The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1897-12-17

particular excitement. The hands that
were shown We're nearly all small. /
though two or three fulls and Pushes /
were called before there had been much /
betting. AS / believe, the players We're
all studying one anothers play, con- /
tent to let a few opportunities pass be- |
Tore they learned the style of game they |
We're against. 1t is impossible to say
this positively. though. for they all |
played closely. and we onlookers saw |
only the hands. that were shown down
The Pirate ! set down after time,
as the poorest player at the table. 1t
was not that he lacked nerve or judg-
ment, but that | thought he was care
less. He was stalking at least half a
million on the expenses of the trip in
playing for sale of the road, and the
poker, enormous as the game was, was
minor. excitement. And anyhow it
was all velvet, as / said. even allowing
his title to be legally perfect.
THE cannest OF the party was the
Armenian, and he alone of them all
seemed to remember the value of the
chips all the time. The ante was two
white chips calling five, and again and
again, finding nothing in his hand to
| drew to- he threw down his cards, re-
! fvsing to make good his ante. An ex-
| act opposite to him was Russian no
bleman, who played with apparent
| recklessness. repeatedly drawing four
| and even five cards, but coming in on
every deal and forcing the play once
| or twice in d way that looked suspl-
ciously like blufiing. When called,
however, he always had something to
| show, so that no one felt quite sure OF
him.
"A young Englishman who played
fourth stood little show. He had the
| gambling fever badly and was plung-
er fast enough, but the champagne and
brandy and soda he had lived on for
week had shaken his judgment and his
| nerves, if not his nerve. The governor
of Western state, who held fifth hand,
| on the contrary, played "a typicai
| American game, without culver, and,
| so far as / could see without d mistake.
Gradually the game grew hotter and
the cards showed stronger. An occa-
sional clash of a straight or fiush with
a higher hand still brought out heavy
bets. Several times there were raises
of $40 900 at a time, and once one hum
dred and fifty odd thousand went in a
single pot. / grew almost dizzy think
ing of the money values, but Kept my
attention as closely as possible on the
play. Luck ran against the English
man, and at midnight he dropped out
signing check for a large sum, in adj
dition to his original stake. l fancy
it hit him very hard, but he carried his
loss as Englishmen do, and after look
ing on bit went off to bed. Nobody
|
/. with four at the table.
There was some drinking done. 1t
would have been heavy drinking for
. some men, the Russian especially TAX
ing his champagne in goblets and coca
, sionally dashing it with brandy, but
neither he nor any of the others showed
any effects from it, and the play went
on steadily through the morning hours,
. growing heavier all the time, but run
) ming with tOlerably even luck until the
Russian began losing and after time
| bought his second 100000 worth OF
chips. The ante by this time. was usu-
; ally 81 900 calling two, but he played
:. on as calmly as if it had been quar-
\ ter
! "At length the great hand of the
e. game was played. There's usually one
deal that exceeds all the others in in
terest in every long game, and this was
: no exception. 1t was a jack pot will
q 20 odd thousand in it before 1t was
il opened by the governor for $4,000, ant
o they all came in. I'd give lot to know
e what the hands were all around, bu
n only one was shown at the end, for tn
f governor dropped out at the first raise
q after the draw, showing queens as M
k openers, which he had not bettered.
k The Pirate was next player, and III
: drew two cards, but contented himsel
e with simply coming in on the mrs
a round after the draw. 1t was as
s. giving the impression that he had bet
IS tered threes and was waiting for Gus
st toners before making his play.
n 1T worked too. The Russian, VIII
81 had stood pat, raised it $4,000, and tn
n Armenian, who had drawn one, stage
IS in The governor dropping out left tn
d Pirate next player. and he raised
N $40 900. The Russian came back at hir
m with 500, 600. and the Armenian quietl
n droppei his cards in the discard pile
4 I I III i'm pina6
re filled a small straight. and that h
20 played it for exactly what it was worth
n The Pirate saw the Russians be
n and showed 10 more blue chips into tn
as pot 1t was the heaviest single be
ct that had been made-$5o, 000-but tn
4 Russians face was imperturbable as
J. covered the raises with his own blu
n chips, and then having scarcely an
s. more ivory in front of him. scrubbed
ia |. O. L. for 100000 and threw that o
he the board.
re THE Pirate smiled ever so slight
Id and ceased smiling so quickly and skill
o. fully that it passed at the value he II
At tended. Then he, too. scrubbed n
We card but the figures We're 100000.
a was a raise of half million dollar
Id the largest single bet on a poker han
s. that / ever heard of.
Is I looked keenly, as did everyone ell:
i'm the room at the Russians face, bl
c. it was inscrutable. He looked for
a moment as if debating point in h
an mind and at length he said: / fear
in cannot make good with ready none
ne but if you car
tie 1T makes no difference whatever
NV said the Pirate. pleasantly. You ma
he take month if you like to settle
The Russian looked at him, a lit
ed doubtfully as ii seemed to me, and
ii did the Armenian, who in a nome
he more spoke suddenly l alwa,
u thought he did it to test the Pirate
it nerve. but If he did the test was futil
ed for there was no sign of any kind To
no discerned ON the latterS face.
ra II .an accommodates xhY,. bigbnn