Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1895-07-03
a POKER CONGRESS.
4 National Conference of Poker
Players Needed.
New York Herald.I

'NcW 1Cfk herli1)
The need Of the hour-a poker congress!
That H. 20 say. national conference
Of p0hcr-players. who shall pass upon all
disputed points, decide all mooted ques-
lions, establish what is canonical and
orthodox. and reject what Is mere heresy
and schism.
OF no other gam can II be so truth
iully said that its laws are in an abso-
lutely chaotic condition. 1t is fondly called
tae national game. At some time Of his
life every citizen OF the United States has
played tiff not for gain. th,n for fun.
\ poker-player travelling over the Amerl-
can continent finds himself one Of a vast
brotherhood of fellow players. It every
VIII re has to learn and unlearn.
Everywhere he finds the beautiful sym
metry Of the game marred by the intro
duction OF some Objectionable feature. or
tha loss OF some pleasing and necessary
ones. StraightG which. in their highest
and rarest development-the straight
Aush-make ii impossible for the true
gentleman to violate his higher instincts
by ting on the certainty that without
the recognition would be presented by
four aces-straights are barred out IN
many portions OF the West.
on the other hand. skps and "blazes'
and tigers" and "Hlbernia straights.
and score Of other uncouth and inDe-
Gle combinations. whose very names
awake shudder in every true lover OF
the gam have found their advocates IN
various parts Of the country. Worse SUM-
not only does each section play its own
game. hut no uniformity exists in any
particular section Everywhere there ~
hopel, SIS confusion in minor points. what
shall be dom If person opens
jackpot by mistake. If mis-
deal occurs, If a card be exposed ctl ing
tae dear Does the ace ever pass? May
the opener of "a jackpot discard MS OPENERS
and draw TO a straight or flush? No two
poker-players would give exactly the
same answer to these queries.
CARDS EXPOSED IN THE DEAL
When the discard has been completed
and the dealer is engaged in giving new
cards as called for. what must be done
if he exposes one or more OF the cards
he is dealing?
1t is a uniform rule that he cannot give
such card or cards TO the player The
reason is sufficiently obvious-viZ., that II
is unfair to the player TO show any por-
ton Of mis- hand To the table. But the
exact conduct OF tie . aler In such case
is "a matter OF Goa ,lerable dispute. Gus
tom is not uniform. and textbooks are
contradictory. l. Is sometimes held that
the dealer must place the exposed cards
upon the bottom of the pack and give 10
the player a corresponding number from
the top Of the pack. This is the rule as
laid down by Hoyle and Blackbrdge. On
the other hand. II is sometimes held that
the deal in case OF such a mishap should
first I'll the demands of all the other
players and then return to the player
whose cards are exposed. This Is the rule
la.l down by Billy Florence, and gene
rally followed by poker-players II Is on the
whole the more sensible one. for In this
manner the integrity of the deal Is not
intcrfered with. and every player. save
only the one whose cards were exposed,
gets exactly the same cards which would
have fallen to him II the mishap had not
occurred.
Every one is familiar with the insane
desire displayed by otherwise sober and
reputable persons to play coroner'-in
other words. TO see what cards they
would have got under changed conditions
of play. Now. imagine four or FIVE play
ers whose draw has been modified or
charged by following the first ruie-im-
agine these four or five players clamoring
to see what they would have drawn If
that card had not been faced and the deal
not disturbed. 1t IL an awful picture
TO dwell on. yet is not only possible, but
you might say, inevitable.
OPENING A JACK"
The opener Of a Jackpot has. Decides
the opening pair. four flush or a four