The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1892-03-22
WESTERN POKER GAMES.


fingered on mail Hands
There are stories Of the man who he'd
four kings and the man who came back
at him with aces Kings and aces are
the leading features of the poker story
tellers repertoire, but as Denver ex-
pert at this sort of things said recently,
there is more downright devilment in
small hand than aces out of two packs"
There have been some very good poker
hands held in Colorado, but very few Of
the phenomenal sort 1.-Two pairs
have created widespread CONSERVATION
several times.
Poker is Colorado game. 1t is only
excelled in popularity by that favorite
of the mining camp, faro, but those who
play poker do not always play faro, and
to these there is nothing like a ''quiet
little ante upstairs" The amount of
stakes has cut greater figure in poker
games in the Centennial State than the
hands held. There are instances rang
ing from the man who bet his sleeve
buttons to the man who put up his
mine.
Down on Sixteenth street, at the
southwest corner of Blake, there now
stands a two-story brick business block,
bearing some evidence of the fight of
time, yet still sound and solid, and ca
pable of use for years. In 1870 part of
the ground floor of this building was
used by the First National bank, and
another part by Wolfe Londoner as
grocery store. Overhead were Offices,
and in one of these offices there oc-
CURED one evening in April of that
year poker game. The owner of the
building sat at this game, and opposite
him was then prominent Denver man.
Both were prominent, in fact, for one
held high executive Office in the terri
tory at the time.
There were five at this game origin
ally, but somehow it dwindled down to
two, and at 1880 at night large amount
of money had changed hands and things
were going bad for the owner of the
building. There was no limit His OPP
ponent had been ''going him" for quite
a time and he was about at the end of
the rope. There were already four
bank checks up, but the owner of the
block. believing he had good thing,
wanted to know if his building wasn't
worth fifty thousand dollars. and was
informed that it was. Thereupon ne
made written agreement to sign it
over and the game went on. He lost
the block and it changed hands, it is
said, as consequence, and the only re-
covery he made from the person who
won it was at another sitting at poker
the following night, when he came out
thirty-five thousand dollars ahead OF
course none of the hands held in this
memorable game are on record now,
but it is known that not one was re-
markable.
This instance is paralleled by one that
comes from Leadville and credited with
having occurred there in the winter of
1882. This game, which occurred in one
of the rooms of the Clarendon hotel, was
participated in by two gentlemen who
are still residents of Colorado and who
are now wealthy. They had a little
money at the time and a mine in which |
they held an equal interest. The money
was not much, perhaps, as fortunes go |
but it was enoug h to make
poker game excit ing. And it was excit-
ing.
Finally each got hand which they
evidently proposed to stay with and
everything went up-money. two gold
watches and indispe nsable bank checks
1t was only matter of time when they
would get to the mine Finally there
was quite pause.
Have you got anything else,
Charley?"
How much is the mine worth
r14Ezsz