The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-09-27
fHE POKER CRAZE.
Ths CD Making Great Inroads Upon
the New Workers..

Nfork Cor. Philadelphia Times.
ThaSne of poker has acquired q great
nod. bt only in the no es of some of the
bet DE in the land and in the regular
gsnlE houses, but in hooks and corners
wiernly the initiated would think of
lokifor it, quiet poker game is in prog
rss fght after night Large and
snatakes change hands in hundreds of
pad every night, and in some of these
padcurious social developments are to
t. hdied by any one who has the oppor-
tlni and inclination. The most mischiev-
olshnner of the indulgence is one that
see}to have been modelled after the stories
in bern French novels. In some Of these
now descriptions are given of retired vii
las the immediate neighborhood of Paris,
in }ch some scheming dame not only al
lowbut encourages gambling for high
sta. In New York the same thing is
donyith variations. Retired villas are not
sous, for the New York policeman, unlike
the ench gendarme, has no authority to
madomiciliary visits, and little or no
fear his interference is entertained. Ele-
ganatS are easy to be had which afford
all tretirement necessary and are most
con1ent of access. The least adventurous
youth New York can easily be persuaded
10 cain an apartment house in a good
nelgtrhood where all the outward looks
OF reactability are preserved.
FEEDING THE KITTY.
Theegant vase which the French dame
SUPPLY the use of which is we'll understood
by all b guests, is replaced in New York
oy thehore prosaic kitty" No player
may hd to pocket all his winnings, nor
would fexpect to, for he knows that the
III;
tanned tShis behoof and that the income
necessary for the maintenance is drawn
from theame. But whereas in France, as
III the noslS, the gallantry of the gentle
man Is red upon to compel him to drop
snare OF spoilS into the vase without any
StlpuIatloa s to the percentage, in New
York the after is put on business basis
from We start Hence the
Kitty" chips are provided by
the la1yi who runs the "hell,n
and are loloand redeemed by her. Mani
testify, II during the play some of them
come oak d her without her having to
Duy then, She will have surplus of funds
at the btakhg-up. Itis, therefore, agreed
that eac player winning pot on hand
above britain value shall pay tithes by
putting one chip in the City" Ordi-
narlly tbs value is fixed at two pairs, and
as In anJgame hand of three or better are
commonthe kitty is likely to be the only
steady winner
POKER IN A MANSION.
The mo- elegant establishment Of this class
is In the eighborhood of Madison square.
The proHetress, well-bred and attractive
woman couples the entire house, which is
handsoie four-story brown-stone mansion
of the bet type. A similar house on the
the same lock rents for $500 per year.
The main floor is an elegant restaurant,
which forfood, cooking and service, is on a
par with lelmonico's. A glimpse at the bill
OF fare slows that the place is for the jeun-
esse doreehnd not the vulgar herd. Cigars,
25 cents; ye whisky, 25 and 40 cents; port
erhouse sBak, 81 entrees, 81; champagne,
-, are sample entries upon the gilt-edged
card. Anoble fiigh, of stairs leads to the
floors above, where the goddess chance is
worshipd The rooms are elegantly fur
nished from every standpoint Velvet car
pets, hand carved and exquisitely-
tered furniture, artistic wall and mantel
make it more home than
card-r0om. Electric bells enable the player
to call for fresh cards or new supplies of to-
bacco and aeOhol as the game progresses.
The "house" Owls or keeps no gambling
excepting cards, markers,
chips and dice But there is no restriction
upon the use of the rooms. You can play
any game for which you bring the tools.
Poker and whist are the favorites of the pa
irons; those of ioreign origin or who have
lived abroad display penchant for ecarte,
piquet, and bac0rat, while now and then
confirmed gameter will run q faro table,
4 roulette wheel or a rouge-et-noir game for
4 night.
There is no regular "kitty" in the place
Each room costs SO much per night, and no
questions are asked. The games played are
1ot very high in comparison with Days, at
Long Branch, or the great establishments
Of Europe, but run considerably over those
played at the New York clubs. In no room
does less than 800 change hands in a night.
From this it runs far up into the thousands.
A feature of the place is that no woman
S allowed TO enter it, not even into the res
-aurant. If they do come in the larder be-
comes suddenly and remarkably empty, and
the wine cellar devoid of goods. Despite
he apologies of the sorrowful and sym
pathetic waiter the call is never repeated.
The frequenters of the place are club men,
whose club prohibit any but nominal stakes
Or which close early; men about town,
successful lawyers and journalists. As a
class they are far above the average, and
deserve the much-abused word "select,"
which the proprietress regards as the shlb-
1oleth of her trade.
A SIXTH AVENUE PLACE.
On Sixth avenue. not a stones throw from
The Racquet club is very different estab-
ishment. This is presided over by fine
looking woman, whose charms are very
much on the wane, and whose large fiat is
devoted almost entirely to gaming.
Every table is stilted for the
kitty" and woe to the player
who does not drop chip for 'every hand
over two pair" in the national game Hand
,ome boxes of "lotto" enable the seeker after
fortune to indulge in the pleasure of keno
without violating the law. When the latter
game is played, the bank is run by the
manager" of the house, a mu cular but
mild-mannered young man, who in lower
dens, would be styled a "bouncer." The
customers are chiefly clerks, young profess
'ional men and dudes. Here there is no re-
strlction upon women. A large number
have the entree of tue place, and all persons
have the privilege to bring strangers, but
there is an unwritten law. All must be at
tractve, well-dressed, well-bred and not
poor. Of course, respectable women are
by their absence. Now and
then some reckless and fashionable girl or
married woman, bent upon seeing the town,
Will drop in, but with these exceptions the
female visitors are all members of the great
army of the lost. All play, espec ally the
women. When they ''go broke" they Dor
row from some friend or admirer, and in
tefault Of this obtain a stack OF chips from
he house, using their jewelry as collateral.
The game is not heavy one. Five and
ten cent chips are used and half
or whole dollar is the limit OF the game.
Even upon this basis considerable money is
ost and won. and goodly sum goes each