The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1891-11-21
aENTLBxEN's HAND BOOK
ro Gh
"rLoksEEScE"

The way in which he came to write the bool
told il 81. preface. is thIs: r.,.. :.
evening II last. ns ssnt dese G sa
down e friendly game. q poker, 4 We,
SSssd ene q xhs ss
game should be suecinotly expressed. Some
one said i would take q year to complete sucf
IN TSs 70 ssa
discussion. and IN tantering manner bel
81 aPS TIT s2
with the hope that IT will meet the require
ans RGsa
r., won the bet. for the book was completed
within month. and the ar1fangenments fol
once Of The firm before he LETT Eng land. he
completed the arrangements in New York
fo Hassan n. Wheeler. ESQ. Of brooklyn.
n. Y. q gentleman player who has entered.
Volume is additionally inscribed By the au:
which would bear unmistakable marks Of be.
blazers only If pages t6;o1shont Convey IS
gain he always hsa the sreatest sns
friends that his one great. dread was lest it
OF the professionals. In his Introduction he
The game of poker has become popular dur
ing the last two decades and is now known In
the donkey Boys in the streets Of Garo and By
the P-Ute Indians on the plains Of Nevada. /
was present on one occasion when poker
future Eins and tsr &c princes i mperap That
might be called q royal fush.
hold
denied. It Is indeed held BY some to be the
most angerous Of all games Of cards. since it
enS Re fysdt liz IS Put
c ghsh he shs Rdsyer 00nceas the value OF the
ITO the objection that poker is an unsocial
game. since It admits Of no partners. each par:
Elephant striving for himself alone. 1t is said
players play with deep fascinaton Since one OBJ 'bs
as e the value Of your hand: and az al sorts Of
Nonsense may fy from tongue 70 tongue. fast
70 Tsn
down detects It's owners late futilo attempt to
mislesd the table rCusIng laugh usually fol-
which tho game affords. MI. Florence notes
fD@pe and but 9 he Warns
players about entering a game on an, ocean
s sts,apeE n "a rAilway csrria9e or Western
and harmless pastime. He continues:
while q number Of books have been writ
ten about poker. none can claim absolute au-
thority. though the rules OF the game are
really simple The deviations, alterations and
amended allowances and the fact that almost
any party sitting down to play may and often
does make his own rules about certain mat
ters. renders poker by no means an easy game.
It Is to fix tho positive and long
accepted statutes OF the game that this book
ts written, the rules herein set forth having
been sanctioned by the best custom wherever
draw poker Is played In it's integrity
Mr.. Florence then gives q detailed and en-
Pertaining description Of the game. with rul-
ings upon many points that have always been
In dispute among poker players In different
sdiscgssien with the rules Of poker as formu-
S on The order that
eaSes aso very
poker sRarps." In which he explains how
gam blers marked cards are made. and de-
scribes other devices used by unscrupuIous
Another chapter gives the rules
Tor playing poker dice.
Mr.. Florence follows up the serious part OF
his book with number OF pages OF excellent
poker stories which he had heard from we'll
known players. This chapter Is styled Sem
atorial Poker Stories" and Ia exceedingly en-
.ertaining.. The publishers requested him to
add to the book some OF the good stories which
ne was In the habit OF telling his friends Of
high play and amusing incidents ct the table
u which he himself was Witness This he had
promised to do. but death prevented the COM
oletion OF his work.