothing
would beat his hand but four aces. and
as he had thrown away one ace to fill
his kings, and there We're only four aces
in the pack. he felt dead sure of the pot.
When the betting reached $500 they
laid down their hands. The sixth man
had held three aces, and in rcdealing
the cards had received the fourth ace. 1t
is a thing that might occur once in
thousand years
| have heard story of similar draw
on Mississippi steamboat, but poker
on the Mississippi is fraught with such
mystery. according to the
legends of the game. that the majority
of men would be afraid to play on that
river. even at 2-cent limit. Last Mon
day night saw a little game that ought
to 90 on record. Fortunately. ii was
gentlemen who played for the
fun of the thing. and not for the money
they could make out of one another; so
serious losses were averted. There
were four men playing, and every one
Of them had two pairs before the draw.
Each drew card and each filled his
hand. making four full houses-an ace
full, ten full, seven full, and four full.
The game was at a comparatively small
limit, and no one for some time sus-
pected that anyone had q full hand.
The result was that the pot grew with
great rapidity. The first man bet the
limit, the next man raised him, and he
was raised in turn by the third PLAYER;
all of them were raised BY the fourth,
and so on, each going step higher, un-
til their chips gave out and they had to
stop to consider matters. Every man
was positive that he held the winning
hand, as the cards had run low for :
some time before. The chances are |
hat they would have been betting if the |
by the way, held the win |
ming hand, an almost invincible one
had not suggested that they allow it to |
70 around once more and then lay down |
heir cards. When the four players laid
iown the four full hands, there was a |
leep and sepulchral hush. Then the
nan who held the seven full raised his
lead and murmured with heartfelt |
gratitude: Thank heaven, this wasn't
! $40 game
On Friday night man who was wait
ing for cab in an uptown cafe agreed
TO match his friend so cents at a time
until one of them had Won or lost S.,
20 as to kill time. A third man who
was sitting at the table agreed to keep
he count and they began to flip their
'oins. Half dozen times one or the
'ther of the men had lost up to $3.50,
and had only one chance to save him
self. That chance always proved his
'alvation, and they kept at it for nearly
lalf an hour, when they came out ex-
lctly even, neither of them being able
o lose S5. The man who had kept
ally objected to any more work, and
hey stopped where they were.
lie had kept the score on the
border of newspaper, and it was COM
,letely black with marks. He counted
he marks-I am quite sure nobody will
believe this-and they found that they
lad matched 1913 times and come out
Brookiyn EagIe.