The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1898-01-22

every raise and stuck so persistently
and confidently that the whole three
of them began to regard me as the main
guy so far as that deal was concerned,
and to look a bit afraid of me. The last
time 1 raised it they kind O. exchanged
looks, and the man at my left called me.
The two other men followed suit, and
there was a general laying down of
hands. The man at my left had three
Fights, the fellow next to him had aces
up on treys, and the man at my right
three skies. l projected my right arm
to sweep in the good-sized pot after
spreading out my king-high straight.
Hold up there!' they all yelled at
me at once. What's all this? What are
you trying to do-hypnotize us" And
the man who had laid down his three
Fights made a reach for the pot.
1T was now my turn to think the
whole lot of EN- looney.
lis there so much smoke in here
said 1, that you three people can't per-
ceive that I've got Il king-high straight?'
"'Straight?' said the man with the
three Fights. 'S%traights be blamed!
You've got one king up on nothing.
How old are you, anyhow-seven?
Straight? Listen to him. And the
three of 'em gave me the hoarse hoot
in chorus. | asked 'em to get around
me and pinch me, because l wanted to
find out if l was dreaming or not, but
they were too busy leaning back in
their chairs and roaring like so many
wild asses of the woods to pay any at
tention to me. That's what | got for
not inquiring beforehand into the kind
of draw l stacked up against in Port
land.
"TheneXt poker knock l got was down
in Santa Barbara. Igotinto a game with
three hotel clerks, all good fellows, but
all addicted to the nursery poker they
play out there, and again l forgot to
nail EN- up against the wall and make
'em exude information about the game
they purposed playing. We got along
all right for an hour or so, and at the
end of the time 1 was comfortably well
ahead of the game. 1t kind o tickled
me, too, when | caught the joker on
the draw three or four times and beat
'em out on their own game-which is a
silly game, and about as brainy as 4
bean-bag, all the same. l also kept
away from my inclination to draw to
straights, and, having made this much
progress, l really didn't think | was in
for any o rude and costly surprises
in the game. That's where l did the
leap-year figuring.
Il gave myself a neat mess of clubs
-four of them-with the ace for Il cap
stone. L always have been lucky in
bobbing to Pushes, and this looked
good. Two of the other fellows drew
two cards each, and the other man
asked for one. l gave myself another
club, and tried to look gloomy and de
pressed. An ace-high flush has always
been good enough for me on this side
of the continent, and | bet it for all it
was worth. The three hotel clerks
evidently thought they were pretty
well fixed, too, and, although there was
EOthing frantic about the betting, it
was nice and smooth and even, and the
pot grew in Il way that suited me down
to the ground. When it got so large on
five-dollar raises as WE thought it ought
Ia be there was a general suggestion
for n call and a showdown. Two of my
fellow-players had threes, small ones.
and the other two pairs that we
wouldn't stay with very long back in
this neck of the woods. Well, | flashed
my ace-high flush of clubs on them, and
was just about to say something about
easy money, when the man with the
best threes scooped in the pot.
Must have left your specs at home,
my boy" said |, thinking he was only
fooling. Pass that pile over
For Why! said he.
Then l looked him over and saw hat
he was serious.
For why l repeated. We'll, the
Instructors at whose feet | sat to learn
draw poker always taught me to believe
that a flush is better than threes.'
Yes said he, but didn't you draw
a card?'
What the devil difference does hat
make?' inquired.
"'Oh,' said he. patronizingly. 4 see
you're a bit new at the game. You see
you can't draw to fiushes. You've got
to hold 'em pat"
We'll, that was the worst jab l haC
yet received, but l had to stand for it,
the 'do-as-the-Romans-do' principle.
In San Diego l got into a game with
some fellows who were so warm that
they wouldn't play anything but jack
pots. At the start off of the game
the first hand-none of the four of is
could open it. 1t went around three
times, and on the fourth deal l caught
a pair of queens. Two of the other fell
stayed. 1 caught another queen,
and played the hand for all it was
When 1 was called l showed
down my hand, and had EN- both beat.
Foul hand said they. You didn't
have openers and they looked at mt
suspiciously.
1.-The dickens you say!' said l. I
in with a pair of queens and
another one-there they are