Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-12-27
A SEDUCTIVE GAME.
An Experts Opinions on the Fine
Points of Poker Playing.
SOME THINGS TO BE OBSERVED.
Not So Much What You Win as What You
save That Counts.
ONLY ONE WAY TO BEAT TIE GAME

LluOTc AMERICAN u6dTQ n RcuLl6uldn VINO mas
played cards tor good many years express
| the opinion that there were no rules by
which to play the game, and from the way
| he plays he is evidently sincere in his
belief As matter of fact, there are
number of things to be taken in considera-
tion, if one wants to play with any degree
OF success, which can as well be called rules
as anything else; for if they ere not
observed, it will generally result disas-
trously to the player who ignores them.
| There are many persons who indulge in the
fascinating game who never take into con-
sideration anything but the element of
chance or luck, as they call it. Of course,
there is large percentage of chance in this
as we'll as in almost all games of cards. but
| there is much besides that, and it is to refer
to some of the fine points of play that this
article is written. The writer, therefore,
hunted up an old and expert exponent of
the great game of draw-a man who has
spent his days and nights at the green
table, and this is what he said about poker:
How to Make 1t Interesting.
"Anyone can learn the rudiments of the
game by reading tHoyle's Games but it is
only by long experience that one gets to
know how to play good game, and not al
ways then. In order to make game of
poker interesting, a ive-eent ante and twen-
ty-fve-cent limit game should be played in
the same manner as one for larger stakes
There is one thing always to be borne in
mind if you don't want to be always q loser,
and that is, that it is not so much what you
win as what you save that makes you q
| winner at the close. 1t is the constant
chipping out that counts up in the end.
Good average hands will win more than
few large ones, for, as a rule, when one
holds very strong hand there is nothing
| out against it.
'Tt ought not to be necessary to call at
tention to the importance of each player
| putting up hts ante in regular turn, and
holding his cards till it is his turn to bet,
whether he has anything or not; but it is
such common thing for some players to
| throw down theif hands as soon as they see
they have failed to connect that one can
| not refrain from referring to such actions as
being in extremely bad taste. 1t gives one
player an unfair advantage over another for
one or more players to throw down their
| hands before it is their say. For example,:
| If it is the turn of A to bet, but, before he
1 II
| after drawing, say one card each, and only
D is left in, A, who has fair hand, will bet
more than if there were three to contend
with instead of one.
Lookout for the Draw.
"a very necessary thing to observe care
| fully is the draw. No one has q right to ask
any player how many cards he drew except
the dealer and ne is not obliged to tell how
many he took after bet is made; so every
| player should watch and remember how
many cards each one drew, which will pre-
vent asking foolish questions. There is a
common saying among poker players that
tit is all in the draw and there is q lot of
truth in that. An old sporting mau once
said there were but two things he was afraid
| of and they were q one-card draw and a
locomotive. The player who has drawn one
| card is always dangerous until he has
thrown down his hand. No one can tell
what he may be drawing to. He may have
either two pairs, three of a kind, four
straight or flush, or even four of a kind;
therefore, unless you can beat threes, be-
ware of the one-card draw. For example:
| Suppose A is dealing a jackpot which
neither B nor can open. D opens it, and
B and G stay and draw one card each. The
chances are almost certain that they are try
ing for strainght or flush. Now, suppose
~
| him to bet the limit, because, if either B or
| c fill, they will raise him, and he will feel
compelled to call, while if he should mere
| ly bet small check, the chances are that
neither 3 nor would call unless they did
/ fill, when they would raise him. Where
| they play the opener to bet last, Of course,
he would have to use his own, judgment as
to what to do, and be guided by the reputa-
tion of his opponent
Now, as to Jack Pots.
SIT is the almost universal rule that if an
opener is not called, he is not obliged to
show more than enough to open the pot.
He may have only pair of jacks, and for
fear some one may have higher pair, he
| will draw but one card in order to create
the impression that he has two pairs or
better, which will generally prevent his
being called by the holders of but one pair
II he were compelled to show his whole
hand, he would have to give away his play,
and no one likes to do that. To draw one
card to pair of jacks is not always wise
thing to do, but when it happens, as it
sometimes will, that one cannot improve
the pair he opens with, one is tempted to
resort to some other scheme to make them
win, and that is one that works well some
times.
"Right here let it be said that if YOU
inclined TO do little bluffing, don't trv it
on winner, for he is probably playing
with your money and can afford to see what
you have. You can bluff loser very easily,
for when a player is continually being
beaten he is apt to lose confidence In his
hand. 1t has been said that more is lost on
three aces than any other hand that can be
held. To some, three acres look to be 'as
big as q house, while they are not such
particularly strong hand when straights are
played. Against a one-card draw they are
not much better than a pair of deuces until
the one-card draw is disposed OF. Where
straights are not played, three of kind is
good hand and one can afford to bet more
on it, but in all small games straights are
played to beat threes
Some Fatherly Advice.
"Many players think it good thing to
hold an ace with pair of jacks when open
ing a jack pot. l don't agree with them,
for this reason: In the first place, it lessons
the chances OF getting another jack, and,
even 1t they do draw an ace, someone will
just as likely as not have threes, and the
aces top look so good the holder will call to
his sorrow. The better plan is to draw to
the pair; then, if you make the third one or
better, you have not created the impression
that you had threes to start with, and
the probability is you can get better play
than you could have obtained after
drawing two cards. Who has not
heard the saying, Winners first,
losers last?' When 1 played marbles we
used to say that, and it applies very we'll to
the game of poker to this extent: have
often seen person play in hard luck all
through game, but seldom have / seen any-