The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-04-04
KING KALAKAUAA AT POKER.
THE TIE HAWAIIAN MONARCH WAS
MASTER OF THE GAME.
lie Had Astonishing skill when His Head was
Clear and Amazing RcckIessncss when II
wnsn't-A Match for Most Card shnrpcrS.

NNss ~ NaNtN" WI W. --N"
WASHINGTON, April 3.-"when his head was
clear, the late King Kalakaua Of the Hawaiian
Islands was n pretty bofty problem for the best
Of the Honolulu poker dovotees TO stack up
against in n game OF draw, " said an Oahu planter,
now in Washington. "Ho rarely sat In n game
when he was perfectly sober and not Thinking
that he did not make some OF his opponents
smoke a pipe for q while. But he invariably got
into trouble when, his big frame accomplishing n
couple OF buckctfuls of dry wine, he would sally
forth from the palace with the intention
of making u killing. Then he would play
eight highs and three flushcs with "A rock
lessncss Tint was positively agoni2ing to
lockers on. lie would bluff the knobs Off the
table drawers. and his opponents, knowing his
system of play when he was in u condition Of
vinous mental oxaltation. would get his mort
cages for the tax receipts of the islands with un-
failing regularity. But when kalnkaua found
that he was getting into very deep water over
these mortgaged tax receipts, he would embark
upon IA systematic sober tack for n while, and
then, clear-hcadcd~, quick. witted, and n really
tirst-ratc master of all the kinks in poker, with
u countenance when playing as eXprcssionlcss
as that of his Chinese chef. he would hardly ever
fail to rccoup tho great losses he suffered in his
Bacchic periods.
when Kalakaua was a mere boy, running
hloulu 1oIoiulu WIN ho iu'h NIul Dt NDlll
ever be chosen King of the islands. he learned
all the tricks of the game from itincarnt card
sharps and magicians. who gave their cxhibi-
tions only to cloak their real business Of wander
ing professional gamblers. In those riotous days,
before the triumph OF the missionary element,
Honolulu was u great stamping ground for these
men, who. after making their hauls, would pro-
coed on their way TO Australia, Japan, or China.
to work those equally rich fields for short card
players. Dave Kalakaua, as he was then known
to every man. woman, and child in Honolulu,
was only n lad when he had his first run-ins
with this tribe, and it cost him n good many
acres of his ancestral lands before he dis
covered how neatly he was being bilkcd. IT
was only when he began TO meet the sharp
crs "A trifc more than half way Mt their stuffed
and cold deck and OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
die tricks that they decided he could be plum
dcrcd no longer and stopped playing with him.
leaving him, however, still pretty badly in the
hole. After several years OF this sort of thing,
Kalakaua became nm absolute master Of the
cards. He could deal EN- any way he chose
with such dazzling rapidity that u man with the
eyes of IA ferret couldn't tell where they were
coming from, and he used TO take great pleasure
in doing this at Jim Dodd's saloon in little cx-
hibitions for his friends, just TO see them stare.
But neither as Dave kalnkaun nor as the King
VI NV "h AN ~ ~ lfpI " ''-NN' tAAiAA' ~
cards with his friends. Kalakaua's convivial
habits and his generally tumultuous manner of
life never reduced him from the level OF Il high
minded man. and ! don't know OF any sort Of man
on earth / like and respect more than ! do a
square knnakn. | don't say that kalakaua
never took measures TO protect himself when,
~ very often happened. American card sharps
would land in Honolulu from San Francisco with
almost the announced intention Of doing some
Strengthening at the palace. All the Strengthening
that any of these fellows ever did. so far as Kali
akaua was concerned, | could put In my eye.
as the tar says. II was Kalakaua's friends who
got his money in poker games, and then, as l
have said, they only got it when he was having
rummy fun with himself. and none OF us ever
figured on hanging on to II very long after he
had sobcrcd up. for we always gave him "A
chance TO get back at us. ! am certain that
Ka!akaua was more than even with the game
when he died.
81 can easily recall my first poker game with
the King rs one of the players. FOR the circum-
stances connected with It were peculiar. 1t was
in 1879. not many months after I had gone 10
the islands TO take hold Of my sugar ranch at
the eastern end of Oahu. On this Sunday | had
driven over 10 Honolulu to visit some friends at
Sans Souci. one of the city's suburbs. One Of
these friends. an American, who now has u very
large hunk OF the island OF Maui planted in sugar
and coffee. was one Of those poker players who
would rather draw to cards than eat or sleep.
and when ! found him, he. with three of his
chums. including an American naval officer.
who now has as many stripes TO his sleeve as
YOU can count when he passes you. was sitting
ri n table under a bamboo pavilion. shaded
by cocOanut palms. in the middle OF a rcd-hot
jack POT. q! course ] got in. The pavilion. which
WINS on the grounds Of my friends residence. was
closr 10 "A palm avenue used as q public road by
nNN IIt1 md ( - fIA Il FaHt ~ - N III lApI Hand
w" were getting along fairly well. each of us
just about kceping his end up. and with few OK
man, plainly a Kanaka OF The higher sort. rode
mp 10 the high fern hedge that separated us
shortly found out. was n very beautiful ,bloodel
Kentucky hunter. black as night. All Of US
were pretty much interested in the game. but
rest of The fellows suddenly come to their feet
and salute him. ! didn't know what Il was all
about. having never before seen the King. hut l
followed suit on general principles and gave
him rs good . salute az knew how 10 make, I
was rather glad that l had done this when was
kalakaua.' for. though ] didn't take much stock
in the e r TGyjni,,y ,a 6"siqe f.i,d ! H CATALINA IIMny; w1 heard
"Kalakaua was invited to the pavilion by my
friend. and. forcing Ills horse through the yield
mai to a nearby palm. Whom he dlsmountcd
we could al see that he WAS just a little jGgrcd.
vilion steps; hut for MI that his manner was
Quiet. dienitlcd, and collected. He shook hands
all round. and then my friend asked him ii he
cared TO take a hand.
mo. said he. IN Just look on n bit
so we started the game going again; and
after II while the pace got pretty stin. There
was no limit To the game, although we all took
care 10 keep within decent bounds. kalakHua
sat directly behind me. watching my system Of
play, and ! n]ftcrwarh figured il out that H. had
sized mo up g. a pretty, husky, buffer, for while
he was watching me ] rakcd in several good
sized pots on bob Pushes and pat nothinrs, l
had Just made u play of this kind when kaln-
kaun dug into his trousers pocket, pulled ont
i've $50 gold pieces. md quietly called for 500
worth OF chips. As he had been hitting up the
wine rather frequently since his entrance 10 the
pavilion, the other fellows. knowing the King
pretty well. lit fresh cigars with an odd dcgrcc
Of satisfaction when he came in.
well, knlnkaun was never in II from the
minute he sat down. He WAS weltcd by every
one OF us, and inside of an hour he had produced
the gold for 5000 more worth Of blues. II was n
tablc'stakc game, md he was never shy a cen
tavo. Although the other follows were hitting
him right along. l was fairly pclting him. You
sec. he hated 10 be hluifcd, and. from watching
my play before he came in. he had it all arranged
in his mind that ] was a buffer from Rluffyille.
But from the time kalakHua came in / began 10
hold the cards IN q way that made me pinch my
self. l simply couldn't get less than Two pairs.
mud I inst p.IIbn't hahn Int M than, M tIn