Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1898-11-17
BIG FARO PLAY IN DAWSON
How Nervy Jack Smith Made
Gambler Simon Quit
the Game.
HAD $1,000 ON THE QUEEN
He Lost II in Three Turns and
Left the Table Without Even
A Murmer.

stud Poker aud Faro the TayOrite Games
and Everything is Dn iise Level Roulette
Is All Luck and the iiank "a, the Finish
Gets All the Noncy--yery Few OuarreIs
i'll the Gambling Halls.
Old f'c2. y-niners who hear and read
gambiin% stories from the klondike
laugh NJ the smallness OF the games
reported from Dawson City.
In the old days on the Pacific coast.
when San Francisco was wide open,"
it was nothing for miner TO drop
fortune OF gold dust in an hour or two,
but in Dawson stakes don't range so
high. That is why Jack Smith is now
being talked of and written about as
the nerviest gambler in the Klondike.
Every man out there IS a gambler,
more or less, but Jack Smith is a pro-
fessional who does nothing but guess
how the cards vii! come out Of the box.
Not long ago Jack was chipping
away in bets Of s. and $50 NJ Kirk
patrick's faro banl. in Dawson getting
poorer by q thousand or 50 nearly
every deal He had won out about
$4,000 the night before and when his
Tucked changed for the worse the
word was passed along the row of
faro banks that Jack Smith was up
against il for fair.
Another gambler, known a. simon,
concluded ne would take advantage OF
Jacks bad streak and Joined in the
play at Kirkpatrick He followed
Jacks play right along. placing his
money to win when Jack played
card to lose and copparing when jack
played it to win. Jack streall stuck to
him and Simon was several hundred
ahead when Jack got ratified at his
persistent copperins-
No man likes 10 be followed all over
the table by another who bets the
other way. So Jack was rolled ard
when Simon tainted him on his poor
play, Jack turned to Kirkpatrick and
asked:
tom, how much have got in '-our
safe?"
"Oh about $4,000, | guess, was the
reply.
"shell it out" added Smith
The money was counted out. and
with what he had Smith made up
$1,000.
Limit don't so this craci, ch,
Tom?" asked Smith.
pile 1t up" The grim man behind
the box replied. Wen cut 4 hole il
the roof for you. Jack ii 'hc stack
goes that high.
Now. show up with your DUST re-
marked Smith, turning to the man
who had been taking advantagn Of
his hard luck. There's $1,000 on the
queen. open confound you Copper 1t
for the same money, il you dare.
Simon sized up his pile, thought
little and walked away Ii was TOO
much for him to 20 on oneturn. Smith
though, let his money stay on the
queen, and in tnree turns out OF the
box the queen ~as the loser. Smith
never said q word aud walked on. to
await another day when Ack might
be better.
In Dawson Sud poker and faro are
the favorite games. Smith considers
that roulette is all luck, and he iT cX-
tremely proud OF his abilities rs a
gambler But in the end, however,
the bank always beats him; and the
gentlemen who hang around the sa-
looms and look innocent and friendly
always come out ahead of him III the
end by playing cinch game of stud
poker. All the houses, however, main
tain that their games are strictly "on
the level" and that they are Joined
together to prevent fraud.
There are few qiurreis in the gam
| bling halls of Dawson. Only once has
a pistol been fired Tho man who fired
1t took a boat down the creek that
night without waiting for hint from
the police. The peaccableness OF the
mining town due for one thing, to the
Northwest mounted police of Canada.
Their powers are exceptional formaln-
tanning order and they do not hesi-
| tate to use them Tho government is
! liberal unless they arc restricted.