St. Paul daily globe., 1889-06-09
The Gambler Takes the Lead
Among the Supersti-
tiOuS.
Various Vagaries Of the Pro-
fessional Poker
Player.
The Jockey Club Winner and
the Lottery
Fiend.


one of the fraternity is found who is
not only superstitious, but morbidly so.
Their dreams, the way in which they
get out of bed in the morning, whether
they see the new moon over the right or
left shoulder, action of animals, and a
thousand trivial occurrences guide the
gambler in his movements and lead him
to play or abstain from playing on cer-
tain days. Superstition follows the
gambler to the card table and never
leaves him, and there are hundreds of
the fraternity who would quit a game
at the outset should anything happen to
induce them to believe that the fates
were against their winning at that par
ticular time.
II have not won at poker for more
than a year now," remarked veteran
sport, land l'll tell you how it hap
pened. l have wholesome horror of
cats, and especially of black ones. A
little over year agO--l had been play
ing poker the night before, and had
won a handsome stake-I awolSe late in
the afternoon, about dusk, and hurried
out of bed to don my clothes and try
my luck again, feeling like four-tlme
winner. Imagine my feelings when a
large black cat confronted me at the
door, and for time barred my passage.
Every time l would attempt to leave
the room that cat would bristle up and
show fight. finally hurled bootjack
at the creature, striking it fairly in the
head, and the animal turned and
ran away. will confess that
the incident unnerved me, but
after taking 'bracer,' and enjoying
a hearty supper, strolled around
to popular resort and bought a stack
of chips, sitting into a game where there
was plenty of money, and the players
easy ''marks" for professional. lost
from the start, couldn't win a pot. And
the hands l had beaten would break
mans heart-threes, f1ushes, full hands,
After losing heavily suddenly thought
of the incident at my hotel. with the
big black cat. and l quit right there and
then. 1 didn't play for quite awhile,
but finally thinking the spell had
passed, again sat in. but lost as before,
and that has been my luck right along.
l believe that the visit of that cat was a
warning. and if had obeyed it and not
played that night. l would not have
struck this streak of bad luck. Ii my
luck ever changes again / will never
touch card the same day see cat in
the house OF on the street."
AS the narrator of the above absurd
reason for his losing at cards was evil
dently imbued with superstition, he
was asked to relate other inciden is
where card players had been pursued
by adversely for not paying due heed to
significant warnings.
PECULIARITIES OF GAMBLERS.
''There is any number of them," he
continued. "There is something pc
culiar about it a IL, l will admit. but
there are many who can testify that i'll
kind. 1t may be mind-reading OF an in
tuitive knowledge of what is to happen,
but those who disregard the admOni-
tions of their own reasoning powers in
variably regret it. At the last meeting
of the st. Louis Jockey club we'll
known sport lost heavily every day
until the closing day of the meeting.
His continued ill-luck had unnerYed
him, and he had determined to let the
races alone that day. But he couldn't
stay away from the track, and concluded
to 60 out and look at the fun anyway. On
the way out the conductor OF the street
cal failed to collect fare from the sport
ing man. and just as he alighted from
the car he saw something shining in the
street. He stopped and picked it up. 1t
was a silver dime. "Things are coming
my way to-day" he said, ''and Ill put a
few dollars on the first race, anyway"
He did, and won. He repeated and won
again, And that superstitious' man, as
you might call him, not only won all he
had lost during the meeting, but came
away with clean winning OF over $500.
Now. there may have been nothing
significant in his getting that free ride
and finding that dime. but If he hadn't
he would not have risked dollar. His
superstition stood him well in hand, and
he could never be convinced but that
there is something in signs and incidents
which prompts man to act, and as
rule to bet properly and successfully.
He wouldn't take $40 for that lucky ten
cent piece he found in the street, and
now wears it as watch charm.
THE SUPERSTITIOUS POKER PLAYER.
''But the most superstitious of all
gamblers is the poker player. The
slight est sign or annoyance breaks
him all to pieces. [ once saw poker
player enter room, remove his coat,
light cigar, invest in stack of chips,
and as he pulled his chair up to the
table he discovered that there was
cross-eyed man in the gang. That set
tied it. Without word he arose, turned
in his checks. and, dOnning his coat. left
the room. When asked what his pecul-
lar conduct meant he replied:
'''Why, wouldn't play in a game of
cards with crosS-eyed man If he'd give
me his money!
"'Why.'
"sWell, can't say why, but have
premonition that it is bad luck, and l
don't want to he pursued by ill luck;
that's the only explanation can give.'
This is but one of many of the pecul-
iarities of poker-players. There are
very few of them who will permit
spectator to stand or sit near him, even
a friend who he knows would rather cut
off his right arm than tip his hand and
to put foot OH players chair is
mortal offense. / have heard many
player, upon discovering that some one
had foot resting on his chair. say:
"'There, l knew it. No wonder Pm
losing. Take that foot away, please
''OtherS will at once get up and quit
the game upon making the discovery. l
once knew crack poKer-player whose
face was blank. no matter what sort
of hand he held, who would quit the
game if he won the first pot. 1t is said
that Senator Tabor always predicted
losing sitting If he held deuce in the
first hand dealt him.
WILL LEND MONEY, BUT NO CHECKS.
s'Such peculiarities as mortal dread
lest some one in the game will change
red or blue check in a Jackpot for
whites. while the play is going on, or
take a particular seat, etc., are very
common, but the thing most dreaded by
superstitious poker-players is the result
of lending checks to a friend during the
progress of a game. Not one in a hun
"a Il 4o1x,