Daily Yellowstone journal., 1891-09-11
poINrs ON r
a Few Remarks About the HationE
Game Of Poker.


Game OF Poker.
The ordinary American citizen whs
hasn't got at least one good poker story on
The end Of his tongue ought to be a dt an
didate for a dime museum. There are
probably more stories rife about this aIr
6cular game than almost any other sab
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 OF cowardly,
whether he is mean OF generous, whether
be is quick or slow, whether he is open o.
shut, whether he is Honest OF dishonest
whether he is true or false. You can tell
what kind Of a lover be makes. You can
place him among husbands. You can tell
to a hair just how much nerve he has, and
in short you can know him better han in
any other way.
The best telescope in the world to ex
anime a mans soul with is his pocket, and
nobody ever plays poker except for money.
1t Is a gambling game, pure and simple
and the moment the cash element u
thrown out o. it It loses all interest. Il
like TO PLAY poker just for the fun OF it
says one. II don't want the limit - b
any higher than ten cents" WhaI be
really means Is thai he don't care TO risk
any more money, and that he is going e
do his level best 70 win all be can out OF
that ten cent nniit. II. as be says, be
wanted 20 play the game purely for fur
be would play il for fun, and nothing elsa
So that you can set il down as a safe rule
that poker il purely a gambling game. and
II people begin by playing it for fun they
invariably end by playing it for money.
The tendency the game has Is TO cheaper
the value of money, and the best ilustra
ton Of this is that when the same people
play together for some time there is a con
slant craving % increase the limit.
A man who il learning to play poker will
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 Target
than it does later On. BY and by he wants
% make these blue chips worth q quarter.
then a dollar apiece, and a. his Couldencg
b. himself increases be makes the imn
Arger. One Of the strangest facts in poke
: that the more a man loses money thu
more his confidence IN himself increases
And this is the most potent force that aidE
the professional sharper - fleece his vic
tim.
There are stories without number Of the
peculiar fascination Of the glIne-how one
game has been carried on for days together,
how meals were forgotten, etc. But one
Of the most pathetic things / ever vii
messed / saw last winter in an Arkanzas
hotel One rainy afternoon six men -
together in a game Of poEer. They
had been playing for some little time
and bad been ina the habit Of changing
around from room 70 room. 50 that eaab
hlember Of the party was in turn "A hos-
L. WhaN ua# H--a-m - #h.m - = -
0nd floor Of the hotel there was a sick mao
The room next 70 this was occupied by ops
Of the players, who pm this particular daF
Acted as the host.
. The game began early IN tne Afternoon
and the chips ratified merrily. There wa
a transom over each door, which made
EOunds more audible. Very sOop " be
cam evident TO the players that the mas
next door WAS pretty sick They could
hear him g-Oan. The doctor came, said
the man was dying, but the game neu
door never tagged. / stood in front OF thu
rooms, and heard the groans Of the dyint
man in one room and the laughter and rat
tie of chips in the next rooHR Finally one
Vt the players. who had a wife in another
pafs Of the hotel, got up and cashed 10 his
chips. Gentlemen" said he, Eve had
enough. Pm pretty tough, but this is
more than | can stand Not long after
this the sick mar next toSr, Ia poker par,
lance, "cashed in his chips,' but the gams
vent on.
To change the train OF thought
The other day a gentleman told me Of .
astie game of draw he was in not long agc
There we're four Of Us in il" said he
a q the dealer was a stranger 70 me. Ons
man held -four twos, the dealer held -four
ives and | held four threes. Il was .
mighty Interesting situation, / can tel
you. and the man who held four two
dropped everything he had"
What did you doy" l asked
oh" he answered carelessly, Il droTpee
n Tom MASON