The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-10-09

BIufed-POker for Very Heavy
Stakes.
CHARLESTON, S. c., Oct. Al think
the widest poker player l ever saw re-
marked a veteran the other night, was
a wealthy man from the East who risk
ed a fine orange grove one night on
bobtail straight. The best part of it was
that he not only won, but bluffed nervy
player OUT of a timber plantation worth
more than the grove of yellow oranges.
1t was remarkable game in way and
is still talked of by those who heard Of
1t at the time. The man who lost the
timber property had never seen it. He
had just won it in a poker game at Mem
phis, though he got 1t by hard playing
and not by bluffs.
This game occurred one winter in
Memphis when the town was lively A
party of sports and gamblers were stay
inG there at one of the leading hotels
and having a good time generally, with
poker as the long suit, day and night.
Bob Miller was an Eastern sport who
had gone 'daffy' on orange growing He
had built up a magnificent grove on the
Florida coast and the fruit was getting
a celebrated name. The man who play
ed with Miller at Memphis was a poker
fiend named tombstone, who was All all
round lucky gambler, but one who found
1t best in the end to always play his cards
for what they were really worth. Anoth-
Ell member of the party was Westerner
Who had pocketful of valuable papers
and proof that he owned some property
where the timber was valuable. He was
trying to close a deal by which he was
to dispose of his entire holdings at $75, 900
The Western man, Jack Anderson they
called him, had stacks of money besides
and he did not mind risking it behind
the cards. Two others in the party were
ordinary players with d reasonable
amount of cash, which they guarded care
fully
POKER FOR HEAVY STAKES.
The crowd sat down to play early one
afternoon, when the weather was rough
1t was cheerful in the hotel and the fine
liquors put the players on the plunging
edge. At first there were five men at
the table, though as it usually happened
the pair with the short accounts dropped
out when the plunging fever got In the
air and the trio was left to carry on the
war tombstone had been playing out with
another5eroWd and was a heavy loser.
He was, wearing his handicaps, as he
explained that afternoon, but he man
aged to have d enough to- stay in the
procession. Everything was a Jackpot
with the three gamblers. and the ceiling
was the limit. The play had been on for
some time and the luck was so near even
that the game got dull and uninteresting.
Miller decided to push matters, and to
do this he opened pot on jacks for
sum which would seem to indicate that
he had something invincible. They all
stayed with him, but Miller won out, and
raked in a considerable stake. Miller
felt his luck would change on that hand
He drew to a pair of jacks and held an
ace for a@bluff. When he picked up his
cards he found two, more aces and sue
ceeded an Beating out a flush and a
smaller full house. From that hand on
the play was stiff.
Half an hour later tombstone had won
the timber plantation. 1t was on a deal
by Anderson that a crisis came. Miller,
who had the first say for the pot, gave
a little tap on the table to show that he
was unable to open 1t, and tombstone,
who was sitting next, chucked in a stack
of reds and announced that-the pot was
open wide Anderson picked up his cards
slowly and read them. Then he came
in and -raised-the openers Miller drop
ped OUT and raise after raise followed.
The chips represented big money and
there was a small fortune on the table
before Anderson picked up the cards to
deal for the draw. Both men stood pat.
This was puzzler, though Anderson did
not think in his heart that tombstone
had more than a pair Of jacks. He
said afterward that he saw a look Of
surprise come over tombstone when the
dealer declined to help himself. But this
was just side play that the gambler had
worked many times before.
TIMBER PLANTATION CHANGES.
MILLER and the rest sat back prepared
for a bit of heavy betting. 1t started
slowly, but it soon got fast, and chips
tumbled in by the handful. When the
last of these were up tombstone hesitated
and said he would go up to his room for
more. He put his cards down and drove
a small penknife through them to nail
them to the table. In five minutes he re-
turned to the room with tin box, like
the safety deposit kind, under his arm.
The box opened, and there was
bunch after bunch of good money. 1t
was known that tombstone had lots of
stuff put away, though nobody thought
that he had that much about him. The
betting continued, and Anderson found
that his available cash was gone.
g To keep the thing going, now that
1t Is started said he, I will put up these
timber plantation papers, which will be
negotiated tomorrow for cash. You see
the amount, ST., 900. Now, [ don't think I
will lose, but you know I may and If
do you will get your cash in the morn
ing
This was satisfactory, and a few pre-
liminaries were quickly arranged. From
his tin box tombstone counted off the
money needed to offset the papers and
stacked it on the table. When the bets
had been evened tombstone was to call,
as had been agreed. He lifted the knife
from the cards and looked at Anderson.
" Here's what I CALL, he said
without answering, Anderson laid
down his hand. 1t was a full house, the
best out, three aces and a big pair of
kings.
3" That's generally good, but 1t doesn't
hold here just yet said Johnstone quick
ly, and with that he laid down four
treys. 1t was a tremendous surprise to
the man who had lost, but he took it
like a gambler and gentleman, and
smiled. The next day he left Memphis.
having transferred his timber property to
JOhnstone.
CHANGE IN JOHNSTONE'S LUCK.
This burst of plunging stopped the
playing for a time, but an hour later
other big games We're going in which the
regular party was split tombstone drift
ed over to a gambling house and got
back to the hotel about a. m. a heavy
loser. He found poker game on and he
got in. After an hours play everything
dropped out except Miller and John
stone and they prepared to have a bout
with big money up. The men were plav-
L.,e. Eon. ornat SIlnnS and that rn.aa -