The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-07-05
POKER CONGRESS PROPOSED.
Conference Needed to Regulate Chaotic
Laws of the Game.


and reject whatismere hearsay and schism,
says the New York Herald.
Ofno other game can it be truthfully
said that the laws are in an absolutely cha
otto. condition.. 1t is fondly called the
National game. At some time of his life
every citizen of the United States has
played it, if not for gain, then for fun. A
poker-player travelling over the American
continent finds himself one of vast
brotherhood of fellow players. Yet every
where he has to learn and unlearn. Every
where he finds the beautiful symmetry of
the game marred by the introduction OF
some Objectionable feature or the loss OF
some. pleasing and necessary ones.
Straights, which in their highest and
rarest deveIopment-the straight flush
make it impossible for the true gentleman
to violate his higher instincts by betting
on the certainty that without their recog-
milton would by presented by four aces
straights are barred out in many portions
of the West.
On the other hand, skips and "blazes"
and "tigers" and "Hibernian straights' and
a score of other uncouth and imbecile
combinations, whose very names awake
shudder in every true lover of the game,
have found their advocates in various
parts of the country. Worse still, not only
does each section play its own game, but
no uniformity exists in any particular sec
ton. Everywhere there is hopeless
confusion on minor points. What shall be
done if q person opens jackpot by mis-
take, if misdeal occurs, if a card be ex-
posed during the deal? Does the age ever
pass? May the opener of jackpot dis
card his openers, and draw to straight or
a flush? No two oker-players.. would give
exactly the game answer to these queries.
VI :, 10. -I1&,1
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?
tits anniform rule that he cannot give
such card or: cards. to the player. The
reason is sufficiently 'obvious-viz. that, it
isunfair to the player to show any portion
of. his hand to the table. But the exact
conduct of the dealer in such case is a mat
tier of considerable dispute. Custom is not
uniform and textbooks are contradictory.
Tits sometimes held that the dealer must
place the exposed cards upon the bottom
of the pack and give 10 the player a CORE
spending mum Der from the top of the pack.
This is the rule as laid down by Hoyle and
BIackbridge. On the other hand, it is
sometimes held that the dealer in case of
such amishap should first fill the demands
of alEthe+other players and then return to
the PLAYER whose cards were exposed.
This is the rule laid down by "Billy"
Florence and generally followed by poker
PLAYERS. 1t is, on the whole, the more SEN
sible one; for in this manner the integrity
of.the dealis not interfered with, and every
PLAYER, save only the one whose cards were
exposed, gets exactly the same cards which
would have fallen to him if the mishap had
not occurred.
Every one is familiar with the insane de-
sire 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 PLAYERS
whose draw has been modified or changed
by following the first rule-imagine these
four or five players clamoring to see what
they would have drawn if that card had
not been faced and the deal not dis
turbed. 1t is an awful picture to dwell on,
yet is not only possible, but you might say
inevitable.
Tie opener of a jackpot has besides the
opening pair four flush or four straight.
May he break the pair and draw to bob
tail?
+ Some players will not allow him TO do
this at all. Theyargue that the prohibition
does away with all disputes and closes the
door to large opportunities for cheating.
Others allow HIM to split his pair and
draw to his bobtail, provided he puts his
he may show it at the end of the hand to
testify that he had the necessary openers.
Some authorities peryersely hold that
the opener has right to discard as he
pleases, with no need to call attention to
what card or cards he has thrown away, as
the discard pile, properly fed and cared
for, should show for itself what was each
mans discard. This is all very well. But
in the ordinary game of poker the discard
ing is never so precise and accurate as to
leave any semblance of order in the dis
card pile. Therefore, this ruling could not
be made to apply to the ordinary game.
When a player who knows that he is de-
feated is called may he throw his hand
away and surrender the pot or must he
show up his hand?
The rule should be that al the hands
must be shown after the call. They belong
to the table. 1t is not sufficient that a
player admits his defeat. The others who
have paid their money to call have right
to know what sort of a game he plays, 10
what degree he carries his blutfing. 1t may
happen also that a card-sharper will con-
fess defeat if the call has come before the
stakes are large, because he does not care
to excite suspicion by winning too often
and prefers to show his hand only when
there is enough profit to make IL worth
while
An analogous question often asked is
whether the opener of jackpot who is
not called or who drops out Of the game is
obliged to show his whole hand or merely
his openers. The answer should be that
the opener is always and under all circum-
stances obliged to show his whole hand at
the end of the betting whether he is called
or not. An opening hand, in other words
is ipso facto called hand, and the table
has a right to see it.
Enough for the present. These few de-
cisions are thrown to the world to indicate
few af the points which must be decided
upon positively and definitely if poker is
to remain a National and not merely To-
cal institution. The opinions of our read
ers, either pro or con, are solicited upon
these points, and they are invited to send
in such other questions as may seem to re-
quire solution.
Graduate Costume in 1918.
The college youth of the period who
goes to his com mencement ball in a Tux
edo Jacket, or arrays himself for class dav