Daily Yellowstone journal., 1891-10-09
POINTS ON CARDS
q Few mar ADSut the Nations
Game Of Poker.

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
didate for a dime museum. There ar
probably more stories rife about his Ar
ticular game than almost any other siIb
iect, because, as 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 cowardly,
whether he is mean or generous, whether
he is quick or slow, whether he is open o.
shut, whether he is honest or dishonest
whether he Is true or false. You can tell
what kim Of "A lover he makes. You can
place him among husbands. You can tell
to a hair just how much nerve he has, anc
in short you can know him better than in
any other way.
The best telescope in the world to ex
anime "a mans ~1ul with j. bis pocket, and
nobody ever plays poker except tor money.
IL Is a gambling game, pure and simple
and the moment the cash cl-meut d
thrown out o. 10 it loses ali interest. -
like to PLAY poker just for che fun Of it,
says one. - don't want the limit ~ b.
any higher than ten cents What he
really means is thas he don't care 70 rlsk
any more money, and that he is going C
do his level besf 20 win all he can out OF
that ten cent unit. II. as he says, be
wanted 90 play the game purely for fur
be would play il for fun, and nothing else
SO hat you can set IL down as a safe rule
that poker is purely a gambling game, and
II people begin by playing il for fun they
invariably end by playing 1t for money.
The tendency the game has is to cheaper
the value Of money, and the best illustrt
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 l. learning 10 play poker viii
start on a ten cent limit because he cannot
lose much, and then again a dollars work
Of blue chips at ten cents each looks larger
than il does later on. BY and by he wants
90 make these blue chips worth a quarter.
then a dollar apiece, and as his confidence
In himself increases he makes the limit
Arger. One of the strangest facts in pokea
= that the more a man loses money tina
more his confidence in himself Increases
And this is the most potent force hat aid
abe professional sharper t. fleece his VIC
tim.
There are stories without number Of the
peculiar fascination Of the game-how one
game has been carried on for days together,
how meals were forgotten, etc. But ons
Of the most pathetic things | ever wit
nx1sc1 | saw last winter in an Arkansas
hotel. One rainy afternoon six men ~
together in a game Of poger. TheJ
had been playing for some little time,
and had been in the habit OF changing
around from room TO room. 50 that each
Alember Of the party was in turn a hcsE
in the last room Of the corridor Of the 40
ond floor Of the hotel there was a sick man
The room next 10 this was occupied by ons
81 the players, who on this particular dAg
acted a. the host.
The game hsSan early IA tne Afternoon
aud the chips ratified merriiy. There WA
a traus0m over each door, which made
sounds more audible. Very soon " 10
came evident 70 the players that the mal
next door wa pretty sick. They could
bear him --o3n- The doctor came, said
the man was dying. but the game neu
door never tagged stood In front Of the
rooms, and heard the groans Of the dyink
man in one room and the laughter and rat
tie Of chips in the next room Finally ons
Of the players, who had a wife in another
pan Of the hotel, got up and cashed 10 his
chips. "Gent.emen," said he, I've had
enough. Pm pretty tough, but this Is
more than ! can stand " Not long after
this the sick man next loOr, in poker par
lance, "cashel in ms chips but the gam
sent on.
To change the train Of thought
The other day a gentleman told me Of .
aisle game Of draw he was IN not long ago
There we're four OF us in it, aid he
"and the dealer was a stranger ~ me. Ons
man held four twos, the dealer held fouI
fves and ! held four thress. IL was .
mighty interesting situation, / can tel
you. and the man who held four two
dropped everything he had"
"Vihat did you do;' / asked
oh he answered carelessly. Il dr0ppee
w.t. Ton MASON