The Arkansaw traveler., 1888-10-27
TWO POKER STORIES.
New York GNnAiA

WN4 v UkC4uuNA UA VI @ARkkGA kks4ANy some time ago, made up of men of national note, said an old Washington journalist. Some were members of the senatorial game, A number of interesting stories of odd combinations were told. Said ono legialator from the weet--the very far west: "A- way back in the sixties hvc congenial spirits wero enjoy ing the seductive beauties of the game. It waa the time when genius was the component part of good and successful player, and l fiatter mvself that small bit of the divine atilatus came to me at one of the critical moments that evening. II had been quite successful, and was, l perhaps q, 900 aheati, when As the ago. discovered on picking up my hand that the lowest straight flush In hearts had been dealt to me, pat. The blind was $25. All oaine in and ! prompt ly raised $ioo. Two oi the players saw 1t and another raised mo tho same amount. returned 1t. The two dropped out and tho third man raised again. raised him five times more, and he stopped. Of course, l did not take any cards, and he drew one. At this point the chances were 10000 to In my favor. However 1 watched my adversary closely as he examined his ono card, and, although hiaexpresaion did not change a particle, know ab- solutely that he held the winning hand. His entire course was clear to me as though he had explained 1t. His four cards oi one suit needed ono 1 to make sequence. He had taken terrible chance before the draw and bet to the limit. Hc made his straight flush and as mine was the lowest pos- sible one his was undoubtedly higher than mine.
 "It was his first bet and after run. ming over his hand he slowly showed s25 towards tho middle of tho tAbIo. I saw his bet and raised him &i. He immediately raised mo $l00. throw my cards face upwards on the table and said: Your pot How did you ever guess it2' ho exclaimed, as he turned over his cards, showing a straight flush In spades, nine spot high"
 My belief in the adage that light ming never strikes twice In the same place has been shaken In certain poker experience, two years ago." said another member of the party. "There were six of us playing and tho limit was small. had been playing in av- craze luck and was something of "a win ncr, and having dcx terously secured two pair, queens up, called n dapper l yAnssr sxant iass1at aiftinar sn kt,u Iatt who blandly exposed four sevens as he gracefully raked In the chips. On the next deal was the age, and a pair of trays was dealt to mo tho man who held the four sevens tho hand before drew three cards, and tho others drew one, two and three respectively. My chances for the pot looked very slim, l thought, but upon picking up tho three cards l called for, l found three aces, making my hand an acc full. To my delight the betting opened very lively. The first man bet the limit, only to be raised by the three men that succeeded him. or course l raised when 1t came t0 me, and after while the battle fastened itself upon the man who had held the four sevens and myself. I reasoned that he had held fours the hand before, 1t would bc impossible for him to hold them again, and fours were required to beat an ace full. raised him twenty times; he had become automatic Is raising ae back, and was very pale In the bar gain. hcsitated for a minute, but the memory of the hand before nerved me and kept up the raising. Fin ally called. Iic couldn't speak from nervousness, but that didn't prevent him from exposing four sixes. He held a pair of sixes and drvw the other two. In more or lees elabor- crate experience of the game 1 have never, save that once, known fours to fall to the same man twice In success sion. The great point in poker In my opinion,' concluded the story teller, lis knowing when to lay down your hand"