The Savannah morning news., 1900-07-14
ODD POKER HANDS.
One Combination Couldn't De beaten
in 1850, 900. 900 Times.
From the Chicago Chronicle.

From the Chicago Chronicle.
An exclusive little poker organization
the members of which are mainly Board
of Trade men, and which has it's head
quarters in a buffet in the shadows of the
Riaito building. had two remarkable set
tings recently. That is to say, each ses-
sion was made memorable by a deal of
unique kind
The central figure in the first incident
was a young trader whom every one in
the wheat pit calls Doc because he
never was a physician or even a medical
student. There were seven players in
the game, which usually is confined to five
or six. The pots always are big enough
to be interesting not only because ten
dollar limit invariably rules and 800 worth
of chips is the least ever bought, but also
because every one of the players is a
plunger at the poker table as we'll as in
hours of grain speculation. pair of
aces frequently is played up TO $40 or $50
and bluffs OF the most audacious kind
arc practiced continually.
But this story has nothing to do with
"blufflug." 1t is about how doc" clean
ed up all the money on the table on one
hand last Monday. He was sitting next to
the dealer in s21 jackpot when the man
after him-known to his confreres as
Shorty -opened it for the limit The
next player raised the bet SO, and every
one stayed up TO Doc" He found the
seven. eight nine and ten of hearts in
his hand, and considered ii well worth
spending $40 on in a pot now worth 1921.
But tho opener evidently had something
pretty good in his clutch, for he raised
again.
That made matters exciting enough, but
interest was intensified when the man
who had made the first tilt" pushed in
$40 worth of checks. so that double raise
confronted the rest of the players. Again
everybody stayed up to Doc" and 1t was
palpable that a lot of good hands were
out. He realized by this time that he
would have to make a. straight fush-that
is, catch the six or jack of hearts--to
stand any chance of winning, but success
would pay him nearly 30 TO ! and he did
not hesitate about making good. The man
who had opened simply followed suit.
Doc" of course, drew one card. Only
Two other men drew, the others standing
pat. The opener, who had taken a card.
must have felt we'll satisfied with his
catch for he bet $40 right off the reel.
The next mamie who had done the per
sistent raising previously-kept up the
merriment by putting in $50. Three play
ers called and the dealer, who had drawn
"
catch 1t was the six of hearts. All he
raised the dealer was so, because that
was all he could raise. Not man after
him dropped out but four of them reach
ed a "show-down." The dealer raised
again and DOC" went him better "Shor-
ty' went to a Showdown" and that left
the dealer and DOC" the only bettors. 1t
happened that the latter had the more
money on the table, and the dealer soon
10 In, hn tuhf
down"
In all there was $3.50 in the pot. With a
straight flush Doc" was in a clash by
himself and scooped In all the cash. He
had not beaten anything bigger than two
sets of fours-one held by the dealer who
had a gallery of queens, and the other
by the man next to shorty who had
four fours. The other four hands were
full houses
The game was interrupted only long
enough for the six losers to get out their
pocketbooks or rolls and buy more chips.
Not one of them claimed ever to have
seen a deal in which one player had sent
all the others to the bone yard" But
the very next day they all took part in
an even more astonishing play.
A thin, sedate player. with glasses,
whom no one ever accosted more famil-
iarly than by his Christian name. Henry,
men merely stayed, the fifth man rails
ed and doc" who was dealing, and who
found himself with a pat straight, con-
cluded that it would proit him merely to
stand the raise The opener did likewise,
bat the next man raised and three men
dropped out.
81 stay" announced the original raiser,
throwing IN $40 in chips DOC" by this
time had lost much of his faith in his
hand and contented himself with making
good So did the opener and the player
next 10 him.
CARDS." asked DOC" picking up the
deck
Every one of the four men stood pat.
There was surprising falling off in
betting The opener bet white chip, and
IL was called all around.
i've got a big Straight" announced
the opener.
80 have l." said the next player and
his answer was echoed by the other two.
II was true. After a little chatting the
four hands were laid face upward and
each one consisted Of an ace. king, queen.
lack and ten of mixed suits. There was
nothing to do, OF course. but TO divide
the pot, which gave little profit 10 each
man who held a straight. but which was
a very tame II amazing result Of the
holding OF -four pat hands.
poe" who is some thing OF mathe-
matcian, figures that the chances OF four
hands like those described coming out I'm
n single deal are something like ! in
i.5GoOOOoOo
--s->>-s--
ri. ..F