Sacramento daily record-union., 1889-06-15
SUPERSTITIOUS SPORTS.
VAeARIEs OF THE PROFESSIONAL
POKER PLAYER.
Peculiarities of People who Believe Their
Destiny is RuIed-Basebau
MascOts.

| fecuhlI1tles OF Reopie who Believe Tbei
Destiny is RuIed-Basebau
| MascOts.
Perhaps no class of people in the worlc
are as superstitious as the professional
gamblers. 1t is very rarely that one o.
the fraternity is found who is not only
superstitious, but morbidly so. Theil
dreams, the way in which they get out o.
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 move
ments and lead him to play or abstain from
playing on certain days. Superstition fol-
lows the gambler to the card table and
never leaves him, and there are hundreds
Of the fraternity who would quit game
at the outset should anything happen to
induce them to believe that the fates were
against their winning at that particular
time.
Il have not won at poker for more that
a year now," remarked a veteran sport,
"and I'll tell you how it happened. I
have a wholesome horror of cats, and
especially Of black ones. 4 little over a
year ago-I had been playing poker the
night before, and had won handsome
stake-l awOke late in the afternoon,
about dusk, and hurried out of bed to don
my clothes and try my luck again feeling
like fOur-time winner Imagine nay
feelings when large black cat confronted
me at the door, and for 4 time barred NV
passage. Every time | would attempt to
leave the room that cat would bristle M
and show fight | finally hurled boot
jack at the creature, striking it fairly in
the head, md the animal turned and ran
away. | will confess that the incident un-
nerved me, but after taking a 'bracer, and
enjoying hearty supper, strolled around
to popular resort and bought stack of
chips sitting into game where there was
plenty OF money and the players easy
marks for professional. | lost from the
start-couldn't win pot. And the hands
l had beaten would break mans heart
threes, tlushes, fuIl-hands, aye, even fours
would not win for me- After losing
heavily | suddenly thought of the
incident at my hotel, with the big black
cat, and l quit right there and
then. | didn't play for quite awhile.
but finally thinking the spell bad
passed, | again sat in but lost as before.
and that has been my luck right along.
believe the visit of that cat was warning.
and if | had obeyed it and not played that
night, | would not have struck this streak
of bad luck. If my luck ever changes
l will never touch a card the same day l
see a cat in the house or on the street"
As the narrator of the above alb
surd reason for his losing at cards
was evidently imbued with super
stition, he was asked to relate
other incidents where card-playing had
been pursued by adversely for not paving
due heed to significant warnings.
PEcULIARITIEs OF GAMBLERS.
There is any number of them, he con-
tinued. "There is something peculiar
about it all, | will admit. but there are
many who can testify that ill-Iuck usually
follows warning of that kind 1t NAV be
mind-reading or an intuitive knowledge of
what is to happen, but those who disregard
the admonitions of their own reasoning
power invariably regret it. At the last
meeting of the st Louis Jockey Club
well-known sport lost heavily every day
until the closing day of the meeting. His
continued ill-luck had unnerved him, and
he had determined to let the races alone
that day. But he couldn't stay away from
the track, and concluded to go out and
look at the fun anyway. On the way out
the conductor of the street car failed to
collect fare from the sporting 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 FL Just put a few
dollars on the first race, anyway He did.
and won. He repeated and won again.
And that superstitious' man, as you would
during the meeting, but came away with
a clear 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 act
properly and successfully. He wouldn't
take so for that lucky ten-cent pisce he
found in the street, and now wears it as a
watch charm"
THE sUPERsTITIoUs PoKER-PLAYER.
But the most superstitious of all gam
blers is the poker-player. The slightest
sign or annoyance breaks him all to
pieces. l once saw poker-player enter a
room, remove his coat, light cigar, invest
in stack of chips, and as he pulled his
char up to the table he discovered that
there was cross-eyed man in the game.
That settled it. Without word he arose
turned in his checks, and, donnine his
coat, left the room. When asked what
his peculiar conduct meant, he replied:
"'Why, wouldn't play in game of
cards with cross-eyed man if he'd give
me his money
"'Why?
"'Well, can't say why, but l have a
premonition that it is bad luck, and |
don't want to be pursued by ilI-luck; that's
the only explanation can give
"This is but one of many of the peculi-
artieS of DOEer-playprs There are worry