The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1893-12-13
THE GAME OF POKER.
flo " the Great American Institution Was
Managed In ShnkeSpcare's Time.

Managed I'm shnkeBpcare's Time.
1he claim is made that poker, whether
it he "straight'' or "draw," Is, so far as
game mt cards Is concerned, an essentially
American institution. IL Is TO be feared
that this claim must be abandoned. This
is the age Of the iconoclast. He is con-
tinually discovering that what we believe
Is the new is In reality the old, and it will
really 90 ncnr 20 be thought that, as the
wise King solomon hath it, There is no
new thing under the sun
BY the old writers the game OF "prime-
ro'' is frequently made mention of, and
Shakespeare bad two illusions 20 II. In
the fifth scene Of the fourth act Of "Mcrry
Wives Of W!pdsor" Sir John Falstaff ex-
claims. 81 have never prospered since i
foreswore myself at primero'i- as 20
the value Of his hand it is TO be presumed.
In 'King Henry WIN, act ., scene |, this
occurs
Loyell-Came you from the king my lord1
Gardiner-I did, Sir Thomas. and left him at
primero with the Duke OF Suffolk.
The Duke OF Suffolk, IL will be remcm-
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 gams OF primero was n favorite,
though at the same time quite complicated,
and went quickly out of fashion after the
introduction OF the gameof omber. IL was
played with six cards, although there were
several forms Of it,, as There are or poker.
One OF the most curious accounts OF prime
TO Is given in a work entitled "Minsheu's
Dialogues" F" published in London in 1899,
the author OF the book, John Mnsheu, be-
ing contemporary with Shakespeare. Here
is an extract from one Of the dialogues:
o.--Now. to take away all occasion OF strife
will give meane, and let IL be prlmero.
M.-You have saide very well. for it is
mehne between extremes. "a lN
LII take il that ID IS called primero because
II hath the first place at the play al cardcs.
R.-Let us goe. What is the supnme that we
play forp ~ A7l
M.-Two shillings stake and 8 shilMngs rest.
L. Then shuttle the cardes well. rr
OIL lift TO see who shall dcale. 1t must bo n
coats card. would not be q coat with never
a blanke in my purse.
RI did lift an ace.
LII a fowcr.
MI sixe, whereby am the eldest hand.
O.-Let the cardes como TO me, for deal
them. One, two, three. fower; one, two. three,
fower.
M.-Passe.
R.-Passe.
I.-Passe.
OIL set so much.
MI will none.
R.-Ile none.
LII must OF force SEQ IL. Deal the carles.
M.-Give me fower cardcs. lie see as much
as he sets.
R.-see hecro my rest. Let every one be In.
MI am come 10 passe again.
Rand too.
LII do the self same.
OIL set my rest.
Mile see II.
RI also.
LII cannot give Il over.
MI was n small prime.
LII am flush.
MI would you were not.
LIS this good neighborhood7
M.-Charitic. well placed, doth first begin
with ones selfe.
OIL made i've and flftie, with which was
his prime.
LII flush, whereby draw.
RI play no more at this play.
But that the language is antiquated, we
might almost regard this as tho talk at
the poker table Of the present day, and
how redolent of that game the whole dia-
logue isl We may assume that the ante
was 2 shillings and the limit of the bet
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. J.. sees the bet, and then
they all come in and "the hands are help
ed" o., who has "opened the pot"
again "bets," and they all see him. M.
thinks to win on "a small prime"--a
small pair perhaps, upon which he was
blufiing, while M. had "fush,n and so
raked the pile 1t Is an every day and ev-
cry night occurrence; nothing but the old
thing over again. Call it by whatever
name we Will, "primero" or poker" bn
1t ancient or modern, it is one and tho
same. Let us ''put on sullen black, :" for
we can no longer regard the game as strict.
ly national Roston Herald