Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-08-23
TWO DEAR FLY SPECKS.
Cost Southern Man Nearly $1,000 I'm
Game of Draw Poker.


From the New Orleans Times Democrat
Il once knew a couple of fly specks to
cost nearly $1,000, to say nothing of a
mans life, In poker game said a New
Orleans turfman. talking about big gam
bling in the old days 1T was in go or 10
i forget the exact date-and the game was
played in a club room on Royal street
There were four men at the table-a mer-
chant, railroad superintendent. St Tam
many planter and ex-judge, all pretty
well to do, except possibly, the railroader.
They had sat down for merely a little
diversion, and started in at a dollar limit.
The game rocked along for perhaps a
couple of hours without anybody getting
very badly hurt, when a jackpot came no.
and, by one of those condolences that
always happen al cards when least expect
ed, everybody received big hand on the
deal, and when they were through hoisting
the ante there was about 500 on the table
The judge held three Fights and dis
carded an ace and queen: the planter had
four lives and drew one card as a blind,
and L forget what the others held The
cardS they were using were indicators
with marks on the corners, and as there
were several spectators in the room the
judge held his hand very close together
and looked only at the index finger on the
edge. He saw that he had caught another
eight in the draw, making four. Then the
betting began in earnest, and pretty soon
the railroad man and the merchant drop
ped out
I'm throwing down his hand" continued
the story teller. ''one of the men who pass
ed out accidentally turned over his cards,
exposing a kinghigh straight The Judge
got a glimpse of 1t. and. having discarded
an ace, he naturally concluded that his
four Fights were invincibe, straight fiushes
not being played at the time. So when
the planter suggested that they take off
the bride for the hand he promptly con-
sented and opened the ball with a bet of
$780, The St. -Tammany man raised him
$3.50. and he raised him back $500. At that
the planter did good deal of studying.
There was then nearly 81, 400 in the pot,
but as the other man had drawn two cards
the chances were he had tours. and the
odds were against their being smaller than
fives.
THAT, at least, was the way he told us
afterward he figured 1t. and he was on the
point of laying down; but there was pos
sibiity of bluff and finally he pulled out
$500 in currency and called. One Of tho
onlookers was standing right behind the
judge, and. as | said before, he never look
ed at anything but the indicators in the
corners, keeping his hand punched together.
4 have you beat he said. tossing the cards,
face down, on the table: L have four
eights.' They're good said the planter: it
serves right for being a FOOL and ne
began to turn them over one by one.
What's this.' he exclaimed suddenly, as he
uncovered the last card. There were three
Fights, trey and four-spot.
The judge glared at the pasteboards
with a face black thunder This
won't do he shouted. at the same time
Shaping his hand over the money. III
take my oath / had four eights!' Meaning
to imply WHAT said the planter very
quietly, but rising from his chair. What
might have happened nobody can say. but
the good horse sense of the railroad super
intendent rose to the emergency. Gentle.
men, he said, we are not swndlers or
poker sharps. There has been some mis-
take. Now. let's keep cool and find out
what 1t was
animation of the cards showed clearly
how the blunder arose. One of the reg
lister marks in the corner of the trey look
ed exactly like an eight, owing to a couple
of fly specks in the open space of the fig
ure g. Holding the cards punched the in
dicator had misled the judge. and he had
simply thrown away upward of thousand
dollars. I'll do him the justice to say he
took it like man. but he swore a solemn
oath he'd never play another game with
one of those new-fangled decks"