Evening star., 1899-03-11
SOON LEARNED The GAME

Teach a woman how to play poker and
she'll break you,st is one of the few nom
faiiacious FloderM maxims. That. at any
rate, Is what aiyoung married man who
lives out att lexington has been telling his
friends lately. and couple of his class
mates and chums. who recently helped him
to initiate his wife into the joys of Ameri-
can draw. are not disputing the axiom
This pair Of young men happened to drop
into the married. mans home separately
not long ago. and as the three men had
talked over the whole thing, domestic and
foreign. on numerous other occasions, the
married mans delightful young wife
thought that a game Of cards would be
about right to fill In the evening. The usual
question, ''Whatn we play?' was gone
over and threshed, whist being voted too
hard work. casino too simple, euchre too
stupid, etc.. until at the end one of the
married mans pals said, What's the mat
ter with draw"
Draw? What's that?" asked his friends
wife.
Why, poker" he replied.
On. surely, poker" she said. II didn't
do you call it draw
OSuaI EXPLANATION here.
I've always been perfectly crazy to
learn how to play poker" she said then.
f0ur re going to learn right now said
ner husbands chum. Got any money!"
Cm-yes, she replied, femininely, but
Ia nave to go upstairs to get it. Anyhow,
you. Jack?"
lie, Her husband nodded and made the usual
husnands remark about having a dead
one IN the game, and then they went
ahead, after all three Of the men had got
tnefnse.ves tas Gs rather hoarse in explaining to
ner @ just now to handle her hands, what
they We're worth. what bluffing meant,
What not to do If she only had eight high,
and so on e'' AAie''
On, you needn't tell me any more" she
saio' a1ter they had explained all together
for a while. Il know what to do
~ IT was to be Scent ante 1o-cent limit
in5 married man accepted the dismal job
oa banker, and all four bought dollar
ior matches. The banker had the first
deai' MS wife. who sat on his left anteing
Al three of the men seemed to have
caught ca; something, for they all stayed.
next to the young married woman, and he
took two cards. The other two men took
thfee cards each. The Y. Nj. W. didn't
want any. They all looked hard at her
at them triumphantIy.
Pretty early to- begin bluffing" they all
said to her, but she only continued sn1il-
ing at them. Then the betting began. The
young man who had only drawn two cards
went the limit. The other two men ap-
peared to have filed, for they both raised
ne limit. The Y. M. W. came back at al
three of them and raised them the limit.
Then they all put down their cards and
eXpostulated with her.
You're making a break" they said to
her. You dom know what you're doing.
Stop that bluffing. You don't have 10 bluff
all the time. you know. Only when you've
got something to bluff on-you understand.
we don want to put you in the poor house.
We don't want to have your person at
tached for debt. Better come off the perch
h9n a LOT
consider"
She simply tossed her head airily.
You needn't waste your sympathy on
me, any of you" she told them 81 know
just what I've got"
And those three great, strapping, hulking
men promptly proceeded to get scared to
death and laid down their hands to a little
woman who doesn't weigh more than 120
thoughtful smile.
Now, you don't have to show what you
had in your hand Unless you're called by
somebody said one of her husbands pals.
but just out of curiosity, let's see what
you've got, VIII you, please ma amp
I've got a-what did you call it?-a full
house." sherfsafd. hfvctoriousiy, and she
showed up three clubs and pair of spades.
The three men looked at each other in a
disguised kind of way.
Nothing but 1al lapoloosa" they said
to each other. ''ard a seven-high lal lapo-
loosa at that, and she soaked the three of
''Lal la-what?"s she inquired, looking ag-
grieved. Isn't that a full hand?"
Full nothing said her husband 1T
ism anything-a pair of deuces would
Then they all three elaborately explained
again to her the values of the hands and
the game was resumed.
She dealt the hand herself. Her husband
and her husbands friend stayed, and she
looked obviously at her hand for a long
while, until all three of them began to
drum on the table.
Don't hurry me- she said. "I want to
think"
She thought for some time longer. and
then she passed her hand over her forehead
despairingly and said:
well. If it only costs five cents, 1 guess
l can risk it,
She dished out the cards. and the three
men noticed that she only took one herself.
what you doing-drawing to f1usf?'
they all asked her
"Em-m," she replied.
Then the betting began again. When it
got up to her she raised II the limit again
They all dropped their cards and gazed at
her again.
Did you catch the other card and fill
that flush?" they inquired of her in a
breath.
I'm not going to tell you. so there, now"
she replied. How could 1 bluff If I told
your"
Then they all naturally concluded that
she hadn't filed her four-fiush and they
watched for her to drop out when the bet
ting was up to her again. She didn't drop.
They had all three raised each other the
limit. She raised the three of them the
limit.
My dear" said her husband to her then
you may know how to make tidies and
doylieS and things, but as pokerist you've
got some shortcomings. Can't you see that
We all know now that you're bluff1ng-that
you didn't fill your fbur-f1ush-that you
practically told US SO? All you've got to- do
and We'll all give you the chance, won't
We, fellows?-is to just lay down your hand
and let us three fight it out. Then vou'iI
only lose what you've got in the pot now.
See? -"
You play your own game" she said de-
cisively. 81 know what Eye got"
Thus she alienated sympat thy from hon
self self and the three men went on betting.
them each time. Her husband did the f,rst
calling, and then they all laid down their
cards for look. The young married wo-
man spread out her four queens and raked
| In the pot. They all looked at her as IF
they thought there was something wrong
somewhere. The game went on thus for an an
hour or so. and at the finish she had ali
the money in the crowd and her husbanS's
two friends accepted the loan Of a n;nLa al
each for carfare home Thay totL