The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-06-24
FEW VARIATIONS IN POKER
CHANGES PROPOSED FREQUENTLY
q NOT OFTEN ADOPTED.
As II Il Played To-day Il Il . D~eveiopme"t
FROM Crudcr Games. hut Appearst 10 sfrao-
ticaily Perfect Interesting experiments

There have been many attempts made, ana
probably there will be many more US TIM goes
on. TO improve the game OF draw POKER by
Introducing new hands and by arbitrarily
changing the rules of play In this ana that par
%ticular. but II may be said generally That such
attempts within the last thirty years have been
failures. 1t Is difficult TO speak with precise
accuracy concerning the genesis OF the game,
since no written record OF II exists so far "a Is
known 20 the public to-day. The original
"lloyle, in which book all known games OF
importance were descr bed. which Is even
Yet accepted as authority on disputed ques-
| lions. makes no mention Of poker. and although
later editions of Hoyle's work have appeared
in which poker has been described and It's rules
formulated, the fact that this work has been
done by unknown authors has deprived II Of all
title 10 authority. and II remains true to-day
that no work on the subject Is unchallenged
All that {, positively known is that poker In
a crude form began 10 be played In America In
the first half Of the nineteenth century and I'M
mediately caught the fancy OF the American
! people. Up to the time OF the Civil War, by
| which time IL had come to be known as the
great American game Of cards. one improve
mcnt after another had been introduced until
the game was usually played almost exactly. II
not exactly, as it Is now. The latest feature
that has won universal favor was not, however,
played in all circles until after the war, though
IL had already become popular and was coming
10 be C knowledged as a genuine improvement.
This was the straight flush, now held by all
| players TO be the highest hand In the deck.
The straight flush is itself ID development Of the
traight, which was. when first proposed. con-
ssidered a bastard hand, concerning the
value Of which there has always been contro-
| versy. 1t was ranked lower than three OF a
kind for a considerable time. but was aiter ward
fixed as the next In value below a flush. There
are many players. however, who are not salts
fed with this classification, and In some circles
IL is now considered more valuable than tho
flush, while a few players rank IL higher even
than a full.
Without going into a discussion Of the higher
mathematics Of the game, which properly
speaking. afford the ultimate test OF the actual
value OF any hand. II may be said that the rules
of poker, in the absence Of anv recognized
authority. rest on the common consent OF play
ers, and that as this common consent can only
DO obtained rs a result Of practical experience
in playing, II Is stu true that there are varia-
tions in these rules In different places, but that
the tendency IL for them 10 become more and
more uniform. As a matter OF fact they are
pretty nearly uniform now. the test Of expert
cnce having been SO generally applied to all
tho attempted improvements, that only those
which are generally In accord with the genius
Of the game have been generally adopted.
So far as the straight Is concerned II is enough
10 say that As tie game Is played by the most
skilful players, a flush beats a straight. but
that there are circles in which the straight
beats a full. IL must be acknowledged that
automatically speaking 1t Is easier 10 fill a four
flush than q four straight since there are nine
chances In forty-seven filing the flush and
only eight In forty-seven filing a straight.
on what theory the straight can be held
higher than the full. however, 1t Is difficult to
understand.
But, while 1t would be absurd TO say Of any
such thing as a game. and more especially Of
such n complicated game As draw poker, that II
cannot be improved, il Is certainly true that
the gaa5 Is now SO logical ai.d 80 syrnn3Ji0h
In its arrangement OF parts that no great
change in 1t is to DO anticipated. There Is. OF
course, always room for Improvement in any
human institution, more especially In anything
In the nature OF a pastims. but the fact that
draw poker has been played a. much a. IL has,
by such keen and intellectual gamesters, for SO
long "A time without radical change may be
taken az at least p~resumptive evidence that it
l. now practically perfect. For nearly half a
century, roughly speaking, II was undergoing
the formation process. and for nearly a third OF
u century II has been practically nj a standStil,
and this Is n fair indication that no further
change, are likely,
In the absence of any definite information,
all statements Of the origin of the game must Of
NECESSITY ho purely oOnjectural Even the
original name, poker. is unexplained. II Is
probable. however. that the game itself be-
gan from a series Of bets an the turn Of d card.
just how or why the number of cards was at
first limited to five can only be imagined, but
IL H. a fact that the draw was unknown for a
considerable period, and that after il was in
were played, They were called, by way OF
distinction, draw poker and poker or straight
poker. At the present time, however, the
earlier game is not PLAYED at all, the superior
merit of draw poker being universally acknowl-
edged, and the game being always played in the
improved form,
Another bit of evidence 10 the effect that poker
originated, a. was said, In betting on the turn
Of a card 4 l. 10 be found In a form OF the game
known as stud-horse poker. This was played
very generally ia the West thirty or forty years
ago. and. indeed. has been said to be the oldest
known form of. poker, IL has gone out OF
fashion so completely that il Is actually I'M
known to a majority OF the poker PLAYERS Of to-
day, but a brief account of IL Is worth giving,
not merely as a matter of curiosity. but as in
dicating the way in which the present game has
been developed.
In Stud-hor, 50 poker, after the shuttle and cut.
the dealer delivers to each PLAYER one card
he deals one more card around, face upward.
mi. les on the table exposed and betting il in
order, When all the bots have been made hat
ar" desired, u third card is dealt to each player