Daily Yellowstone journal. [volume] (Miles City, Mont.) 1882-1893, 1891-08-01
POINTS ON CARDS


q Few Remarks About the NatiOasa
Game Of Poker.
The ordinary American citizen whs
hasn't got at least one good poker story on
the end Of his tongue ought 10 be at can
didate for a dime museum. There are
probably more stories rife about this Ar
Hcular game than almost any other satD-
iect, because, Is a matter Of fact. poker
brings into play about every emotion that
Is common TO 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 cowa-dly.
whether he is mean or generous, whether
be is quick or slow, whether he is open or
shut, whether he is honest or dishonest
whether he Is true or false. You can tell
what kind Of a lover he makes You can
place him among husbands. You can tell
70 q 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 TO en-
anime a mans soul with is his pocket, and
nobody ever plays poker except for money
IL u q gambling game, pure and simple
and the moment the cash element is
thrown out o. il il loses all interest. Il
like to play poker just for the fun Of it,
says one. II don't want the limit ~ Be
any higher than ten cents" WhaE be
really means l. thas he don't care TO risk
any more money, and that he Is going g
do his level best 20 win all he can out of
that ten cent limit. II. as be says, ha
wanted 20 play the game purely for fan
be would play IL for fun, and nothing eliza
50 that you can set Il down as a safe rula
thSt poker l. purely gambling game. and
II people begin by playing 1t for fun theY
invariably end by playing il for money.
The tendency the game has u 20 cheapen
The value of money. and the best illustrar
ton OF this is that when the same people
play together for some time there Is a CON
slant craving To increase the limit.
A man who u learning 70 play poker viii
start on a ten cent limit because be canDot
lose much, aud then again a dollars worth
OF blue chips at ten cents each looks larger
than Il docs later on. BY and by he wants
% make these blue chips worth a quarter.
then a dollar apiece, and as bis confidenca
IN himself increases he makes the limif
larger. Que Of the strangest facts in pokes
; that the more a man loses money ths
more his confidence in himself increases.
And this Is the most potent force that aida
the professional sharper to fleece his vis'
tim.
There are stories without number OF the
peculiar fascination Of the game-how one
game has been carried on for days tOgetheE.
how meals were forgotten, etc But ona
Of the most pathetic things l ever Wit
messed / saw last winter In an Arkansaa
hotel One rainy afternoon six men goa
together in a game OF poker. Ths3
bad been playing for some little Tina
and had besn in the habit OF changing
around from room 10 room. 80 that each
member Of the party was in turn host
In the last room Of the corridor u the seo.
Ond floor Of the hotel there was "A sick man
The room next TO this was occupied by oRs
% the players. who on this particular daS
acted as the host
The game began early In the afternooa
aud the chips ratified merrily. There wan
a transom over each door, which made
sounds mors audible. Very sOor Il b
came evident to the players that the maa
next door was 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 tha
/ rooms, and heard the groans Of the dytna
man In one room and the laughter and rat
tie Of chips In the next rooR Finally one
Of the players, who had a wife In another
pars Of the hotel, got up and cashed In his
chips. ''Gentlemen," said be, "Pve had
enough. I'm pretty tough. but this 10
more than / can stand Not lonz AfbeE
this the sick man next SoSr, In poker par
lance, "cashed in his chips" but the game
vent on.
To change the train of thought
| The other day a gentleman told me Of .
asaie game of draw he WIS In aot long aga
There were four Of Us In it.2 said he
-and the dealer was a stranger 20 me. Ona
man held four twos, ths dealer held foun
hves and held four threes. IL was .
mighty interesting situation, can t.
you. and the man who held four tw0
dropped everything he had"
"What did you dog" asked.
"Oh," ne answered carelessly, Il drsppe1
suAS ToM MAssoR