The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-11-23
DOG THAT KNEW POKER
Tipped It's Owner OF as to Bis
Opponents' Hands.
IN THE CODE OF SIGNALS
Yawns Indicated q Pair and Seven
winks the spots-other Signs for h
Other Cards = Dave Its Master
False Tips Onc In Revenge.

seem to know a whole lot" sal one
OF the men in the back room OF an up
town cafe.
The old fox terrier was burying his
gray muzzle in the lap OF his master
and wagging his stump of a tail fool
ishly. His master was a squat. thin
faced man of the all-aeed class; that
Is, he might have been anywhere from
30 to IS years of age. Running away
from the corners of his shrewd eye
were many thin wrinkles. In his get-up
he looked like ready money. He
Tapped the dogs ears one over the 9TH
err and looked reminiscent.
WELL" said he, replying 10 the other
mans remark. II can't saw that ne
does look dead wise n smooth to the
naked eye. He's not n of those here
fresh sooner dogs that wants 10 put
you next to all he knows the first Cat
ter out Of the box. He's no trick mutt,
anyhow. I raised him from a u and
I never taught him n of the jay
tricks that these pillow-raised, dog
cracker NUTS go through. What he
don't know about standing up In a
corner and hopping over a cane and
speaking for grub and waltzing on his
front feet and playing 'possum and all
that kin of dinky work would fill a
book. But II any of you people think
you can give him points on the value or
ndnuS III a. kdffit VI pohtis 'hth 49,
need a new dope cook, and that's
which"
Poker" said another OF the party,
increduously. Say, shoot II in Eight.
Your yen hooks ~overworked."
That's what I said-poker." replied
the fox terriers owner. firmly. Tn
putting you next now. because | cont
make IL a business TO do pals in a poker
game. He's the best poker dog on the
American continent. that mutt. Can't
begin to figure on how many times
he's won me put, and for how much.
He's sulked on me two or three times
at critical j~unctures In games of draw.
and given me the wrong tips, Just TO
get square with me for something or
other, but that was when he was young
and sassy and disposed to work his
edge on me He's been tipping me OF
right now for seven straight years.
and-well. I've got a dollar or two scat
tered around" and the owner of the
dog slowly pulled the tinfoil off a 20
ent cigar.
Didn't have a bit of trouble teaching
him the game, l suppose?" asked enc
of the men at the table.
WELL" replied the fox terriers own
er. striking a match On his diamond
incrpsted match safe, II can't say that
teaching him the hands was altogeth-
er a snap. At first he used to get the
kings and jacks mixed once in a while.
and then he had a habit. when he was
learning the game. of getting the
Fights and tens twisted, too. But L
broke him of those defects after a
while. 1t wasn't so much trouble
teaching him the value of the hands in
poker as It was to fix up a sign manual
by which he could express himself and
tip me OF on the hands held by the 9TH
err fellows. But patience was my long
suit in teaching that dog the game of
poker. and in less than a yea after /
bowed him the first pack of cards he
ever saw, he was able to put me onto
the worth of every hand around a table
without any of the marks falling to the
scheme. His method of communicating
such information to me during the pro-
gress of a game is a bit involved and
intricate. and we've got a lot of little
code signs that would require too much
elaboration i'm the explaining. hut I'll
just give you a little idea of the way
the thing works.
Suppose I'm sitting in n ~four-handed
game. The dog Is nosing around the
room, not in any ostentatious kind of
way inc not getting himself noticed
at all by the other three in the game.
A hand is dished out. The dog Noise
lessly rubbernecks behind the chair of
the first player on his route. The first
~ - W, II - AAhe So - IoAA VI -
ems, n I've got my eye on the dog.
The dog quietly gapes twice, to indicate
that player No. l has a pair. and then
blinks both Of his eyes seven times in
rapid succession. See? OF course I
know then that No. I mas only got n
pair of bum sevens. 1 pretend to scan
my hand. while the dog quietly gets
behind the chair of player No. 3. Well
say No. = has three queens. The dog
passes his right paw over his right
eye three times. IL it's three kings. left
paw over his left eye three times. II
it's three bullets he puts his left paw
at his nose and holds II there for a sec
ond. and. IL three jacks. his right paw
at his nose. Savvy? And so on. He's
got the whole manual and code worked
out TO a stretch finish. II No. J has
got a pat fush he closes his lef: eye
and keeps IL closed until he sees I'm
noticing him. II Nc. 3 has got a pat
full house he shuts up his right eye IN
the same way.
This. of course. is My preliminary
and II only puts me next to what the
marks around the table have got in
their hands before the draw. II they're
too well fixed for me before the draw.
OF course 1 drop out OF Il there and
then. But IL I've got a pretty good fist
full myself and am as good as any of
'em before the draw. why Of course I
draw to my rand. Just as quick as all
the fellows that stay in pick up the
cards they've drawn the dog does his
little act all over again n tips me on
on those hat have filled their hands.
Makes the game dead easy. don't Il?
Yes, stree. that dogs been a sure
enough meal ticket for me for a long
while. But. as | told you a while back.
he sulked on me two or three times
and gave me the wrong steer when he
was young and perky and hot over
something or other, and | got hurt on
these occasions. for a fact. Remember
n OF those times particularly. I'D
been playing for several nights i'm sue
cession with three young JAYS Of real
estate men out In Minneapolis and let
ting EN- take slathers of IL of me just
To get them Interested. All three Of 'em
had gobs Of the green and I figured on
making 'em all move out TO Seattle or
somewhere by the time me n the dog
got through with them. The mutt was