The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1898-05-18
FANClES OF CARD PLAYERS.
Every One Who "Sits" In n Game Is Gov
erned by Superstition.

Caro- players nr2 {: iiiOSt superSii-
tlous set" said business man who
will occasionally "sit" in a little
gamo when the limit is to his liking
and tho company of unexccptionablo
quality.
There was new ono on me tho
other night, he continued, "for one
of the men, when we were taking
seats, shifted his position because he
wanted to play with the grain Of tho
table-that is. he wanted his cards
to come to him with the grain Of the
round table and not crOssways. This
was new one, as I said, but it re-
called the fact that all of them havo
q weakness. For instance, where is
the card player who will play cards
while some outsider has foot on
the rung of his chair2 Then there is
the other fellow who will got up and
walk around his chair to change his
luck and the other who will never
lend chip if ho is winning. Why,
l saw man the other night who re-
fused chip or two to neighbor in
the game, but he went down in his
trousers, pulled out roll and hand
cd his friend an \ and told him to
buy few from the banker.
Poker, too, has given tho coun-.
try some of the richest of slang
Take the word bluff, and where
can you find q better wordi sup
pose it is in the Century and tho
Standard. or, if it isn't, it should he,
for the word is completely accepted
now by the best of writer's every
where in this country and England
too.
Standing pat was used in
courtroom Il short time ago. Some
lawyer was asked by the judge what
he intended to do after certain de-
cision had been rendered Oh mo
ton. He said he guessed he would
stand pat. 1t wasn't strange that
tho Judge comprehcndcd the situn-
ton and, without word, went OH
after the other lawyer said that his
opponent would do well to draw
cards, as standing pat had no terrors
for him. Moro than that, every
reference was thoroughly under
stood by every lawyer within tho
railing. twas just at this time that
the judge added to the confusion by
dering one Of his bailiifs to turn
Oh the steam, as his feet wero cold.
For the benefit Of the uninitiated it
is worth saying that tho cold feet
refers to a habit Of some small gam
blers who play for the money that
is in it. saying ns az: excuse, 'biy
feet are cold, and getting out of a
game when they are ahead.
THAT reminds me that women as
we'll as mon are natural gamblers,
and in consequence there have been
many friendships of long standing
among women ruined forever by
progressive euchre. Why, l have
played in games whore the cheating
of some of the women was as pal
pable TO man who is accustomed to
card playing rs the nose on your
face, but l said nothing, as the wom-
an would have been mad and denied
everything and placed me in the
hole. Look at the prizes they play
for now.
''There's the head prize for men
and women and the BOBBY or con-
ISOLATION prize for men. Then thero
are second and third prizes and the
prize for making the greatest num-
ber Of points and the prize for the
least number and q prize for tho
greatest number of mistakes, and
the Lord knows how many others.
It's regular gambling game, but
the same who indulge in that kind
of sport will jump ON a man who
plays Il little quiet game of poker ut
home.
Nor is tho gambling instinct OBJ
literated from the progressive social
games entirely, for there was a
game l heard of where the hoad
prize was made up of five IS gold
pieces, all tied up with blue ribbon,
and you can bet tho men in that
game were working hard for the
head prize, for some of them wanted
that $25 with want that must be
filled. / expect some Of them cheat
ed, but as lady who was a guest
at the home of the hostess got all
the mon and the hostess did the
punching oe the tickets there was
faint suspicion that few extra holes
got into the young lady's card by
mistake-on purpose But Of course
I don't make charge like that. I'm
only thinking"
In reply to a query, whats your
superstition" the talker said: i've
only one. won't play in game
when have on q single thing that
has never been worn before, not
even a necktie. Takes my mind
away from the game, and therefore
never wear a new thing when I
q <YNion 70 v>loxv xoo1yo,. C:~o:,,