Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1899-08-20
THE NERVE OF
A GAMBLER

the battle field Stories have been told
of how fortunes were won and lost on
the single turn of card IN faro. and
how men had risked their eli on the
turn ct 4 roulette wheel and lost. Here
is 4 sorry, which, while it does not in
vclve the loss of very big fortune, ex-
emplilies the nerve CT a gambler.
The game look place one night last
week in the famous Pennsylvania club.
at Long Branch, over these historic
tables where hundreds of thousands
Of dollars have changed hands.
L was one of those ideally cool sum
mar nights for which the Atlantic
coast resorts are famous. Long Branch.
utter a wildly hilarious evening. was
gradually sinking into slumber. Hard
ly one Of the long array of frame build
ings showed CLEAN of light above the
ground floor The very ar seemed
/ dead.
Even the usually crowded parIors
and gaming rooms OF the famous Penn
| sylFaria club were robbed of half their
accustomed throng. The roulette wheel
had stopped for lack of PLAYERS. In
one corner of the beautiful crystal
drawing room a party of -Four yawned
as draw poker gave way to a game Of
nt1ftS Tor quarter a spot,
! The faro bank had two players only,
and tno dealer was EstlessIy drawing
out the suits, too inert even % an
nounce the results. a duty which his
cue box keeper was performing in his
stead
''At the end of this DEAL the dealer
finally drawled, Z guess I'll closa the
game
No objection from this quarter
replied one of the players, well
known figure in Wall street. and a
man who stsked his thousands en- a
turn of the market as caralessly as he
new tossed his white chips On the
painted caEds before him, too :ndiffsr-
ent os-en to observe where they fell.
Nor from this" asserted the other.
10 tell the truth the game tonight re-
minds ne Of the last funeral 1 CHANGED
10 attend he added, as he turned to
observe a newcomer.
Game still going on, I see,'' re-
marked the latter, as he returned the
nod, haIF of recognition. half OF in
CURRY. May 1 use up a stack?''
'Oh, certainly replied the dealer.
with just a touch Of iCtsrest in his
tone. I'VE were about to close the
game, but-always wiling to oblige
our friends, you know"
We'll, for a starter, just d white
chip on the ace. We western men are
rather fond Of bullets. I'm from Chi
c2go. Ny name is SamueIs, Jacob
Samuels. Ran il cas-. with my wife
for few weeks, and a friend intro
duced ne here
Seven loses, n.ne WINS drawiet
the dealer, resuming the play with
shade Of interest
in r11f oh
served the newcomer Think I'll
cover the court cards with red chip
ever the queen
Jack loses. ten wins
A blue over the queen was Sam
UeIs only response.
Ace loses; six wins" and the deal
er's assistant drew down ..ha first bet
A red On the ace was the next play.
but the one spot wus the next card
shown. A red IN the ten. coppered; q
blue to the left on the seven, taking
in The six, seven and eight, and 4
white, for luck on thu corner of the
three, this also covering the five.
King loses; four wins" And the
assistant added the blue over the
queen to the banks pile OF checks.
A deep sigh from the western man.
But he doubled his remaining bets.
Seven loses; ace wins
Two mora blue chips gone, bU..
again lie doubled his bets, dropping
four blues 10 the left OF the seven. But
the next turn swept them away.
'+The court cards. The court cards.
ne muttered. dropping i pile of blues
ever the queen.
Thrse loses. ten wins, and two bets
were lost at once.
The broker, splitting even SO far on
the deal, turned 10 the western man:
Hard luck, Old men" he observed.
Double up and you'll win out. Your
turn must soon cone. so | think I'll
follow you for awhi,a
The cid gamblers rule of never
push your bad luck" was thrown aside
and Samuels, after buying another
sack Of chips, began to plunge. The
white chip bets grew to stacks OF
blues; the blues TO double stacks as he
placed them On the cards: but Still he
lost.
O1ce he stacked the remains of his
pile On the deuce The next instant it
came.
Deuce loses, deuce wins" and his
chips were split Shifting the re
mating half to the nine, it also was
swept away
Again h bought, and still again his
ICII q Dank notes SteadlIy growing /
smaller, while the dealer. without a /
flicker CG N eyebrow, added .1he pur-
chases TO his own pile.
= second 81 geo followed the fist. /
The peTspiration was standing thick |
on the brow OF tha man from Chicago. !
The veins in his temples i5welled, his /
tongue wcs he. and dry. He called for
a glass Of brandy, but the trembling of
his fingers spilled half before it could
reach his lips One tess. the remain
dsr was swallowed and .he glass drop
ped 10 the floor with crash
Forty turns without winning;
.mp0ssible!" exclaimed one OF the
heart players as he joined the group
that watched the play.
The broker had dropped out long
ago. and his companion now followed.
SGmueIs was plaNCg alons againsC