The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1893-12-25
Il GAME or POKER.
Vow h Great American Institution Wa
Managed In shakespeare's Time.

- "
Managed In S~hakespeare's Time.
The claim is made that poker, whether
It be ''srlaight" or ssdraw," Is, SO far a a
game at cards Is concerned, an essentially
American institution. 1t Is to be feared
that this claim must be abandoned. This
IL the age of the iconoclast. He Ia con-
~tinually discovering that what we believe
Is che new Is in reality the old, and 1t will
really 60 near to be thought that, as the
wise King solomon hath il, "There is no
new thing under the SUM-"
BY the old writer's the game Of "prime-
ro'' is frequently mads mention of, and
Shakespeare had two illusions to it. In
the fifth scene of the fourth act of "Merry
Wives of Windsor" Sir John Falstaff eX-
claims, ~ have never prospered since !
foreswore myself at primero"--tied as to
the value Of his hand it is to be presumed.
In liking Henry VIII" act 5, scene l, this
occurs:
Lovcll-Came you from the king, my lord?
Gardiner-I did, Sir Thomas and left him at
primero with the Duke of Suffolk.
The Duke of Suffolk, it will be remem-
bered, was the brother-in-law of the king,
having married his sister Mary, "the
French queen,' as she was called, the
widow of Louis XII of France.
This game Of primero was a favorite,
though at the same time quite complicated,
and went quickly out of fashion after the
introduction of the game Of omber. 1t was
played with six cards, although there were
several forms of it, as there are of poker.
One of the most curious accounts of prime
70 is given in a work entitled "Minsheu's
Dialogues" published in London in 1899,
the author of the book, John Minsheu, be-
ing contemporary with Shakespeare. Here
Is an extract from one of the dialogues:
O.-Now, to taxi away all occasion of strife, I
will give a meane, and let it be primero. :
M.-1ou have saide very well, for 1t Is .
nlaane between extremes.
LII take it that it is called primero because
it hath the first place at the play at cardes.
R,-Lct us goc. What is the summe that we
play for?
M.-Two shillings stake and 8 shillings rest.
I.-Then shuttle the cardes well.
OIL lift to SEQ who shall deale. 1t must be q
coats card. l would not be o coat with never
6 blanke In my purse.
RI did lift an ace.
LII a over.
MI ~ sixe, whereby I am the eldest hand.
Q.-Let the cardes come to me, for l deal
them. One, two, three, tower; one, two. three,
flower,
M.-Passe.
R.-Passe.
L.-Passe.
o. set so much.
Nj will none.
R.-lle none.
LII must of force see 1t. Deal the cardes.
M.-Give me Tower cardes. lie see as mach
as he sets.
R.-See here my rest. Let every one be in.
MI am como to passe again. ,s-v,
Rand I toe, f2 +r. 3gE |
LII do the self same.
% Ri st. sen my IT. rest %oi
RI also.
LII cannot give it over.
MI was o small prime.
LII am flush. -- r.~~
Nj would you were not. f.,
LIS this good neighborhood? I
M.-Charitie, well placed. doth first begin
with ones selfe.
OIL made FIVE and flftie. with which was
his prime.
LII flush, whereby I draw.
RI play no more at this play.
But that the language is Anticipated, we
might almost regard this as the talk at
the poker table of the present day, and
how redolent of that game the whole dia-
logue is! We may assume that the ante
was 2 shillings and the limit of the bet 8
shillings-the "stake'' being the ante and
the ''rest" the limit. o. deals the cards,
and all pass except the dealer, who ''sets, -
or bets, SO much. L. sees the bet, and then
they all come in and 1.-THE hands are help
ed" o., who has ''opened the pot"
again 'sbets,'' and they all see him. M.
thinks to win on "a small prime''-a
small pair perhaps, upon which he was
blufing, while NJ. had a "fush," and so
raked the pile. 1t is al every day and ev-
cry night occurrence; nothing but the old
thing over again. Call it by whatever
name we will, "primero'' or ''poker," be
it ancient or modern, it is one and the
same. Let us 'put on sullen black" for
we can no longer regard the game as strict
ly NATURALIZATION Herald.