The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-07-15
mr.. Jcbscn Plays Poker
Washington Starr

together in the bosom of their own ire
side and hearthstone, and how, when she
hadn't much more than mastered the
value of the hands. she got a winning
streak, won all of his property she
made him deed over to her-and then
turned him into the street. Ha, ha,
say again The idea of a Montana man 5
Mite being able to skin him ar poker.
me idea OF any mans wife, anywhere,
Tor the matter of that, being abe 10 beat
MN az poker: that IS, any man VINO
One-ei@hth OF / Der cent stronger in his
upper works than the ordinary house
tack or commerce.
DO YOU think it's right for a woman
10 play pOkerg' Mrs 1ObSon asked MIN,
as she picked I'D another stocking 10
darn.
For women to play poker?" inquired
MI Jobson. with strong accentuatlon
on the word play. Mrs Jobson, thers
never was a woman yet that played
poker: women Just play ar II. Ana as
lar as it's being rights concerned, OF
course it's all right. providing a man
and wife Just play together. BY JoNe:
come to think of it, it wouldn't be bad
scheme for me to teach you something
about poker; that is. teach you as mucn
about It as a woman can ever learn
might just as well dish out the hands 10
myself and play solitaire, for L don
suppose you'd ever arrive at the point
where you'd know whether four kings
made tours or just two pairs. but pc
heve I'll Just initiate you into the value
of the poker hands. anyhow, for the fun
of the thing
But" demurred Mrs. Jobson, Il can't
get over feeling that for woman 10
play poker is something dreadful and -
Not any more dreadful, or Whatever
else you call II, than II is Tor woman
Mrs. Jobson," said Mr. JObsOn, in his
best judicial manner And, as matter
of fact''-here Mr.. JobsOn chuckled again
you'll never, as / say. really play
0fraL~
playing. but you won't be guilty Where
that deck of cards?'
It's IN that cabinet" said Mrs. job
son, with a finger at her lip. I'd hate
to have the ladies of my guild know that
d engage n such an awful =
''Oh. I'll bet there are a lot of EN- who
play among themselves for marShmaHoWS
and gHmdroDS," said Mr. JObSon, pro-
ducing the pasteboards and rifiiing them
with the insoUciant air of a professional
aboard the Robert E. Lee or the NatcheZ,
on a doWn-river Mississippi cruise. Just
draw your chair up to the table, and II
tell you the value of the hands Then we
can play with matches for chips, and II II
be more fun than a box of monkeys TO
see you catch straight hushes and Things
and throw EN- into the discard because
you think you haven't got anything IN
your hand fit to play with Now, pair,
etc. etc Mr. Jobson proceeded 10 tell
Mrs. Jobson the worth of the hands. She
couldn't see into the values a all at first,
but she got pencil and pad and lOtteG
down the respective values OF the hands
from pairs to royal Pushes, and after
about fifteen minutes, during which she
chewed quite a large piece on the END OF
her pencil. she said she thought she I'M
derstood.
Mr.. Jobson took a hundred parlor
matches from a box and divided them
into equal stacks of nifty each In pass
ing over Mrs. JObsons stack to her he
said. with an indulgent smile:
Now, be cautious in betting those
matches Inst consider that RaCn
one of EN- represents a dollar; and II
you do that, and at the same time get 10
thinking of the fOray you could make on
the bargain counters il each one or those
matches really was dollar, I guess you II
be careful with EN-, all right I've ex-
planned TO you what bluffing is, and II
you feel like bluffing, go ahead ana bium
Here Mr.. JobsOn took his watch on the
chain and laid it on the table beside nirn
And" he continued, If don't nave
those fifty matches of yours over on this
side of the table in just forty minutes;
I'll redeem every one Of EN- you sun
possess at the end of that time with a
new, cracking paper dollar.
So they began From the go-Off the
bluffing idea upon which Mr.. JObson had
exoatiated so deliberately seemed to pos
seSS a peculiar facinatlOn for Mrs Joo-
son. as il does for most women VINO are
initiated into the mysteries of poker-per-
haps because il looks to them like q case
of getting something for nothing AT any
rate, Mrs. JObSon took the blutEng END
of IL 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.. JobSOn had
twenty of her matches over on his side
of the table, and his face was laced with
expansive smiles.
Easy, easy, my dear" said Mr.. job
son, indulgently, after catching Mrs Job
son in a peculiarly raw bluff, in which
she tried TO chiSel him out Of a jackpot
he opened himself. after she had drawn
four cards. You'll find ii just as well,
at first, to play for what your hand IS
worth. and no more Bluf1ng's one Of the
fine, inside points of the game, and It's
only done by old-timerS who know how
| to measure up their opponents, and 20
whom the ordinary bluH1eSS game OF
poker is only baby-play. Just you play
for what your hands are worth, and
maybe your feminine luck'n pull you
thrOugh-although | am constrained TO re-
new my offer to cash every match YOU
possess at the expiration Of the stipulated
time with a brittle new dollar OF the
realm
1t happened to be Mrs Jobson's deal
Just then, She picked UP her cards and
studied them quite closely for a long
time, until Mr.. Jobson's impatient
/ "Well?' seemed to arouse her.
We'll. suppose l may as well play for
one, match" said Mrs. Jobson, doubtfully:
with finger at her lip, "although-did
you say that if the cards run in se-
quence-that is. three. four. five, six and
seven-you call it a straight"
les, SdlQ MT JgDSOn, lnWarQAE glO2J-
inC, for he had a pat full hand.
Well. I'll see what l can draw" said
Mrs. JObsOn. discarding one. but Mr.. Job
son raised it before the draw, and she
reluctantly 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 rnatch
in the center of the table
Let's see," said Mr.. Jobson, that
| leaves you with twenty-nine matches
doesn't It? Well, I'm sorry, my dear. but
! III lust 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 a
/ smile, spreading out his cards, ''and it's
/ only twenty-five minutes since we start
L win. don't I?'' said Mrs. Jobson. in
/ nocently, showing her four seVeuS. and
| NJ Jobson's jaw fell.
/ Tried to lead me TO believe you were
/ drawing TO a straight. hey2" said he as
/ Mrs JobSon drew down the matches.
! We'll, isn't that part of what YOU call
blufting?" asked Mrs Jobson with d
/ twinkle in her eye
''HuhP' was all the reply Mr.. Jobson
Youchsafed.
| Two minutes later on his own deal. Mr.
1 JObSOn caught two pairs, aces up on sew
| ems Mrs Johson caught another one to
| her pair Of fOurs in the draw. and she
! displayed them when the showdown
| came, with all of Mr. Jobson' matches in
the center of the table Then she smiled
| merrily.
"A hundred dollars, please, sir" she
! said, reaching out her hand
Mr.. JObson rose from his chair with
| great dignity.
| Madame said he, looking at her
| sternly. far be it from me to wrongfully
| accuse you. But when. in a spirit of
good nature, 1 suggested about half an
| hour ago that we might derive mutual
i If .-.I..