The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-08-17
sTUD-EORsE POK Err.
The Origin of This EXCITING Game
of Cards
From the Denuer Republican.


From the Denuer Republican,
"Bud" Med 0nald, an old-time sporting
man, was cooling his heels in front of the
Markham last evening. Mr.. Mcdonald
was not reticent, and it did not take him
long IN get into a reminiscent strain, which
was veritable BONANZA OF anecdotes and
| incidents of early life on the Mississippi.
The most entertaining and instructive of
these was an account, which he gave in
a happy veil of how the game of stud
| hor.e poker" originated.
There was in the latter 'fifties and early
| sixties man who occasionally made trip
on the river by the name of McCool." said
| Mr.. Mcdonald. he was a confirmed
gambler, and what we called in those days
a high roller that is. he would not only
| play for heavy stakes, but would have
ganbled the last of bis possessions, even had
it been block of brick building in Denver,
| on what he thought would be the top hand.
| Where McCool came from to the river, as
well as whittier he went upon leaving it,
nobody knew. But while he was there he
| made name and fortune which were the
| envy of many a less successful sporting
man. His penchant for and success at
| draw poker won for him the pseudonym of
| Poker McCool, and | venture to say that
| if one we're to take a trip down the river to-
day he could find a 8 nall army of ante
rebellion slaves who we're won or lost by
! Nc DOL.
There was no game at which Poker Nc
| Co ouldn'u play" resumed Mr. McDon-
| aid. & have seen him bet $500 that two
| quarreilg dogs in the street wouldn't come
to fight, and win it, aud l remainder that
| he bet an astrono meal genius who was
boas.ing of his accomplishments, that he
| couldn't tell which side of the moon was
the convex when it came up, and he won
| again. He took care that the astr onomer
was so drunk that ne couldn't tell the moon
| from saloon cuspidore when it did get up.
In short, McCool was betting man. But
OF all his experience the day that he played
game of poker which gave birth to that
! degenerate nondescrlpt which now is known
as 'stud-horse poker was his most exci5
ing, and believe that the downfall aud
ruin dated from that time 1t shook his
| confide nee.
"McCool spent much of his time at New
| Orleans, and he became a conspicuous
| equestrian figure there in time He owned
| Dig black stallion, for which he had paid
| $1,000, ana when he was astride of the ami
| NAL he was an attractive object-he and
| the horse. He thought much of the animal
| and money could not have touched him
| Well on the after 1oon am speaking about,
| McCool got into a poker game good old
| draw poker it was with a wealthy gambler
named Brady. Neither McCool nor Brady
| belonged to temperance organization, ana
feature of the game was the frequent
turning of the low card for drink 1t
was about shutdown when the deal began
| which ended the game and left McCool
| afoot and bankrupt
THE deal was Brady's, and the first card
| mad been given to each of them. when Nc
Cool wanted a card turned for another
round Of drinks. Brady turned it. and a
| four spot fell to each. With recklessness
and gambling informality which had char
acterized the game throughout McCool
threw large sum Of money on the table
| and Brady called it. 1t seemed to be merely
bet before the draw, and tle players tao
lily understood in what manner it would be
won or lost. McCool called for another
card to be turned, and it was done. Each
got five spot. McCool made another ad-
dltlon to the pot, which Brady covered, and
third card was turned. Each got six.
that. after deciding the question of
drinks, tie draw should be pro-
ceeded with; but now the game
took another turn, and it was decided to
settle the hands without drawing. The
NTH card was accordingly turned, and it
was deuce. There was an i'm nense pile
in the pot, and the interest among the
crowd, which was packed around the table.
was SO intense and the silence SO Deep that
the ticking of the tall clock behind the bar
/ sounded like a hammer striking on an anvil,
Both men sat deeply absorbed in study
NICHOLS buried card was six spot, and
he was certain enough that his pair had
Brady beaten. Brady's buried card was a
trey, and he had a Straight and a sure
thing. His credit, sitting behind that hand,
was unlimited, and he was prepared to play
it out.
The scene at this time was the most i'm
pressive that lie ieve ever witnessed. I
never saw an agg cegation of men so thor
ougnly impressed with the fact that a tre-
mendoussstake hung i'll the balance. The
betting proceeded slowly but heavily until
finally McCool had all is earthly posses
slons represented in the stake on the table
except two objects. Oae of these was his
stallion. who stood champing his bit on the
street outside: the other was his old negro
slave. who stood holding the horse. Finally
McCool ordered the negro to be brought in,
and Brady deposited 50 900 against him, at
the same time raising McCool $4,000.
After some moments of col study Nc
Cool tod Brady that all he owned was on
tqe table, with the exception of his horse
he was willing to put him up against the
last bet that Brady had made. The prop
sltlon was accepted, and McCool ordered
the horse led inan1 he was The interest
have describe, as attending the game be-
fore now seemed intensified, if that we're
possible, ami the picture there pre- ented,
with the faithful old slave standing by
MS masters chair, the agony of
the suspense which he was Undergoing
plainly depicted upon his face, the magnifi-
cent horse, who seemed all but conscious Of
the wealth at stake, and lastly the players
ana the SPECTATORS, was one never to be for
gotten. When the betting was at last over
and nothing was lacking to decide the game
but the appearance of the two buried cards,
McCool called for glass of liquor. 1t was
not until he had emptied this tnat he asked
to see his opponents card
when it was shown down he silently
got up from the table and walked through
the crowd, which par ted for his passage,
out into the street. He never sat in a game
that drew crowd again, and it was but a
few months from that time when he dis
appeared permanently from the river. He
was the first man to lose big money at
'stud-horse poker and re has had my re-
pectful sympathy ever sincs."