Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1892-04-24
OUR NATIONAL VICE.
CONTEMPLATING THE WORST AND
msANesT FORM OF GAMBLING.
Van Io.e More Than Money end You
Either FIJI, or Empty Your fr'e"as
Purse-In other Games.

inc homeward from abroad and the nsua'
game Of poker was gong on ID 'ne
smoking.room. says tho New iorA hc'u,u
There was one gentleman. however VINO
never took part in the game nor seemed 10
feel any interest in it's outcome.
Wont you tnko hand with us To-Day
sir 2n asked one Of the gang few days
before they were due in New York.
"No.p said the other quietly u never
NO doubt you arc prudent there. Tor
IT'S an expensive amusement"
The mans tone was almost sneering' anu
certainly offensive. 49,
INV dear sir" said the man VINO
would not plav. speaking WIN uighiu,,
"my means are abundant 10 hilo" ue
IN nlar Joker il 1t were merely queS-
ton of Amusement. not only with the
a. limit you arc PLAYING now. but WIN
limit of $500. an SIR. H." ana ne men
toned the name Of n " all-street miiiionaire
who could have bought and sold the whoie
chip, cargo and passengers, ana not lei'
the outlay. .,..os
The gentlemen at the card-table stopped
their game while their companion apolo-
gized for his rudeness.
out of sorts"
"If YOU are interested in knowing | will
tell you why do not approve OF the game
of poker." aud Offering choice cigars 10 tne
company the man Of millions proceeded
to hold forth on the national pastime;
IL don't agree with you, slr. at all salu
one of the players. hard-heaoed west
erner. "Out in our town we have q POKER
marty which runs along from the begin
~ 20
RAISE being made in the limit. we playio
n couple of hours two or three times a
week and al the end Of the year there Is
nobody much ahead and nobody much De-
hind. Our losses and gains about balance,
and we get good deal OF pleasure out Oh
the thing"
NOT THE REAL GAME.
"Then your limit must be small"
onewered the other. Either that or you
run n sort of credit system, which IS play-
ing poker on paper, and not the reai' mer-
The westerner admitted the truth OF
this reflection, and the speaker TOOK up
his theme again.
like yours, moderate enough to keep inc
limit down 20 point where losing or WIN
nine is a matter of no consequence 10 Tue
plavers. YOU will find hundred otner
noFor narties where the contrary Will be
true. The reason for this lies III the, fact
that gambling is gambling. and whether
game be entirely OF chance OF only III phrt %,
chance, the gambling Infection must spreSd
and crow among the players. one OF two
things will happen-either some ineu, ,."I,.
OF the PARTY will find that things are very
slow and tame with the Old limit and VIII
lose interest In such q small game, or, rs
"a the case nine times out Of ten. things
will be made lively and exciting by making
the money stake at issue Oh more colse-
1uepce. something worth playing for
that is 10 say, something which ssverhl OF
the PLAYERS ut least cannot afford 10 .ose;
There is no more limit to tins sort o!
money increase than there IS 10 the sreeu
and folly of a gambler"
WHAT ALL THINK.
but poker is game OF skill, sir; you
seem TO forget that" objected another OF
the company. z
Not AT all. I know poker 10 game OF
skill. but the peculiarly about ~ ls that
every man who takes part IN 1t laoors uu-
der the delusion that he possesses at leaSt
as much skill as does his nelghDor' ana nc
has a sneaking idea somewhere way down
in his boots that he has more skill than
fine others If the cards would only run
half way decent If men did not believe
tins IN their hearts thev would not go on
playinp with one another with the GER
tointy of losing. In other gamts OF ski
a man will recognize his inieriorlty ana
accept odds. Who ever heard OF giving
or taking odds at pokerI," -,
IF a man lisa bad poker-player he Will
find il out before ho has played with the
gang very long" said the man VINO hau
been discourteous. with rueiul smile.
Yes. but not until he mas crippled his
resources and lost some of his friends,
was the grave reply. " If you have grant
ed nv point that the game OF poker
almost invariably develops into a game
where the money lost or won becomes
an object TO those playing, and no one
who has seen the feverish nights Whlch
Young men pass over jack-pots anu
'aushes' and 'straights' Will deny TINS
then YOU must see that as far rs the lndi-
vidual PLAYERS are concerned and as far as
| the effect upon the whole party Is con
cerned poker presents ali the evils OF rou-
| lette or baccarat. and think l can show
| YOU that it presents even greater evils
WHAT IT MEANS.
The gentlemen filed their glasses and
| settled back to listen.
You play poker, you win or you lose
| and what does that mean! IL does not
| =
ment conducted on business principles by
| a company or a corporation which l. pre-
| pared TO take certain risks and give certain
| odds as the case when you go 10 O
| we'll gambling-house or club.
| n does not mean that, rs at faro
| Won enter into brief relations with
inter strangers. between whom and your.
self there Is not the slightest bond OF
sentiment. No. sir; playing poker mean,
| that you have taken out your purse ana
| given its contents to an intimate friend. OF
| that Won have emptied the purse of tina;
intimate friend into your own pocket, for
| 1 suppose no one of you will dispute me
| when 1 say that man Is an arrant fool
who playspoker with strangers OF with any
| nersons IN whose fair dealing he has not
| the fullest confidence. The result IS that
poker means either taking from your friend
more money than he can afford TO lose OF
giving him more of your money than you
| can afford 10 have him win. There Is no
| escape from that alternative.
! Now. gentlemen, put 1t to you frank
| ly. can man have such money relations
as these with his intimate friends very
| long without his beginning 20 nate them
or they beginning to hate him! That Is
| human nature"
AN IMPossIBILIIY.
but don't you think, sir. that poker
| would be the queen of all games If this
money question You speak OF could De
| ellminatedy"
THAT is an absolute impossibiity, as
! have explained. Poker without money
enough at stake TO make II worth while
| soon becomes tlTesome, and would never
! be played as the gambling poker Is played
| nj all times and in all parts OF this country.
But even leaving that aside. despise tn
whole idea of poker. Look az 1t WHAT
| are the qualities which make q successful
poker-player; The abIity TO deceive, q cold
calculating, Indian cunning. which make.
a mau hold his dagger behind his back
| and pounce down upon an unsuspectlng
| and defenceless adversary q brutal skill III
tempting your opponent TO make falls
stem. and then hurting him over the precl.
pee the instant he has done so. Poker is q
game of cruelty. of treachery; not lik,
| chess. OF whist, or billiards, where the bat.
| tie Is fought fairly on its merits IN an open
| field. but game which stimulates the most
unlovely qualities IN u man IN tae heart OF
man or woman-reioicing over the mistor.
tune Of another, smiles and trowns which
mean Just the opposite Of what they seem
and lying from Deginnin: TO end. for what
is the triumph of poker playing but the
bluff, and what is bluff but falsehooi
! No, sir: ] answer your question without
hesitation. PLAYED with money or with.