The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1885-07-29
Kansas CITY Cor. New York World.


1t is no trouble at all for a man who
loves a good, stiff game of poker TO find
it in Kansas City There is a state law
here which makes the keeping OF gam>
bling house felony, but it is not en-
forced against poker club rooms There
is no faro east of the Kansas state line.
The strictly professional gambling
amounts TO almost nothing, but there are
some stockmen's games that would make
cold chills run up the back of the average
business man. have seen $25, 900
change ownership in little friendly game
on hands which went back to the pack
without ever being seen. Cnsuspecting
people never dream OF the extent Of the
poker mania believe If the world would
look 1t up it would find that if the poker
clearings were inclGded in the weekly
statements they would 60 long way to-
ward offsettiug the loss of 80 or 40 per
cent that the metropolis is suffering. AT
all events it would be 50 if poker playing
is as popular in New York as It is IN kan>
sas City.
THE ETIQUETTE OF THE POKER TABLE.
Woe unto the man who jumps the
game Thrice disgraced is he who jumps
the game when he is winner Five rich
stockmen hired room in the st. James
hotel on a Friday night week ago They
had poker lay out, and the blue chips
were worth S25, the red $40 and the
white SIS 1t was $40 ante and no limit.
The night flew away apace and morning
dawned on the absorbed players. Some
were poorer and some richer by thous>
ands. Breakfast and dinner and then
supper were brought up, but the play
went on. Late Saturday night one of the
participants signifed his intention to 90
home to his wife and babies, but be was
kept by the promises Of his friends that
they did not mean to play much longer
Another daybreGk soon peeped in upon
the PLAYERS, and still the click Of the chips
never ceased. Breakfast dinner and sup
per were again served. The play was
higher and more reckless. Jack pots that
would each buy ranch were raked in by
first one player and then another. At
breakfast time Monday morning the man
who wanted to 90 home Saturday night
swore that he would wait no longer As
he plunged through the doorway he was
followed by this seating remark:
Damn man who would jump a
game"
A year ago | met young man who had
come out west to grow up with the coun>
try. He was a graduate OF Harvard, and
had pleasant manners, but evidently left
a comfortable eastern home with exag-
gerated notions Of the west In three
weeks after his arrival he was strapped,
and had all his best buds in pawn | was
somewhat interested in his fate at the
time, but did not see him tagain until a
few days ago he had the ear marks Of
prosperity about him and was told later
that he had graduated from coal deal,
er's office as a crack poker player, and be
had learned it all within few months
Some wonderful stories were told of this
young fellows nerve and it was said that
he had good fat bank account and sat
regularly in stockmen's game
The tide of his fortune was turned by
his grit in playing two deuces in big
game. He had been drifting into gains
bling for some time, and knew a great
ueal aDOul ueCh Ol CdruS InTee OF Jnt
players had laid down their hands after
the draw, leaving only two contestants.
The hero of the story had been winning,
and bet freely on his hand His opponent
kept seeing him and raising him, and fin.
ally, after the pot had grown big enough
to be worth fighting for, raised him So, \
800. The clerk 10 the coal Office put on
his thinking cap, He had two deuces unS
supported, and he looked at them, and
then coolly eyed his antagonist. This
lasted two or three minutes. Not facial
muscle moved.
Il call you" he said at last throwing
his two deuces down upon the table.
They won the pot.
The other mans hand was not as good
as ace high.
/ am told that this young Harvard grad
uate is one Of the best poker players here
abouts. He calls bluff instinctvely.
His luck is charmed, and the oldest and
most reckless players tremble when they
go against him.
The great art in poker is to know when