The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1898-04-04
FANc1Es OF CARD PLAYERS.

Every One Who sits" in a Game Is
Governed by Some Sort Of Super
stition.
Gard players are a most supersti-
tious set" said business man who
will occasionally "sit" in little game
when the limit is to his liking and the
company of unexceptionable quality.
There was new one on me the
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 the table.
That is, he wanted his cards to come
| to him with the grain of the round ta-
BILE and not cross ways. This was a
| new one, as / said, but it recalled the
| facat tht all of them have a weakness.
! For instance, where is the card play
er who will play cards while some out
| slider has foot on the rung Of his
chair. Then there is the other fellow
who will get UP and walk around his
| chair to change his luck and the other
who will never lend a chip If he is win
ming. Why, / saw a man the other
! night who refused a chip or two to a
| neighbor in the game, but he went
| down in his trousers, pulled out a roll
| and handed his friend an X and told
him to buy a few from the banker.
Poker, too, has given the country
some of the richest of slang. Take the
word bluff and where can you find a
| better word. / suppose it is In the Cen
fury and the Standard, or If it isn't it
should be, for the word is completely
accepted now by the best of writer's
| everywhere, in this country and Eng
land, too.
| Standing pat was used in a court
room a short time ago! Some lawyer
! was asked by the Judge what he in
tended to do after a certain decision
had been rendered on a motion. He
said he guessed he would stand pat
1t wasn't strange that the judge COM
| pretended the situation, and, without
a word, went on, after the other lawyer
said that his opponent would do well
| to draw cards, as standing pat had no
| terrors for him. More than that, ev-
| cry reference was thoroughly under
stood by every lawyer within the rail-
| ing. 1t was just at this time that the
| judge added to the confusion by order
ing one of the bailiffs to turn on the
| steam as his feet were cold. For the
| benefit of the INITIATED, it is worth
saying that the cold feet refers to a
habit of some small gamblers who play
| for the money that Is in 1t, saying as
an excuse, My feet are cold,' and get
| ting out of a game when they are
| ahead
| "That reminds me that women, as
well as men, are natural gamblers, and
| in consequence there have been many
friendships of long standing among
women ruined forever by progressive
euchre. Why, I have played in games
where the cheating of some of the wo-
men was as palpable to a man who is
accustomed to card playing as the nose
on your face. But said nothing as
| the woman 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 consolation
prize for men. Then there are second
| and third prizes and the prize for max
| ing the greatest number Of points and
| the prize for the least number and a
prize for the greatest number of mis-
| takes and the Lord knows how many
others. It's a regular gambling game.
| but the same who indulge in that kind
| of sport will jump ON a. man who plays
little quiet game of poker at home.
Nor is the gambling instinct obliter-
ated from the progressive social games
entirely, for there was a game I heard
of where the head prize was made up
| of five IS gold pieces, all tied UP with
blue ribbon, and you can bet the men
in that game were working hard for
the head prize, for some of them want
ed that twenty-five with a want that
must be filed. I expect some of them
cheated, but as a lady, who was a
guest at the home of the hostess, got
all the mon, and the hostess did the
punching Of the tickets, there was a
faint suspicion that few extra holes
got into the young lady's card by mis-
take-on purpose But, of course, I
don't make a charge like that; I'm only
thinking"
In replay to query, whats your
superstition" the talker said, "Ive
only one. won't play in a game when
] have on a single thing that has never
been worn before-not even q necktie.
Takes my mind away from the game,
and therefore never wear new
thing when am going to play poker"
From the Cincinnati Commercial
| Tribune.