The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-01-23
THE NERVE OF GAMBLERS.
ONE REASON ron KEEPING COOL Al
CRITICAL MOMENTS.
LnrEo Reputationa That Have Been Made by
men who Have simply Been stalking other
Peoples Money-Cnpitniists who Have Em-
nioyed Professionals to Gamble for Them.


WASHINGTON, Jan. CT happen to know
that a considerable number Of tho most famous
professional gamblers in this country made
their reputation with othor mons money" said
n Rocky Mountain mar of large experience.
These men have had their names heralded far
and wide as the stakers OF thousands, and even
hundreds OF thousands, upon the turn Of u card.
and innumorabie yarns have been spun as to
their cool. John Oakhurst-likc manner OF scoop.
ing in q table full Of money upon the smashing
of n bank, or OF calmly lighting their cigars and
strolling out when fortune went against them.
So f,r as the stories themselves nrc concerned,
zone OF them arc undoubtedly right; but AL of
thom leave out the very essential fact that tho
mon were simply players OF other mems money
table touts,' we call 'cm out West. l suppose
IL Is a reasonable proposition that Il is n whole
lot easier to risk another mans money at tho
table than 1t is to cndangcr your own. OF al
tho men l nm telling you about hardly n ono
had enough luck at the tables TO keep himself
warm when putting up his own coin; perhaps 1t
was owing to the extreme caution of their play
under these conditions ard tic far greater
strain involved in tho hazarding Of their own
money. They could take another mans money
tho money of n man who probably did not
know tho difference between 90 and 80 in q
wheel layout, but who could afford to venture
almost an unlimited amount of money on n
game-and in ut least eight cases out Of ten
they could run the initial stake up into q pile
that would mean for themselves n rakc.off or
percentage of thousands or tens of thou sands;
but in venturing their own money | have seen
fcw of them who were any good in the matter
OF keeping their nerve under rein.
Back In the sixties Tom Naseby was gen.
orally considered the most dangerous man at u
faro table ON the Pacific slope. Bank after
bank. from Portland to San Diego, went to the
wall under his system OF play-or lack of system,
l ought to say-and at the end the San Francis
CO banks shut him out altogether, so that he was
compelled to start n layout of his own. Among
Nascby's snashes that were famous on the coast
was that of breaking Byron McGregor's Kear-
ny street institution to the tune of $l50,000; of
hitting up Tillottson's $40, 900 limit game in San
Francisco for 100000 and closing the doors, |
and OF banging Ned Jordan's bank in Portland
for $l25,oo0. all within the spnce Of thrco
months. Yet Naseby told mo himself that on
none of these plays was he venturing a sou
imdrQui of his own moncy-that it had all been
handed over to him, the initial stakes for each
San Fraancisco banker Mhsts, eomm II sniside,
Out of each winning Nascby of course got IA big
cut OF the money. for ~ltalston went into the
hing Tor the sport OF it and was II very generous
man. Nascby. who belonged TO the tribe of
savers for, a r my day, hung onto these rolls.
Naseby played faro with Just about as much
skill as u Zulu wicids Il war club. and II
frankly confessed that his coups were simlly
cd backing allied to bullhead luck.
Frank Burbridge, the mos; famous poker
PLAYER pnG,ssr th hat Portland ortiz ! m,h has Is, eyer # brought ont, was
gambler upon, the strength Of the vast Win |
nings he hauled out uron stakes furnished by
Burbridgc remained behind tho screen and only
received Franks reports as TO bow he made out
others came out into the open and sat alongside
Burbricgc when he was playing with their
for he was strictly on the level, but Just Tor the
fun OF watching the game. One OF the big con,
tractors for the building of the Oregon Short
Line, q man worth many millions o. dollars,
was one of Burbrjdgc's clients who liked to
watch the expert poker player play the hands:
games with, dangerous opponents. If Frank
won, all right; he got most OF The money him
simply went into the thing for the mental dis
traction 1t afforded him.
II was a witness of one of those big games in
which Burbrdgc engaged with n stake fur
nished by the contractor. 1t was played at the
old W allan, iiou sh in Port hortland, and it , was a
wealthy Portland man who was said to have
made a big POT Of money by simply ma I'M the
Eon Short Line. This rich man thought he knew
how to play poker until his friend. the contractor
put him up against the latter-partly for the
interest of watching the game, and partly. per;
man had a Whole heap of an opinion Of what he
knew about poker, and played the game inGes-
sanity for nastime. He had ncTeT hnppeaGd 10
hacker finally suggested TO the Portland man
that he have a try at what he could do with the
man who was known to be the most expert
oh. lc,s a professional said the Portland
man, and ! don't play cards with professionals |
in u contest OF skill such as | see you want to
make this. play with en- once in a while just
t @o s 3 1 lPSst F sSem UNDER Sh, n Smc ic P PeSm monSy; !
We'll, you trust me. l suppose. don't youi'
said the contractor.
- f'npln n a. ' NtlG tho nnlN
I'd just like to find out to satisfy my own curl
amount mo to much at t it myself eII' and don't think
you're any better than / am. Very well. You
the hands myself, and sit by to sec fair play
though Burbridge plays Just as fairly. as
would would my myself under the same circumstances.
Yes said the Portland man. ia just like
to give BurbridGc a whirl under those circum-
80 the game was arranged. Four or five of
US We're invited around to the old Willamette
House to look on while the game progressed,
The two men sat down to the game about 3
O'Clock mt night, The Portland mani will
right name-had occasionally met Burbridge.
who was a very smooth. ,urbanc sort OF chap OF
each other 81 When anfff um m%aIife came H".Ii into the room.
The contractor was on hand with his check
book. The conditions were simply, that tho
contractor was TO deal each of the hands. ami
then retire from the table with the remainder
of the deck until the call for cards. Then he
NhS W ulSIl oNl "IIHI hl'i "Slp Nhi.'Ai loI.
and get away from the table again until the
hand was played. Tho rest Of us were to sit
around. with the privilege of having peeps ut
the hands. Tunwcll was TO have tho privi-
lege of asking the advice of any of us rs 10
proper plays, rs Burbridge WAS TO be per-
mittcd to refer hands that heavily involved the
contractors, purse to the latter-not TO seek ad-
vice. but simply TO inform him what he in
tended to do iii the play. Tho game was To DO
without, limit. and the chips were worth 50,
S25. and $50.
SO, the game began. Tunwell soon proved
himself u pretty cool man. lie didn't put upa
stingy game. but he simply had the proper sort
OF regard. for the. worth of the cards the CON
tractor dished out 10 him. and he played them
right, as we who were watching the game and
had n chance OF seeing both hands soon dis.
Two or three times in the carly part
OF the game l., for one. thought he was n bit
OyercautiOus, but in general his line of rlny
was away above tho average. Tunwcll WAS n
big, gray-cyed man Of the type that Is TANNED
or Neell-controllcd nerve. and he held him.
self on this night in additional check becn,Iso
he knew that he was up against a hard Ir0pO-
sition. Tho play At Iirst didn't amount TO
ally and both men seemed TO be s%larring, for