The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-12-11
UNCERTAIN STUD POKER.
A GAME PLAYED by CONTRACTORS
IN OREGON.
There Was n Heart Disease melting Finish
to II, and II Taught tho Dealer to stick
to Ordinary D~raw-Pront in The Dali
lenta Minfnrfnno IN Rirnl nnntrncAnrs-

to Ordinary Drnw-Pront I'm The bal
less Misfortune to Rival Contractors
WASHINGTON. Dec. 10.-"Somehow or an,
other, / don't like the game Of stud" said 0
Government contractor from Portland, Ore
IT'S too much of n strain TO play stud. There
are too many heart-breaking and headache.
producing possibilities attached to the mystic.
rious card the other fellow has got in the hole.
I'd rather take the chance of guessing what
all OF his Ave cards are than to engage in the
persniring business OF trying to figure out the
horrible possible value OF the one blind card
especially II the four cards he has exnosed are
capable OF being amplined into a hand OF the
topper kind by the addition OF that bit oi
pasteboard il the pit. l can't get away from
the IMPRESSION that it's Just ike putting all oil
your money In one sock TO PLAY stud. Now,
there's a good deal to the game OF draw he.
sides mere bluflnE. In fact. blullng is al
most an obsolete feature Of the game among
the experts ut draw poker. The man that
plays his hand In draw will beat the buffer
every time In year-in-and-year-out play.
The folks cut my way had the stud poker
fad pretty badly about eight or ten years age.
but now they've got back to their first love
and stick pretty generally to the game OF Cal
iiornfa draw-which. by the way. is n whole lot
different game from the draw you people back
here play. For example. a man sprung a thing
on me last night that he called n pat straight.
l had three aces, but he said his pat straight
topped me. and rs he had his gang with him
l had to look pleasant and let him rake In the
money. IL a man out on the Slope were to
talk pat straight to a party of aborigines,
they'd conduct him to the Alcalde's calaboose
and have him locked up to await n commits
sion's decision as to his responsibility.
Is to get back to the period when the stud
poker fad got hold of us out in Oregon. | was
q, witness OF a heart-disease finish Of a game
OF that kind a few years back that caused me
to decide that ordinary draw was good enough
for my money right along. 1t was right after
the big fire that ate up the best part OF The
Dalles eight years ago. As soon as the build
ing contractors OF Portland got word to the
effect that The DalIes was being licked UP by
the flames. they hoped aboard trains and
made, for The Dalles with an eve to business.
They knew that The Dalles. which was chiefly
a wooden layout before the fire, would be i'm
mediately rebuilt In brick and stone. and that
the contractors who got on the scene of ruin
nrst would scoop In the bulk of the business.
W OF these contractors were-well. I'll have
to side-step on their names. for they're two Of
the most prominent citizens out on the banks
Of the willamette. and both of 'em walk up the
middle aisle OH Sundays as II they never heard
OF such a thing as stud poker. Both Of them
are Irishmen. which is why neither of 'em
could see that he was licked on this occasion.
One OF them. we'll say. was Dan Carmody.
and the other was Tim Feeney. Carmody
got into The Dalles a few hours ahead Of
Feeney. and he made those few hours count.
He went around to the business men of The
Dalles who had been wiped out by the fire. and
asked them what they wanted with him. They
hadn't burned the wires up telegraphine for
Carmody to come to them. but Carmody about
convinced. them that they had done lust this
thing. and he began making estimates for 'em
one remaining hall OF, the town and told them
to 60 ahead and Just LET him know what they
pealed to their fancy, and they found them.
selves Juggling with the figures Carmody was
Gsfmaay ds STRUCK Pn r his bales afii T FlsS f RSgfs sff e
Contracts cont j to bull Build t a new se stone f busine ssf bloc pi
not more u Than sSSS.ooS. V Oh. c 1ariatRSs was va "a a
He had N idea that his friend and bust
station to receive him. Sure enough. Feeney
stepped on the next inc9ming train. Car
W mHeS ! naa and niS a .f BIZ eisa IN stu seec Rr aeE2nvaf I'll his MS
n his teeth when Feeney ran into him.
When did you get in. DAMP hs asked Car
'Three hours ago. replied Dan. with a
"Feeney made a funny motion, as IL to Jump
aboard q train that was lust pulling out for
Portland, but he came back to his cheerful
rival and asked him:
ANYTHING doing, DAMP
"Carmody executed two very shifty: jig steps
in token OF his happiness. and then reassumed
We'll. in tell you how it is. Tim he said.
These people here are pretty badly cheWed
up. y see. Nov. maybe they'll be wanting to
G rebuild in a fey g6 chicken iskei t GGoops Ar and S%qthoqsesSf
a SFesney diaapt' lock- very merry over this.
going, to throw up the new business building
and the opera house. and the hotel and the
'Carmody was laying for that question. He
drew the two rough contracts out Of his
Looks as il I'm It over, here. don't t.TimY
he asked Feeney.. as the latter read over the
i've f contracts With a gloomy countenance.
T TISa.a'SRIRhs WY d aSa!s, y9 u e Ssu like <, me me. % noT z +
frain from working that nice edge OF his. and |
strung the dismal-faced Feeney. for Keeps.
it eefIony, IN finally ses Ta ,bsra away AWAY the picture Of de,
PnKeSs up , IN the sI way oi , Of rSebgildinG, Hsiound;
posed to wait awhile f9r the DISPOSITION Of in
s sar 2 and he didn't get q smell q the re-
ing Dailes' for the remainder Of The day. iigur.
ing on how much Carmody was going to make
self started in to omen wine by way Of eeIe-
bration., SO that by the time the night boat for
ortihIi WAS Teuuy 10 leaNe nef SLID he was
pretty comfortable. Both he and Feeney took
the night boata and | happened to be going down
TO Portland on the boat myself that night.
Feeney had taken to the bowl himself a BIT
during, the day to assuage his depression over
his lack of success. and he was pretty mellow
when the boat pulled out, .Cermody. with
about a dozen quarts under his belt. dug Fee
ney, up as soon as he got aboard. and the two
walked up and down the main deck. arm In
ing OF his friend. Then Carmody heard the
clatter OF the chips in a SO limit game OF stud
that had already started In the card room
and suggested a two-handed game Of stud
70 Feehev. with some accommodating non
PLAYER to deal the cards. Feeney was apree-
able, and GarrmRody, seeing that | wasn't mix,
me II | wouldn't dish EN- out for an hour or so
OF stud betweeE himself and Feenev. 1t was
didn't get up to the 500 limit at ali until al
ter they had played for half au hour. and Car
mody was 5000 or 500 winner. Then Teenev
found himself with kings IN on tens In front OF
him and a card that, he either liked or elected
to bluff on in tine hole. while Carmody had
three aces face ny, and a card in the hole that he
wav he bet.