Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1894-10-04
BEATING A CROOKED GAME.
How a Victim Hired a Professional to
Settle His Poker Accounts.

Il once fell up against a skin poker
game" said a department clerk of
washington Post. AT that time, be-
ing rather young, / took a great pride
in my game of poker. A man whose
acquaintance l had made in a bar
room steered me into a quiet little re-
sort in an Out-of-the-Way place-On
Eighth street it was, in Philadelphia
| played there 13 time in all, and on
every occasion 1 lost. l was out about
$3.50, I think. l CHANGED to know a
man who was a professional card
sharper. A police detective, with
whom he was on entirely friendly
terms, introduced him to me, and find
ing him a very original person and
rather a curiosity in his way, l had
kept UP the acquaintance. To him l
went on this occasion, and told him
about my experience in the poker game
aforesaid. 1t was a palpable swindle,
against which an outsider had no show
whatever. Finally, | had seen the pre-
prietOr of the den, who regularly tool
hand, hold out an ace Of spades. To
AotfO hibuS duly IIoUtSC Ou Tic SpOL
would have been to endanger my per-
Sonal safety. So, as | Informed the
card sharper, | decided on another
method Of getting even. If he was
willing, [ would introduce him to the
game, and we would divide the pro-
oeeds. My suggestion was eagerly ac-
cepted, and that very evening my
f,.io
the quiet place on Eighth street. He
was a man of great skill in that bust
ness, and the crude methods adopted
by the petty sharperS who were assO-
ciated with the management of the
gambling house. had no chance in a
contest with him.
LAS for myself, took no part in the
amusement, but looked on in order to
see how things went. The capital, to
the extent of $50, l had put up, and |
was not prepared to trust my sporting
acquaintance to an unlimited extent.
Though friendly, he might not be able
to resist the temptation to get ahead
of his partner. On the first night he
won $50 and on the next evening $40.
These were large winnings, the game
being only 81 limit. The next night
he lost slightly from motives of policy.
To make a long story short, he won
somewhat over 5000 in the course of a
fortnight A division of the proceeds
made me about even, so that I was
satisfied.
II wanted to stop at that point, in
fact, but my sporting friends appetite
for gore was Whetted, and he desired
to continue. 1t is easily to be ina gined
that so much money could not be won
in an establishment without exciting
alarm and even suspicion on the part
of the management. Mere luck could
hardly overcome the skilled methods
adopted for beating unwary outsiders
out of their money. So I had more
than half a notion what was coming
when, on the last evening of our play
at this resort, I was approached and
called aside by q person whom I had
come to recognize as the 'spotter' Of
the establishment. He said
I'm onto your game. Am in it?
No. I replied, looking him in the
eye.
Then you gitr he said.
81 walked out quietly and was pres
emily joined by my sporting friend
who had received a similar warning. 1
have not seen him since and I shall
never again play cards in a poker
dive"