Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1886-06-27
POKER PLAYING
q. Issr. Dc Bohemian.


| Sec the New York Tribune, that high
ly moral sheet, is giving its Sunday readers
a series of articles from the pen OF that
great scientist, Prf Proctor, on that SEEM
inGly innocent game known as draw poker.
Now. heretofore / have felt somewhat
ashamed of being even moderate poker
PLAYER, but when such good Catholic as
Prot. Proctor can give his attention to the
game, why should a poor devil like me
hesitate to come out before the world ~
fond admirer of the great American game!
have closely studied the professors es-
saws, and have acted on some of his sug-
gestions. But think he Is sadly OIL MS
base on some points. He says poker ls not
the gamblers game, rs there Is altogether
too much science In 1t, and very little
chance to resort TO tricks. This Is Just
where the professor makes me tired. Why,
draw poker Is a game Of tricks. / would
like to get into q square game once, just to
see how it goes. And it's the gamblers
came every time, just because hecan work
| in his tricks to the queens taste. II the
average gambler is not good at poker, l
would like to know what game he can play
with any sort of satisfaction. At faro or
keno he must either work in with the
house or stand his chance on equal footing
with the outside, which you know is de-
cidedly slim; but in poker the gambler has
no outlay for paraphernalia, and can play
! the game on his enemy's ground Just rs
! well rs on his own. You see. poker sharpS
generally go in pairs, and a pair Of these
sharps can skin the best man out. And
il does not make bit of difference how
many may be in the game, three, four, or
even seven, the two playing partnership
| have everything work to their advantage.
| And this business Is WmkGd so skllliully
| that il is next to an ampOasibility to tumble
onto the trick during the game. Poker
patners pretend to have no Use for each
other during game, and generally speak
in very mcOmplimentary terms of one
another. They do this to throw the other
PLAYERS of their guard. In the game they
! sit next to each other They do this 81
! that thgy can see each others hand. Sup
pose one of these sharpS has the ago, and
! his partner is dealer, for that hand; well,
! the age finds a pair Of aces in his hand,
which no takes particular pains To show III
| some way or other 10 his partner, then II
Of the players have Clipped in, the ago
raises his original ante to the full limit,
whatever that may be-, depending on his
partner. the dealer, TO hclphm out. Now,
tine chances are that the dealer has either
an ace or a pair in his own hand, 50 If III
hts an ace lie slips his hanl qnirkly on the
deck with the ace OH top, ana lthe has
pair in addition they come next No one
notices this move hcr;Iusp he does 1t sc
quickly, aud besides Us he Is moi going to
stay and play his hand, the other players
don't think it worth while to watch him.
They only watch the dealer rs long ~ they
think lie is after the pot. Well, what Is
the result? The ago has tahGn three cards
and the other Playcrs-arc pretty well aware
of the fact that ne the age, is drawing to q
pair of aces. Now, if they help then
igpJY any NJ NIL. they feel confident that
they have GOT the agc III Il hGX, su nIt they
90. betting the full limit, only 10 lind that
the ace is ready for them ami raises them
back to the extent OF the limit. To b'
sure, they have to call, only to lind that
the age was loaded for all that's out
That's the beauty OF partnership in poker
Then there il apatker W., they work it
Say one of these sharks il very clever al
putting up cards, but he knows too vel
that after each shuttle the cards will he cut
and thus knGrkca NHt 81 gear, Well L
stop that hls partner sits 10 the right, ;tnt
he, too, is 40 cheap bunglcr at hmdlm!
cards. ~ after his partner hai sAHliiGd th'
pack quite cleyerly hO takes / hem and pre-
tends 10 reShunlc them inr all that's out
when In fact he Is doing nothing OF III,
sort, but will hand the cards back 10 tn
dealer precisely ~ thoy were glren 10 him
Tho result is there are Il number of goo,
hands out, and nobody kicks, because tn,
deal had every appearance of being square
Now, how in the world is an outside
going toprotect H,msciiqaiinst such tricks
Why, even faro is IN innocent game wlleI
compared TO draw poker.
The professor lays great stress on nv
crugcS, and says tllat the player Wh'
studies averages well has great advantage
over his iellow-pIaycrs. lie also claim
that the best hand before tho draw, ~
rule, comes out on top in the end. 1t ma!
be his experience, but | am sorry to SaN
that it has not been mine. have gen
orally been robbed out OF Il Jackpot (tha
was mine before the draw, by some chal
who was fool enough TO stay and draw f
u bob-tail or a pair OF dcqces.
After reading tho professors essays OF
averages in poker, ] sailed into Char
street joint and there found some blnod
studying the wierd beauties Of The game
so took hand. Soon had the pleasure
of opening 4 Jackpot. Every son Of 1
gun stayed, and the dealer raised the pc
the full limit. Says to myself, this iel
low has the best hand before the draw, an,
according to the learned professor he j
liable To hold the best hand clear through
50 wlUId ha 2 tnal 10 stay, and 50 stay
nN nnt with my ltLln mir OBJ nuNrus