The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1888-06-14
GAMBLING STORIES.

Luck At Cards-How Poker Hard Was Changed.
"And yet Unjust confess that l am
q believer in luck, pure and simple.
Certainly there's difference between
luck and superstition, and you needn't
smile, either. There's fool luck, and
drunken luck, and Chinese luck and
niger luck, and I've seen examples of
every one at faro table. must tell
you little incident of the latter that
occurred in Omaha several years ago.
had been in hard rows for some time
and opened up a little snap for the
benefit OF the coops down at old Dick
Curry's dive, opposite where the re-
publican building now stands. You
see l wanted, by association, to change
my luck. had a roll of about $500,
and those Internal niggers won right
along, until l found something desper-
ate had to be done. There was q keen
eyed coon right at the end Of the
table, and as l shutlled the cards
flashed a jack just below the soda
In less than second every darky
round the table knew that jack was
the second card, and the manner in
which they piled up checks and cash
on the jack and coppered them was q
caution to white folks Then it hap
Iened. strangely enough, that the
third card was 4 jack, too, and [
didn't dare look up for five minutes
after | had taken half their stuff on
that split Their eyes bunsed out,
their teeth gistened, and it was only
regard for my personal safety that
kept me from rolling on the floor and
bowling. The gang braced up the
next deal, however, but their luck
had been broken, and in half an hour
l had every dollar in the room.
Those coons are a bad lot when things
are coming their way"
II remember u case of drunken
luck" Clipped in one OF the fraternity,
that occurred in q room owned
by John Morrissey, in Harris.
burg, Pa, just after the close
OF the war, the game being
without limit. One night a. great big
drover, with the smell OF cattle yards
oozlng from every pore, came in,
brought $50 stack and put it on tho
Jack. Then he dropped his head on
the table and went off in u drunken
sleep almost instantly. The jack won
through two deals, when the dealer
announced the game closed, shook the
drover up and paid him $l2,SOO. No
SOBER man, or probably drunken man
either, who was not asleep, would
ever have allowed his money to re-
main in that way
II don't know much about faro, but
l had q very peculiar experience in
poker-playing couple OF years ago."
INTERCEPTED q rising young attorney Of
douglas county, who had joined the
party which had now reached the bar
when first struck Omaha several
years before, didn't know the Jack
OF diamonds from the ace OF spades,"
he continued, "but my associations
IN the Gate City soon taught me the
difference and became at once the
tlevotee OF every game ofcards played.
The one which most fascinated me,
however, was egreat American game
was making nice little income from
my profession which l dropped week
~ at sittings we had in one of the
private rooms OF u leading hotel.
Our game is usually made up OF five,
two OF whom were professionals and
one, ostensibly business man from
the city. was really Il capper. Every
Sunday morning would leave the no.
tel with an empty purse, having lost
from $50 to $40 during the night. l
don't think ever left that house but
once q winner, and how that came
about is what l will now tell. sat
in my usual hard luck that night I'M
til it was the capper's turn to deal.
When picked up my hand saw
that | had six cards, all OF them dia-
monds. This hand must have been
the gift OF providence, as by getting rid
ofmy six-spot could make a royal
flush, jack high. Everybody stayed,
even after the dealer had raised the
ANTE five dollars. managed to shed
that six spot, stood pat OF course,
and the dealer drew one card | chip
ped in $40, the dealer raised my bet
$25, which saw and raised him $50,
he coming back with like amount.
After the pot had been swelled to over
$500 he called me and what do you
think he had-four aces-and started
to rake in the money when showed
my flush. a more discounted man
you never saw. He had given himself
the hand he intended, but mine was Il
mistake. That was the first and last
time | ever cheated at cards, and
still play at irregular intervals. un-
derstand that the game at the hotel
still goes on, but my straight flush
was the last hand I ever held around
that board.-Detroit Republican.