Daily Yellowstone journal., 1891-01-20
POINTS ON CARDS.
A Few Remarks About the National
Game of Poker.

~ EeW Remarks ABOUT the NatAouaA
Game Of Poker.
The ordinary American citizen who
hasn't got at least one good poker story on
the end Of his tongue ought to be a 1t can
dida1e for a dime museum. There are
probably more stories rife about this par
ticular game han almost any other sub
ject. because, a. a matter Of fact, poker
brings into play about every emotion that
is common 20 humanity. When you play
poker with a man all Of his characteristics
are brought at once into bold relief You
can tell whether he is brave or cowardly,
whether he is mean or generous, whether
he is quick or slow, whether he is open or
shut, whether be is honest OF dishonest,
whether be is true or false. You can tell
what kind Of a lover he makes. You can
place him among husbands. You can tell
70 a hair just how much nerve he has, and
in short you can know him better than in
any other way.
The best telescope IN the world 70 ex
anime a mans soul witt j. his pocket, and
nobody ever plays poke except for money.
II l. a gambling game pure and simple,
and the ome tn cash element is
brown out o. il IL ] ses all interest. Il
like 70 play poker ju for the fun Of il, &"
says one. Il don't Ant the limit 70 be
any higher than { a cents. What be
really means is tia he don't care 70 risk
any more money, a 4 that be Is going 20
do his level best q win all be can u of
that ten cent d 1t. II. a. he says, he
wanted % play Ie game purely for fun
be would play IL u fun, and nothing else.
50 that YOU ca SET 10 down as a safe rule
that poker il purely a gambling game, and
If people begin ~ playing II for fun they
invariably enc by playing IL for money.
The tendency the game has is To cheaper
the value Of money, and the best illustra-
ton Of this is that when the same people
play together for some time there is a con
craving 70 increase the limit.
A mar who u learning 70 play poker will
start on a ten cent limit because he canDO
lose much, and then again a dollars worth
Of blue chips at ten cents each looks larger
than it does later on. BY and by he rants
70 make these blue chips worth a quarter,
the a dollar apiece, and as his Confdence
il himself increases he makes the limit
larger. One Of the strangest facts in poker
= tba the more a man loses money the
more his confidence il himself Increases.
And this is the most potent force that aids
the professional sharper - fleece his vic
tim.
There are stories without Number Of the
peculiar fascination Of the gIme-now one
game has been carried on for days together.
how meals were forgotten, etc. But one
Of the most pathetic things ! ever wit
messed / saw Lass winter in an Arkansas
hotel. One rainy afternoon six men got
together in "a game Of poker. They
had been playing for some little time,
and had been in the habit Of changing
sroun from room 10 rOOm 80 that each
member o! the party was in turn a host.
In the last room Of the corridor Of the sec
Ond floor o! the hotel there was a sick man.
The room next - this was occupied by one
OF the player,. who Du tAi, particular day
acted a. the host.
The game began early in the afternoon
and the chips ratified M.-rily. There was
a transom over each door, which made
sounds more audible. Very sOop y he.
came evident 20 the players that the man
next door WIS pretty SICK. They could
hear him g-oan. The doctor came, said
the man was dying, but the game next
door never tagged. ] stood in front Of the
rooms, and heard the grOans Of the dyina
man IN one room and the laughter and rat
tie Of chips in the next room. Finally one
of the players, who had a wife in another
par Of the hotel, got up and cashed in his
chips. "Geutiemen,' said he, I've had
enough. I'm pretty tough, but this is
more than ] can stand ' Not l0u- after
this the sick man next tOpr, iu poker par
lance. "ctshel ina ms chips, but tue game
went on.
To change the train 0f thought.
The other day "a gentleman told me Of a
little game Of draw rs was in not long ago.
There we're four - u. in il, said he.
and THE dealer was "a stranger u me. One
man held four twDs the dealer held -four
hves and ! held four threes. Il was .
mighty interesting situation, / can tell
you. and the man who held four twOs
dropped every hing be had"
"Whai did you dos" I asked.
"Oh. Ae answered careies-ly Il dropped
out. Ton MASON