The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-12-02
THEORY N)G)OD IN Poker
OLD PLAYER DEsCANTS ON FOOL
ISHNESS OF PLAYING
BY BOOK
SYSTEMS ARE SURE LOSERS
Greenhut Tells the Sad story of APP
pIeby and His Playing by
RuIe-Must Not Force
Luck.

to be alive, said old man Greenhut, as
he carefully rinsed out a big demijchn
that had once held whisky, and poured
the water under the bar where nobody
could see whether it went into the sink
or through a funnel remarks the CHI
cago Inter Ocean. Pears they've been
discussin' of 1t quite a spell, an galoots
is still Writin hooks about it. I reckon
they must ha' run out o subjects an
then, feelin' as though there was a
howlin necessity for books they must
ha' set down an figgered out that any
old thing would do to write about s
longs they cd only write. It's all right
enough, [ reckon, in places where there's
more folks n there is business. A man
must do somethin', an if he hain't no
proper calm, an there's other fools
enough to buy his books, SOS he can
make a livin', [ reckon, O. course he'll
write books. Not but that there's books
enough an has been always. The TeS~
lament an McGuff'y Readers is all that's
RELY necessary. No man don't learn
how to play poker nor handle gun out
of a book. An when you come to look
at it, none O. the reel essentials O. good
North American livin' comes in books
You take the genuyne husky citizen that
does some good in the world an keeps
things stirrin', an does things, an he
don't fool away no time on books. He
gus ELSHlL out an HuSLleS- dIIi S0FQ
no book that'u tell how the ole Mississip'
is goin' to change her channel over night
so's't a pilots got to go forty miles out
o his way to find water enough to naVi,
gate in, when he comes along next morn
in. Nor, similar, ] hain't come by no
knowledge of any book that'n tell how
fcllers is goin' to vote to a, primary.
'It takes good horse sense an a quick
finger on the trigger to get a man
hain't found that no books is gon' TO
fill UP his head with sense, nor yet con-
vey that suppleness an active motion o
the forefnger that is RELY essential to
his weli-bein when it comes to time
when he's got to look out for hisself-
Newspapers is different A man had
oughter read his newspaper every week
regular. It's mighty poor community
That can't support an editor, an editors
is valuable citizens when they has some
snap to EN-, an knows enough to keep
the community stirred up. If it warn't
for newspapers we Wouldn't git no re-
liable information O. boss races, nor
prize fights, nor none O the interestin
crimes O the day, an twould take
month or more to find out how elections
has went But these feilers that sits up
nights .readin' books makes my feet
witch.
AMBITION OF GEORGE APPLEBY.
"There was one Of 'em come here to
Arkansas City a few years ago that was
most particular irksome to me, an [
don't remember any occasion that cheered
me up mere than when he got wiped out,
a trYin' TO make a practical appIiea ton
O. theories about the game o draw poker
that he'd picked up out OF a book that
some sharp wrote about the game. APP
p1eby his name was-George Appleby, an
he was one o. these feIlers that wants
to be sporty. but hasn't no natural apti-
tude
Wei, nothln' would do him but he
must learn to play poker, which he
couldn't have learned in a thousand
year, not bein' gifted with the right quail
ity Of intellect, though, just naturally,
there wasn't nobody round that took the
trouble to explain that to him
Ell never tried to discourage him my
self, though 1 never had no confidence
in his ever lcarnin the game proper, for
I couldn't help but admire his pluck, an
then ne was dead easy Tor the boys, but
he was All ALFRED good spender, an 1
says to myself, just naturally, that it
would be a cruel shame to do him UP
sudden an cast him on the world penni-
less when he could be pushed along for
general prosperity of trade in the mean
time. So says to him, now an again,
It's no use for you to try to push things
along too speedy, App;eby. Just so easy
an play light till you get on to the in.
tr1cacies of the game. Draw poker [
says, Is tolerable intricate au' faint
10 be expected, 1 says, that yCI can
start at the beginnin an hold your end
up with men as was brought up to the
game. Keep on playin' all the time I
says, for that's the only way YOU can
ever learn, but don't never imagine you're
goin to clean out the crowd on anything
short Of straight flush, an don't bet
too heavy
Wei, Appleby he was a biddable sort
Oh d CHAP, an he realized his own short
comin's too well to take offense. Il can't
see he says, that 1 amt really what
you'd call an expert, an I'd be a chun,p
ne says, TO think 1 cd set In an beat
the gang. But can learn, can't I, Green
nut! IL L Keep on playin' there amt no
reason why shouldn't get to be Il olayer
is there% An 1 hadn't the hear1 tn ten
him what blame fool he was by nat1r.
an more that 1 amt no one 10 ouencb
the burnin' flax, so 1 just says 10 him
again. says, You keep on pIayin', Ap-
pleby, an you'll come out So he KEEP
on, an the boys KEEP givin' him lessons
as obligin as could be, ev'ry time he
wanted to play, which was frequent.
POKER FROM A BOOK.
One afternoon he come in an told me
he d got a book that had ali about draw
noker IN it, an he was studyin' up o.,
me principles o the game, so's't he couid
pay reel scientific game He was "a
Tucked as a boy with new barlow an;
Couidh seem to set still while he talked
uon cal late to play any more he
says, TIL I've mastered the science n
qraW poker, an when l have I reckon
/ IL just eyerlas dngiy grind the faces of
ne the sang On, won do a thing TO
them but make EN- wisf-P d. never come
TO Arkansas City,
w ell, just naturally [ was n hit
sKeered myself, for 1 says to myself ~if
any felier has really put it all in a book
SOS any feller what studies the T9oi1
II IL reduce the noble North American
paSt1me to the dead, Inonotonous level of
pltchln pennies, for what's the good o.
science, L says, in poker or anything
enough to read print can learn 1t all
out OF a book an get as much science as
the other feller has?
don't mind ownin' up It | realty
was ratified. says TO myself. too, that
IL there was a book that could do what
ne said, why, then, there was more use
reading books than | ever thought tnera
was. An altogether 1 was pretty near
upset by the way he went on.
Blmeby he went off home and said he
was gong to study that book for a week
or TWO before comm round TO play an'
when he did come back l could look out
Tor hog KILN. An I sot like d ellufnp
tryln to think whether it really could
be true. An the more thought about
1t the less l liked the looks OF It,
FIRST GAME nv RIFLE