The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-04-11
MIC STAKES AND ODD LUCK.
rypERTEyCEs OF 4 IA MoUS
s"~ mario COAST GAMBLER.
-,-,t,,,ouu or tho Tnbie-A Wine Owners
s,s, 600 worth or F',n--Fivc Ace"in q Square
..,e-Remnrkabic Drnus--VnEnries OF tho
S.,s,-CrooLed Schemes That Went Wrong.

S.-,utou. or tho Tnbie-A vino Owners
&c. 900 worth or Frn-Fivc Aces In n Square
.,ue-Remnrkabic Drnws--VnEnries OF tho
S.,s,-CrooLed schemes That Went Wrong.
po,osI. Cal. March ga tall man. with
L.,rinr black eyes. gray hair and mustnchc, a
v,.chcd face. thin lips. and m ashon complex.
Zoo co,ne to live in Pomona Valley, In
".,hcrn California. with tho hope of recovering
-, pulmonary consumption. lie Ia George
n% twenty years ago thcro wns not a better
"srn poker gambler on tho Pacific coast ;han
ia spent ono summer Mt John Morrisscy's
snous club in Saratoga In its palmy days and
v...r,s known ms the most scientific poker
.,.vcr aver there. He caught cold on his way
-, pcrmudn to New York a year ago. and was
IA last November that no was in the second
.,,ec of pulmonary tuberculosis and was adj.
.s.oa n 60 and live close to the foothills. miles
horn the scacoast. in semi.tropic California.
I,hro IA known on tho Pacific coast IA one Of
n. three or four gamblers out OF several hun.
ir,d who have anything to show in the way OF
,nncrty ms the result of n generation OF win.
,inrs and losings Of tons Of thousands OF dollars
h, all the bonanza mining towns betwocn Denver
end the Pacthr'
81 hel!crc I havo laid by some money" said
Ilb,o, IN speaking OF some of the big games no
las engaged in; but II I had never had q good
II rstcr, WIN Iiu'it q " lVNt.'p w ZOE INV tiii'O
,he saw me- through some years to invest my
earnings in real estate and take a solemn vow
never 10 sell or mortgage any part of II. I should
hare been dead broke. like every man I have
,rer met around the green cloth"
Albro owns q block of stores In Portland, Or. =,
two residences in Chicago TINT rent for $40 n
month each. and n large raisin vineyard at
Fresno. and recently he bought an orange grove
m Pomona Valley. near North Ontario.
81 suppose" said he, as he sat summing himself
,monz tho palrl orange trees of his beautiful
ranch home the other morning. that supersti.
\ lion will always be n chief characteristic Of a
rambler. It's q part OF a sports life as much as
thinking. Now, I've always argued that I was
above such nonsense. hut since I've retired from
the profession, and for the first time in my life
begun to look at problems OF life from the stand.
point OF a legitimate business man, I see how a
whole lot OF superstitions possessed me and I
didn't know it. Tho most comma superstition
among all professional gamblers is that it is bad
luck to win the first hand. and that, sure as fate.
the winner Of the first pot in poker will lose the
game. For years I've kept out OF the first jack
\ pot In the game To the best OF my ability. and
4 when I've been forced in 1t and won.
I've thrown up my hand for u half
hour or so, until the bad luck had gone
away. A common superstition Of gamblers In
the far West, but not in the East. is that the mix
Ing Of bank notes or any form of paper money
with piles Of gold and silver invites i'll luck. I
knew a man. Henry Parker, the greatest faro
dealer. by the way. ever known in Helena, Mon,
to quit a game for good when he saw that
n.s.nn.. -. 49,. nnNu
,ne paper anu com s'akes. know that i myself
ralley west once nv a fool who n;led a stact ~
sold.n .as,e. m ton - sor,a 49, h;n" "ta-
side. The most common superstition the world
oyer-you see I admit tbat II In A mnerstition
Sr, = to,,.ro :, a. ,n.t .ha p..s".ll.uio"n.,
around in ones chair reverses the luck. This
belief extends to the position of the seats.
some OF which IN a long game OF poker be-
come known as lucky seats and others as I'M
lucky seats. 1t is common for one player to ask
another player to change seats with him. I've
seen many a man pay money, $40 or $50. for an
=" os poAor seno every
sne knows how some gamblers will kiss a chip
ho.ns - ~ ~ . e VI Uo'. u a iato
" " y the uoauess fortune 10 mat Del.
hundreds OF men believe that an occasional cash
tno,rn sv.n a. ,n,apI,aont : nav .. 500
Mu,su wen 90 inteiikene q man as senate
Molcott OF Colorado to believe that he brought
success C. IS to his play Lc at a critical moment in a
The Others n the game pu uti nm on rbips 'aoie "heh
"TThet We ,ha hGpus VI rnlps.
nnan was me olegest game you ever saw,
O I can answer Tns as nnict " s.id A,h-o
-tor II Was = wnndsrf, ma qunth, sala aior9'
tn witness ons niaht IN E En ~ t,'at hSppensu
in $50 Wan TN ror ~ y heinia lily, Hevaaa,
ont nroats ~ Gao Snn s ! x MINES we're turning
FIooS anS ofp-% %oo. ~ a IaS nor Mackay, ralr;
in The stree h.ieG S waa s9,n 1e a9iinrs Almost rolled
Crittendsn's lar nmas eniiea over 70 nentry q
n attn asms anono tha III ~ ~ q irtena 70 see
ss,ork lode a" ana d1 7 the oiE bugs or the C9m-
that t game for for a : small monid fnr ! nave missed seeing
tenden ran the most nrnJirag SehLTy iii,
ever known nU The ,dpn .Gntsai sa"1oIing mouse
nil of them from Ws, J;ont ~ anu We oeeh IN
ion TO Honoluin Tia - ~ ameouFer and DOS.
aside "a. 900 for tahie Ine e'oaf mionth seI
flowed az freely no snri Mpen 81 aioHes aor vine
A bettor did not al ~ 49, H. d. SaiaiGsa:
TO the game snort r.bo h ~ was q lImlC
enough might bet 10000 on n a sin sde1 ca ada c III
Eamesters counted their thonaanas d % r"s'erh
lin october 1870 y h niouSnnSs.
mine owner named cs,Lip. ny sLser
City. He owned the richest aIivns roJna itn,kSSna,n
Mexico at that time, and could bare sn oI Sfs
was known as n m;iiionaire IN ~ ~ nan; ne
with the San Francisco banks ana %en neahu,nS
his telegram was good with Mack@v' Hood y u
0Brien for S5OO.OOO. The old felIoyy rith he
corduroy trousers tucked in HE hont: VT liz
greasy, dirty sombrero and his ~ stouU o oiSaanu ms
a welcome gnest anywhere In n,eSa"' VS.
chatted an hour with Gov W. and