St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-09-23
SOME POKER STORIES
Mostly From the South, and Tell
ing of Big Losses and Win

Mostly From the South, and Tell
ing of Big Losses and Win
nings.
New York Graphic.
In New Orleans in the year 1880 there
was large commission house on Teh-
oupatoulas street in which three men
were interested, one of whom had ex-
elusive control of the business, while
the other two lived in Galveston. The
manager of the business, whom we will
call Mr.. Gregory, had $4,000 invested
with the firm.
Gregory was an inveterate poker
player, and although married, spent
most of his nights at the card table.
One morning the bookkeeper and
cashier of the firm was notified by
bank that Mr.. Gregory had given a
check for $4,000. The partners in Gal
weston were notified and they came to
New Orleans. Mr.. Gregory was asked
to explain, and he told the following
story:
II was playing poker and on the first
deal held three queens and an ace and
king. discarded the ace and king
and caught the other queen. AS four
aces and four kings could not be out,
lily lOul QuCCuS was luNIIClDlC
The betting reached $4,000, when my
opponent called. l showed the four
queens and he showed four kings. l
was, of course, astonished and stated
that it was very strange, when l had
discarded a king. The discards were
looked through and there with my dis
carded ace was jack. In my haste l
had mistaken the jack for king, and
the oversight cost me $4,000.
Mr.. Gregory was told that he would
have to withdraw from the firm. but If
he would continue to manage the bus
mess salary of $1,000 year would be
paid to him, provided he quit playing
poker. He accepted the offer. Next
morning he was missing, and after
wards was found at the club rooms
playing draw poker. He bad been
playing all night. The business Of the
firm was Immediately closed up, and
Gregory secured a position in another
ing poker and is probably still SHOWING
the pasteboard" if he is living.
In Birmingham few years ago pro-
prietor of certain hotel used to play
poker with the boys quite frequently.
He still lives in Birmingham, and still
likes little game of draw. One night
he said to novice-that is, person
who thought he could play poker:
s'If you will come with me to the club
rooms tonight will show you new
way to bluff"
The invitation was accepted, and as
soon as the hotel proprietor reached the
''rooms" he took hand at table. He
had the air of man who had been
drinking, and frequently called for a
little whisky straight while the game
tn al. no
quite drunk, and his friends tried to
make him withdraw from the game, but
he would not. At each deal he
would glance at his cards, throw
them down, muttcr, 81 won't play"
and call for another drink. Presently
he grabbed up his hand, said he was
in and offered to bet $500. One of
the other players smiled and saw him
$500 better. The hotel keeper was rich,
and it was a good time to get some of
his money while he was still drunk.
| The hotel man mumbled something
about $1,000 better. He was made to
put up the checks, which he signed
with some difficulty after somebody else
| had filled them out.
81 call you," said the player, who
wanted to get the hotel mans money,
and he put up the check for the amount
UGll lllGIC CdllIC q OhoiS1Ss
The hotel proprietor just rose up, as
sober as a Judge, and, laying down four
kings, said:
"There they are, and you can't beat
'em."
The other player looked foolish,
pushed his hand into the deck and
| asked whose deal it was.
The hotel man picked up the checks,
put them in his pocket and went home.
| He had been playing drunk.
Bud Hart, as he is called by his
| friends, used to be one of the boys when
| Birmingham, Ala, used to be called the
| Leadyille of the South. Bud was always
hard up, and found it no easy matter to
keep Staked.
| One night while in card room dead
broke, Hart was approached by a
stranger, who said to him:
| "There will be fellow up here to-
night with $500 or $400 In his packet,
| and | am going to do my best to get the
| money. | want you to drop in to keep
the game going. Here's $40 to start
with, and l will see that you are kept
staked."
In a little while ''the fellow with the
$500 or S400'' came in, and Hart at once
made his acquaintance.
The second stranger said to Hart i'll
an undertone:
..The fellow l am going to play with
has several hundred dollars which l am
after, and will keep you staked if you
will play with u.s."
The three-handed game was soon
under way. and the two strangers
PLAYED for each other for all they were
worth. Hart always went out when
they both stayed in.
Each of the strangers when they
played against Hart allowed him to win
the pot without showing their hands.
This thing kept up all night, Hart keep
ing his pile of money out of sight.
Seven O'Clock next morning both OF the
strangers were nearly broke and stopped
playing. Hart had nearly $1,000 in his
pockets. A long time afterwards he
told the story.
About fifteen years ago there was a
large number of gambling saloons in
Mobile, where keno, roulette and faro
are played every night.
"A young man, who is now merchant
in Memphis, Tenn, was almost insane
about devIsing some scheme to break
the roulette at gambling saloon which
was backed up by thousands of dollars.
He had been left some property by his
father. and he had sold it piece by piece
to secure funds with which to play
roulette.
One night, while betting on the red
and black numbers as usual, he lost al!
the money he had with him: Feeling
around in his pocket his hand touched
coin about the size of quarter, and
he called out quickly, just as the wheel
was about to stop:
"Twenty-fve cents on No. 8. black
The wheel stopped with the marble
on No. s, black, before the young man
could get his money ont. The banker
knowing he was good customer, paid
the bet, giving him 81.
The young man bet 81 on another
number and won. He bet again anC