Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-05-05
Mr.. JOBSON PLAYS POKER


throwing aside the newspaper he was read
ing one evening some little time back.
Here's story in this paper about a Mon
tana man who taught his wife how to play
poker, Just so they could play together in
the bosom of their own fireside and hearth
stone, and how, when she hadn't much
more than mastered the value Of the hands,
she got winning streak, won all of his
property-which she made him formally
deed over to her-and then turned him into
Inc street. Ha ha! say again. The idea
OF a Montana mans wife being able to skin
MIN at poker! The idea of any mans wife.
anywhere, for, the matter of that, being
aple to beat him at poker; that is, any man
who's one-eighth of 1 per cent stronger in
ms upper works than the ordinary house
tack of commerce.
DO you think it's right for women to
play poker?" Mrs. Jobson asked him. as
she picked up another stocking to darn.
for women to play poker?' inquired Mr..
1opson. with strong accentuation on the
Word play. Mrs. Jobson, there never
was woman yet that playe poker; wo-
men Just play at it. And as far as its be-
ing rights concerned, Of course it's all
right providing man and wife Just pIay
losetner by Jove! come to think of it, 1t
Wouldnt be a bad scheme for me to teach
you something about poker; that is teach
you as much about it a woman can
ever learn. l might just as well dish out
the hands to myself and play solitaire for
don't suppose you'd ever arrive at the
point where you'd know whether four kings
made Tours or just two pairs, but 1 believe
Il! Just initiate you into the value of the
thing" - lag
But" demurred Mrs Jobson, 81 can't
ses over Ieenng that for a woman to play
poker Is something dreadful and"
Not any more dreadful, or whatever else
you call 1t, than it is for a woman to play
e eoenre, 20. or old maid. or casino, Mrs. job
son, SAID Mr.. Jobson, In his best judicial
manner. And. as a matter of fact''Nhere
Mr. Jobson chuckled again-"you'u never,
as say, really play poker, YOU know.
w, W. II Just think you're playing, but you
cards?' '' oeen VI
It's In that cabinet" said Mrs. Jobson.
with finger at her lip. I'D hate to have
IN such an awful"
on, III bet there are lot of 'em who
play among themselves for marshma llows
and gumdrops." said Mr.. Jobson producing
the pasteboards and riff1ing them with thts
ibsouciant air of professional aboard the
Robert %. Lee or the Natchez, on a down
river Mississippi cruise. Just draw your
chair up to the table, and FL tell you the
value of the hands. Then we can plav with
matches for chips, and it'll be more fun
IMAM a box of monkeys to see you catch
straight fiushes and things and throw 'em
into the discard because you think YOU
haven't got anything in your hand fit to
l.
Jobson proceeded to tell Mrs. Jobson the
worth of the hands. She couldn't see into
the values at all at first, but she got pen
Gil and pad and jotted down the respective
values of the hands from pairs to royal
fushes, and after about fifteen minutes.
during which she chewed quite a large piece
on the end of her pencil, she said she
thought she understood.
Mr.. Jobson took hundred parlor matches
from box, and divided them into equal
STACKS OF hfty each. In passing over Mrs.
JobSons stack to her he said with an in
dulgent smile:
Now be cautious in betting those
matches. Just try to consider that each
one Of EN- represents dollar; and If YOU
do that, and at the same time get to think
Ing Of the foray You could make on tha
bargain counters if each one of those
matches really was dollar, 1 guess you'll
be careful with EN-, all right. I've ex-
plained to you what bluffing is. and if you
feel like bluffng, go ahead and bluff
Here Mr.. Jobson took his watch off the
chain and laid 1t on the table beside him,
And, he continued, "if 1 don't have
those fifty matches of yours over on this
side of the table in just forty minutes I'll
redeem every one of 'em you still possess
at the end of that time with new, crac-
King paper dollar"
So they began. From the go-off the
bluffing idea upon which Mr. Jobson had
eNpatiated SO deliberately seemed to pos
sess a peculiar fascination for Mrs Jobson,
as it does for most women who are ini-
tiated into the mysteries of poker-perhaps
because it looks to them like a case of
getting something for nothing. At any rate
Mrs. Jobson took the blufing end of 1t
right from the start, and without anything
whatever in her hand to.back up her bluffs,
So that within something less than eight
minutes Mr.. Jobsou had twenty of her
matches over on his side of the table, and
mis- face was laced with expansive smiles
Easy. easy, my dear" said Mr.. Jobson,
indulgently, after catching Mrs. Jobson in a
peculiarly raw bluff, in which she tried to
chisel him out of Jackpot he opened HIM
self. after she had drawn four cards.
you'll find 1t just as well. at first. to play
for what your hand is worth, and no more
Biuffings one Of the fine. inside points of
the game and it's only done by old-timers
who know how to measure up their oppo-
nents, and to whom the ordinary bluffless
game of poker is only baby-play Just you
play for what your hands are worth and
maybe your feminine luck'Il pull you
through-although I am constrained to re-
sess at the expiration of the stipulated time
with brittle new dollar Of the realm
1t happened to be Mrs. Jobson's deal just
then. She picked up her cards and studied
Mr.. Jobson's impatient "Well?" seemed to
arouse her
We'll. suppose I may as well play for
one MATCH said Mrs. Jobson, doubtfully,
with finger at her lip. "although-d;d YOU
say that if the cards run in sequence-that
is, three, four, five, six and seven-you
can 1t a straight"
Yes" said Mr.. Jobson, tnwardly gloat-
Ing, for he had pat full hand.
We'll, I'll see what 1 can draw" said
Mrs. Jobson, discardng one, but Mr. job
son raised it before the draw, and she re-
luctantly stayed along.
It's your bet" said Mr.. Jobson, after
Mrs Jobson had served herself with one
card and looked sad when he said he'd
play along with the ones he held.
Mrs. Jobson hesitatingly put one match
in the center of the table.
Lets see" said Mr.. Jobson, that leaves
you with twenty-nine matches, doesn't 1t?
Wen, I'm sorry, my dear, but I'll Just tap
you. Put them all in"
Mrs Jobson pushed all of her remaining
matches into the pot, with an expression
OF quite poignant misery on her face. Mr..
Jobson counted out twenty-nine matches
from his pile, and then started to haul the
whole pile down.
King full, my dear" said he, with
smile, spreading out his cards, land it's
only twenty-five minutes since we started
to-
81 win. don't II" said Mrs. Jobson tnno-
Gently, showing her four sevens, and MI.
Jobson's jaw fell.
Tried to lead me to believe you were
drawing to a straight. hey?" said he. as
Mrs. Jobson drew down the matches.
Well, isn't that part of what you call