Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-06-04

has a pat straight or fun hand or flush or
fours in his paws.
straiGhts Don't Go.
well. out on the coast they've heard
occasional rumors of such things as
straights being played somewhere or an
other in the game of draw. but you won't
meet one coast man in fifty that knows
what the chances are Of a man getting a
pat straight Of filing a one-ended. two
ended. inside straight. As for playing
straights they've never even dreamed OF
such an absuriity I found that out, to the
creasing of my wallet. in the second game
Of coast draw got into.
"It was in Portland, and another four
handed game. We played along for a while
without my running into any Of the snags
sticking out OF the slope game. and then
caught four cards that had in them the
Of being filled at either end. from nine up
to queen, so that either an eight or a king
on the draw would have fixed me out all
right. I decided to draw to 1t just for luck.
and had stood raise before the draw.
When I caught my king 1 was glad I had
decided to draw to the straight A king
high straight is a pretty good mess Of pa
pers in any mans game Of draw. as we
knew draw back in these parts.
Thought He Was Strong.
''There was a heap OF betting on that
round. and. of course. with that clipper
built straight Of mine. wasn't going to let
any Of 'em put 1t on me. met every
raise and stuck so persistently and conf
IDENTIFY that the whole three of them began
to regard me as the main guy. so far as
that deal was concerned. and to look bit
afraid of me. The last time I raised It
they kind O. exchanged looks. and the man
at my left called me. The two others fol-
lowed suit, and there was general laying
down OF hands. The man at my left had
three Fights. the fellow next to him aces up
on treys. and the man at my right three
skies. I projected forth my right arm to
sweep in the good-sized pot after spreading
out my king-high straight.
once. What's all this? What are you try
ing to do-hypnotize u.s.? and the man who
had shown down the three Fights made a
reach for the pot.
Found He Was Weak.
at was now my turn to think the whole
three of EN- looney.
rs there so much smoke in here I in
auired. that you three people can't perceive
that I've got hng-high straight
Straight? said the man with the three
Fights. Straight be dummed! You've got
anyhow-seven? Straight? Listen to hiEnr
And the three of em gave me the Chink-
town chuckle in chorus. asked EN- to get
around me and pinch me, because wanted
they were too busy leaning back in their
chairs and roaring like many wild asses
OF the woods to pay any attention to me.
and that's what I got for not inquiring be-
fOrehand into the kind of draw 1 was stack
Ing up against in Portland.
One More Lesson.
1.-THE next coast poker knock 1 got was
down In Santa Barbara. 1 got into a game
of draw with three hotel clerks. all good
fol but oil
poker they play out there. Again I forgot
to nail 'em up against a wall and make
EN- exude Information about the kind of
game they purposed playing. We got along
all right for an hour or So and at the end
OF that time l was comfortably ahead of
the game. 1t kind O. tickled me. too. when
l caught the joker on the draw three or
four times and beat 'em out at their own
two-year-old game. / also kept away from
my inclination to draw to straights, and.
having made this much progress, l really
didn't think / was in for any more rude
and costly surprises at the game. There's
where l did the leap-year figuring.
Played a Flush.
81 gave myself a neat mess Of clubs
four of them-with the ace for capstone
have always been lucky in bobbing to
f1ushes. and this looked good. Two of the
other fellows drew two cards each, and
the other man asked for one. gave my
self another club. and tried to look gloomy
and depressed. An ace-high flush has al
ways been good enough for me on this
side of the continent, and I bet for all 1t
was worth. The three hotel clerks appar-
emily thought they were pretty well fixed.
too. and. although there was nothing fran
tic about the betting. 1t nice and
smooth and even, and the pot grew in a
way that suited me down to the ground.
When it got as large 81 raises we
thought it ought to be there was a gener-
al suggestion for a showdown. Two of my
fellow-piayers had threes, small ones, and
the other one had two pairs that we
wouldn't stay with very long back In this
neck o. the woods.
well. I flashed my ace-high flush Of clubs
on em, and was just about to make some
remarks about easy money when the man
with the best threes scooped In the pot.
Must have left your specs at home, my
boy said l. thinking he was only fooling
Pass that pile thitherward-'
"'For why?' said he.
When n Flush liz Good.
"Then 1 looked him over, and saw that he
was serious.
"'For why?' I repeated. Well. the in
structors at whose feet sat to learn what
Is learnable about the game Of draw poker
always taught me to believe that a flush Is
better than threes.'
Yes said he, but didn't you draw a
cardT
What the deuce difference does that
make?' l asked him.
Oh said he. patronizngly. I see you're
a bit at the game. You see. you can't
draw to flushes. You've got to hold them
pat. or they don't CO.
We'll. that was the worst jab ! had yet
received. but l had to stand for 1t, on the
-Romans-do' principle.
Queer Jack Pots.
"In San Diego I got into a game with
some fellows who were so warm that they
wouldn't play anything but Jack pots. At
the start-off of the game-the first hand
none of the four of US could open 1t. 1t
went around three times. and on the fourth
deal l caught pair of queens. Two of the
other fellows stayed 1 caught another
queen. and played the hand for its value.
When 1 was called I showed down my
hand. and had 'em both beat.
Foul hand they said. You didn't have
openers and they looked at me suspic-
iously.
The dickens you sayr said 1. I went
in with pair of queens and caught an
other one: there they are
But you needed aces, said they, all at