Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1891-11-29
THE
GENTLEMEN'S HANDBOOK
POKER,
FLORENCE"
See the players well bestowed.

MT. Florence had been q writer OF
short stories for years, chiefly founded
on mystical old Italian themes or on hu-
morous traits OF Irish peasant lie. A
short story from his pen had been for
MANY wears feature of the Christmas
number OF the Spirit Of the Times, and
he had issued also one or two COOKS OF
short tales. That be shoaid have taken
poker for theme was a surprise TO MS
friends. The way he came to write the
the book is told in the preface.
At Eastbourne, on the English coast, one
| evening in August last, some gentlemen sat
| down to a friendly game of poker. IL was
urged bv one of the party that book should
be written in which the rules governing the
game should be succinctly expressed. Some
one said II would take year to complete
! such work. Whereupon the writer said
! il could be done in month. This led to
| considerable discussion, and in bantering
/ manner a bet was proposed and accepted
that il could be written inside OF four
weeks. This little book is the result.
With the hope that IL will meet the require
ments OF the gentleman players on both
continents, am yours ever,
Within four weeks the book was COM
pleted and arrangements for its publ
cation made at the London office OF
Routledge &c Sons.
The book is designed to be summary
of poker and OF the methods OF throw
ing poker dice for gentleman players
| only.
The dedication is worded as follows:
| To Hasson II. Wheeler, Esq, OF Brook
! lyn, N Y, gentleman player who has
| entered, passed and raised many jackpot,
this little volume Is affectiouately inscribed
| By the author.
Then comes the introduction, preceded
| by the quotation:
We must speak by the card
Or equivocation will undo US.
| Hdmlet-Act ", Scene !.
The game Of poker has become popular
| during The last two decades, and is now
| known in almost every portion OF the civil
| lived land. | have seen il played'by the
donkey boys 10 the streets OF Cairo, and oy
the Pi.Ute Indians on the plains Of Ne
vada was present at one occasion when
q poker party was made up OF q reigning
monarch, future king and three princes
imperial. That might well be called
| royal flush"
That the game which could hold such
competitors must be fascinating one can
not be denied. 1t is, indeed, held by some
! TO be the most dangerous OF all games OF
cards, since IL can only be played for
! stakes, but it must be remembered that
| this is true of all games in which The play
err conceals the value OF the cards he holds.
To the objection that poker Is an unsocial
| game. since 1t admits OF no partners, each
participant striving for himself alone,
| IL Is to be said that for this very reason
4 be- he tNla rat wit 70
| ciDation. Since one object OF the game is
to mystify your adversaries as TO the value
| Of your hand, and as all sorts OF chan and
! badinage are permitted. IL cannot, after
all, be termed an unssciable amusement.
Nonsense may fly from tongue to tongue,
fast and furious, providing IL does not de-
Law the game Then, where hand shown
down detects its owners late futile at
tempt to mislead the table rousing laugh
usually follows, so that the fun Is always
kept up. OF course one may have bad.
tempered or churlish companion at table;
but such one usually gets the worst Of it
when he betrays his peevishness.
AS in any game OK chance or speculation
there are in poker opportunities TO cheat.
Long before poker. however, was invented,
cheating at chance games was practiced by
the unprincipled. / have seen loaded dice
taken from the ruins Of Pompeii and Her.
culaneum. and now preserved In the Gov
eminent Museum at Naples; so poker Is
not responsible for all the charges brought
against il. IL is well, however, TO be care
full about going into gameof poker on an
ocean steamer, in railway carriage, or a
Western hotel, without some knowledge OF
your companions.
Mr.. Florence's book contains full list
of rules governing the game and they
are so cleverly written that there can be
no excuse for Misunderstanding OF
them