The Bozeman weekly chronicle., 1888-12-05
NEW POKER DEVICE.
The Scheme Concocted by an I'M
peoun1ous Missourian.
An Insurance Feature by which the Pos
siblo Loss of Every Player Is Given an
Agreed Limit-Explanation Of
the System,

sibio Loss OF Every Player Is Given an
i Agreed Limit-Explanation Of
tho System.
The newest thing among the local devo-
tees OF the National game, poker, is the ad-
dition of an insurance feature, by which
the possible loss of every player is limited
to gwen amount agreed upon in advance.
well-known lawyer explained the system
thus to st. Louis Republic reporter:
Poker is vicious in three respects: ~.
The player can not possibly guard against
streak of bad luck, which may involve the
loss OF more money than he can afford to
loso; (N. The game lasts too long, and is
continued beyond tho time when It should
, be ended by the plea of the losers for an
other chance; and (3). The winner has too
great an advantage over the player who is
out of luck, out of chips, and has already
lost more than he can afford.
Is By the addition of the new insurance to
the game, the possible losses are absolutely
limited, and every group of players can fix
the amount which they can individually af-
ford to lose with absolute certainty. The
game can be stopped at any hour agreed
upon, as every player has said in advance
that he could afford to lose the amount stip-
ulated, and hence can not make the sympa-
thy plea for more time to get even; and In
the matter Of the temporarily rich oppress.
ing the temporarily poor, the man who has
crossed the limit and lost his stake can af-
ford always to draw and test the truth Of
the time-worn statement that 1t is all in the
draw
GAS an illustration, say that five gentle
men sat down for an evenings entertain
ment. They belong to the class who enjoy
the game, but who neither wish to win q
comrades money nor part with their own
beyond point which will make the game
interesting. They accordingly agree that
the individual losing shall not exceed $40.
The result is that each gentleman runs the
risk Of losing SO and stands the chance Of
winning $40. As the game progresses one
or more find themselves the losers beyond
the limit; possibly the result would be that
they would play recklessly, but experience
indicates that they play as carefully as in
the original game, because OF the fact that
they contemplate, and it is within reason
able Possibilities, that they may be the win
ners by and by; in the fluctuations Of the
game it Is probable that all Of the players
will have temporary bankruptcy forced
upon them. At the appointed time the game
Is settled up and each player who has lost
less than $40 pays the amount; each PLAYER
who has lost more than $40 loses his SO, but
no more, and the winners in the proportion
of their winnings deduct or lose the aggre-
gate of the losings over SO in each indi-
vidual case. The computation may be made
by proportion, by per cent. or by fractions.
IA fund from which to pay losings in ex-
cess of the limit may be made up by each
player contributing ct the commencement
Of the game an equal amount to the fund, OF
1t may be raised by a widow or rake off, :
in which event, if the amount exceed the
losings in excess Of $40, the surplus would
be played for in final jack pot. If, on the
contrary, the fund did not equal the neces-
sary amount, it could be completed by the
scaling of the winnings as above.
"a tendency to be reckless after losing
the agreed amount could be checked by
agreeing that the loser should not only pay
the stipulated sum, but twenty-five or fifty
per cent. of their losses beyond that
amount.
"Poker was originally game Of bluff
upon the first hands dealt. Later the
feature Of drawing was added. Then came
the limitation of the amount that might be
bet by the tablc-stakes game; that is, every
player was entitled to show Of hands, pro-
yided he was willing to chance all of the
chips in front of him; both the bluff and
table-stakes involve more money than gen.
tlemen arc willing to play for, and hence
came the limit game, by which every bet is
limited toa certain amount. There is also
the freeze-out game, which is started by
the purchase of an equal amount Of chips
and then is played to finish by the sur
vival of the fittest, each gentleman with
drawing from the game when his chips are
exhausted This game, during its progress,
is the table stakes game; that is to say,
every player may bet the amount in front
Of him and in turn may secure sight of or
force comparison Of hands, provided he
was willing to chance his entire amount.
Both the limit and freeze-out games are de-
signed to limit the possible disastrous re-
suits of a streak Of bad luck, such as all
players have, first or last, but the
addition Of the insurance feature enables
the player OF the table-stakes game and the
limit game to have an evenings entertain
ment with only the loss Of q fixed sum with
as absolute certainty as he who purchases
an opera ticket; the game is superior to
freeze-out in this, that you can play from
the beginning to the end Of the game In
stead of possibly losing your stake the first
hand and having no other right than to In
dulge in the embarrassing and listless occu.
patton Of looking on. !.
"The insurance feature is adapted 10 all
games; the limitation may be fixed at any
amount; the game may run any length Of
time and the pleasure Of the play is en-
HANGED bv tho knowledge that the player is
not to lose more than the amount fixed, and
can not win more of the party's money
than the aggregate OF the balance OF the
players possible losings.
'srhe plan is designed to give to the lover
Of the American game the same security In
his enjoyment that insurance gives to the
business man and the property-owner, and
will enhance the pleasure of the great NUM-
ber of men who make combination be-
tween dining-table, the button-box, pack
Of cards Gnd Saturday evening"