The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-12-20
THIS GAME y YEARS OLD.
Two Devoted PinochIe Players Long
and Yet Unfinished Contest.
From the Chicago Times Heral


From the Chicago Times Herald.
What poker is to the American card
player. pinochle is to the German. al
though perhaps the game could be better
compared to whist For, as In whist,
there is no opportunity to bet except on
points, and no opportunity to raise bets.
At the same time the game Is played
very differently from whist, or any other
game.
Pinochle langulshes during the summer.
when the German sits out doors In sum.
mer gardens slipping beer. Only the most
devoted of the games votaries then play
it, but with the advent of winter the pin
ochle season begins. During these
months there are thousands of Germans
who sit by the hour in some convenient
spot and play the game, either In pairs
OF four-handed, and almost always where
liquid refreshment can be obtained The
man who wanders into one of the small
German saloons around town almost any
day can see party of men deep in the
mysteries of pinochle. Not a word is
said unless 1t be necessary to claim points
in the game.
There are pinochle players in Chicago
for whom the game has so deep fasciua-
ton that they spend all their time play
ing it. Usually party of two or four
will play together with regularity for long
periods. There have been many cases
where the same men have played pin
cchle against each other with unfailing
regularity for period of one, two or more
years. Many have played with each otner
for an even longer period. Two of tho
best pinochle players In Chicago are Au-
gust Schmidt and Carl Meyer These
two men have played pinochle agains,
each other every day. Sundays included.
FOR twenty-five years. They first met In
north side saloon on Nov 3 1874 and
each neCama Nit
that they have been antagonists ever
since. Schmidst used to live on the west
side, but four or FIVE years ago he moved
to the north side, so that he would nok
nave so Tar to travel to reach the saloon
where they always play. The game ha,
lasted so long that 1t has ceased to at
tract any attention among the habItues of
the saloon. But should one or the other
fail to appear at the appointed time and
take their stations at the table which has
been set aside as theirs by right II wound
create a bigger sensation than anvthins
else which could be imagined
A good deal of pinochle is PLAYED In
that saloon, and It is very seldom that
any other game is INDUCED in there
They tell a story of a party who entered
and wanted to play poker. They called
for pack of cards and sat down to play
But with the very first hand there was
trouble
There were five in the party and Ave
| hands were thrown around the board. and
| then the betting began. Never had the
hrst hand dealt In poker game been
provocative of so much speculation
Everybody stayed, and all only took two
cards The betting was lively Nobody
seemed TO mind the old gaming supersti-
/ ton that the winner of the first pot in a
! poker game is sure to quit loser at the
end of the game. Each of them bet live.
| ly The first man staked the limit AT
once. the second raised him. the NEXT
raised him, the dealer called, but the
age raised.
And so it went for several rounds until
! three Of the players began calling each
time, while the other two raised. and
they were determined to stick. In course
of time they ran out of chips and money.
and the showdown came by universal
| consent. One hand showed four aces and
a king, another four kings and an acc.
| four jacks and a queen a full house on
| queens, and another full on kings was ex-
| hibited 1t looked for a while as If there
would be row. Each man believed that
the others had tried some sharp practice.
and when the words grew very high and
the men were about ready to fight with
each other the proprietor, noticing the
threatened disturbance. interviewed.
He was quickly informed of the cause.
He glanced at the hands, and, knowing a
little about poker himself, appreciated the
cause Of the trouble. He smiled broadly.
II drinks mineself," he said dot YOU vos
hold of got the pinochle pack already
| yet"
And so they had The mystery was ex-
planned. They had a double pack Of cards
with eight of all the good cards in It.
Then they all turned on the proprietor
and swore at him. at pinochle. and other
things. But II did no good. They were
compelled TO divide the pot and when the
division was made they got up and quit.
deciding TO go somewhere else where less
pinochle was played and there was nc
danger of a repetition Of the occurrence.
"A club has recently been formed In
Vienna which affords It's members the lux
ury OF silence. According 10 the rules OF
this organization no word may be spoken
IN the club house: orders TO the walters
must be made IN writing, and members are
borhldden even by noddng 10 rnnnrnlza