The Pioche weekly record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1877-1900, 1894-04-05
THE GAME OF POKER.
How the Great American Institution Was
Managed In Shakespeare's Time.

How the Great American Ihstituiioh was
Managed In Shakespeare's Time.
The claim is made that poker, whether
it be straight or "draw," is, so far as
game at cards is concerned, an essentially
American institution. 1t is to be feared
that this claim must be abandoned. This
is the age of the icOnoclast. He is con
tinually discovering chat what we believe
is the new is in reality the old, and it will
really go near to 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 had two illusions to it, In
the fifth scene of the fourth act of Merry
Wives of Windsor Sir John Falstaff ex
claims, 81 have never prospered since !
foreswore myself at primero'-tied as to
the value of his hand it is to be presumed
In King Henry VIII, " act 5, scene l, this
occurs:
Lovell-Came you from the king, my lord?
Gardiner 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-n-law of the king,
having married his sister Mary, "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
no 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 take away all occasion of strife,
will give meane, and let it be primero.
M.-IOu have saide very well, for 1t is
meanc between extremes.
Ii take it that it is called primero because
it hath the first place at the play at cardes
R.-Let us goc. What is the summe that we
play for?
M.-Two shillings stake and 8 shillings rest
L.-Then shuttle the cardes we'll.
o. lift to see who shall deale. 1t must be q
coats card. would not be coat with never
a blanke in my purse.
RI did lift an ace.
Ii Tower.
M sixe, whereby am the eldest hand.
O.-Let the cardes come to me, for ! deal
them. One, two, three, fower; one, two, three,
fower
M.-Passe.
R.-Passe.
L.-Passe.
OIL set so much.
MI will none.
R.-Ie none.
Ii must of force see it. Deal the cardes
M.-Give me fower cardes. lie see as much
as he sets.
R.-See here my rest. Let every one be In.
Nj am come to passe again.
Rand too.
Ii do the self same.
o. set my rest.
Mile see it.
RI also.
Ii cannot give it over.
MI was a small prime.
LII am flush.
Nj would you were not.
LIS this good neighborhood2
M.-Charitie, well placed, doth first begin
with ones selfe.
o. made five and fiftie, with which was
his prime.
Ii flush, whereby draw.
RI play no more at this play
But that the language is antiquated, 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 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 "the hands are help
&c" O., who has "opened the pot"
again "bets, and they all see him. NJ.
thinks to win on "a small prime"-a
small pair perhaps, upon which he was
bluffing, while NJ. had "fush," 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" 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.