The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-01-31

Dig pot OF money by simply making the
suggestion that he intended to parallel
the Oregon Short Line. This rich man
thought he knew how to play poker
| until his friend, the contractor of the
Short Line. who was Burbridge's stalk
er, put him up against the latter
partly for the interest Of watching the
game, and partly perhaps, for other
reasons. Anyhow, the Portland man
had whole heap Of an opinion Of what
he knew about poker, and played the
game necessarily for pastime He had
| never happened to sit in game with
Burbridge, and Burbridge's hacker
finally suggested to the Portland man
that ne have try at what ne could
do with the man who was known to
be the most expert player Of poker in
the Northwest.
"'Oh, he's a PROFESSIONAL said the
Portland man. and I don't play cards
with professionals. in contest of skill
sucn as L see you want to make this.
L play with EN- once in a while just
to study their games, but not for big
money. / wouldn't trust them under
such circumstances
Well, you trust me, I suppose
don't your said the contractor.
Certainly was the reply
All right, my friend said the con-
tractor, I'd just like to find out to sat
1sfy my own curiosity how good you
can play poker I don't amount to
much at it myself, and I don't think
you're any better than I am. Very
Wen. You sit into a game with Bur-
pridse, and I'll deal all the hands my
self under the same circumstances.
Does that proposition suit you?'
Yes said the Portland man, I'd
just like to give Burbridge whirl I'M
DER those circumstances
so the game was arranged Four
inv cd
old Willamette house to look on while
the game progressed. The two men sat
down to the game about s o'clock at
night. The Portland mani will call
him Tunwell, which is pretty close to
his right name-had occasionally met
Burbridge, who was a very smooth ur-
bane sort of chap of thirty, and so they
nodded good naturedly to each other
when Tunwell came into the room.
The contractor was on hand with his
check book The conditions were sim
ply that the contractor was to deal
each of the hands. and then retire from
the table with the remainder of the
deck until the call for cards Then he
was to dish out what cards were called
for, and get away from the table again
until the hand was played. The rest
or US were to sit around with the priv
1lege of having peeps at the hands.
TunWell was to have the privilege of
asking the advice of any of us as to
proper plays, as Burbridge was to be
permitted to refer hands that heavily
involved the contractors purse to the
latter-not to seek advice but simply
to inform him what he intended to do
In the play. The game was to be with
out limit, and the chips were worth S..
$25 and $50
SO the game began. Tunwell soon
proved himself pretty cool man He
]ynb+
simply had the proper sort of regard
for the worth Of the cards the contrac-
tor dished out to him, and he played
them right, as we who were watching
! the game and had a chance of seeing
both hands soon discovered Two or
/ three times in the early part of the
game l, for one, thought he was a bit
oVercautious, but in general his line
of play was away above the average
TunWel was a big, gray-eyed man of
the type that is damned full of we'll
| controlled nerve, and he held himself
/ on this night in additional check be-
/ cause he knew that he was UP against
a hard proposition. The play at first
didn't amount to much-fifty or hundred
! dollar bets occasionally-and both men
! seemed to be sparrIng for information
J On tie style of each others play. Tun-
/ we'll finally decided upon bluff. He
had nine high, and he went up to $500
! on it. Burbridge laid down. This was
/ pretty good for Turwen, but he had
/ the sense to show no eXultation Now
/ after making a thing like that go
/ through, most men would keep on bluff
fling until called when on steep and
! cragsy ground, but Tunwell didn't He
resumed the system OF playing for what
his hands were worth. This he stuck
to for half an hour or so, when he was
$500 ahead of the game, and then he
made another bluff on pair of queens
/ Burbridge, who had three aces, laid
| down, and Tunwell's pile was amplified
by $1,0cO,
| said Tunwel.
ooh I don't think So said Bur-
bridge. There was too much confidence
IN your eye for that Which shows that
even great poker player is as likely
as anybody to get mixed when it comes
to studying eyes in a game.
after awhile Burbridge caught a
pat full house, and Tunwell filed a still
better full hand. 1t was Tunwell's bet,
and he went $1,000 on it. Burbridge
! laid down-wherein it was plain to be
seen that he was a man who possessed
that irdefinable thing, the poker play
er's 'hunch'
Now, all these plays I'm telling you
about were simply part of the warming
Up. The two men were simply studying
each other. They didn't really begin
to play poker until two hours after they
| sat down.
Then the contractor dealt Burbridge
a promising set of threes and gave
| Tunwell a neat two pairs, with aces on
top. Tunwell filled with another ace,
and Burbridge got nothing worth men
tiOning in the draw, so that his three
mines didn't look very big to us against
an ace full. 1t was Burbridge's bet.
cards down on the table and look up
at the ceiling before making bet.
Five thousand dollars said he
finally, still locking up at the ceiling
ref1ectively, and the contractor who
had seen Tunwell's draw, WINGED a bit.
'"Tunwell looked at him pretty hard
and scanned his hand. He raised him
S., 900.
"'And S., OOO said Burbridge, quiet
| ly. Now, the contractor was a pretty
game sort of man. but we could see
that he felt badly over this.
Then Tunwell laid down Bur-
bridges bluff worked. Of course, not
until after the game did we tell him
what Tunwell held that time, and when
we did he said:
L felt from the first before I made
a bet, that he had me beat-but the big
ger mans hand, the easier it is to
bluff him out Of the money Queer
| remark, wasn't it?
"Tunwell kept his nerve like a major
| after this heavy fall and we couldn't
see the slightest sign OF faltering in
bic ctv1a Of NAV Tho cro mo