The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-06-24

J. VIII have nothing TO say against 10. But
play poker prefer TO play the game ! learned
aspoker. sol declined the invitation"
~ would be rash, however. 20 say, that POKER
pack at some future day. IL certainly adds
TO, the variety Of the game, fcr the lucky player
who catches II In the deal can call II whatever
he chooses, 50 that 1t not only increases the
chances Of filing any hand now played, but 1t
Introduces an entirely new set Of hands-hve
OF a kind into the game. Moreover, there =
IS inherently discordant with the game as
Is usually played. II Is erioyed by many un,
6SS DC good PLAYERS, and it i even ~ de sSn z IN
spite Of the prejudice against i, there, Is a pos
slbility that Il may win out. II would be diif-
cult. however; to induce an orthodox player 10
admit the probability Of such an outcome,
The Joker Is usually classed by such PLAYERS
as a companion Of what nre called freak hands,
such az are proposed from time to time. Ddt
ton by really good players, This classification
Is not entirely just. though II Is perhaps not
wholly unjust, Certainly none Of The ireak
it I; always possible that some combination
will be discovered which has value and character
enough to command Respect.
i, was thought at one tim that such q hand
sisted OF any I'VE court cards. There was hec-
essarily one pair In il, and sometimes two pair5I
but its rank as a blaze was above two pairs, ara
below three OF a kind. As a hand 1t had an
apparently distinctive character, since " was
not readily to be- mistaken even az a glance.
and the percentage Of chances against its being
held ll any given deal could easily enough bo
figured, but even among those who at tirst lelt
disposed TO accept IL a. u member OF the POKER
family vi hands. 1t was not considered salts
factory, and after a brief and Partial recOgni-
ton 1t was rejected and soon forgotten. ,
The blaze. however, though, II, was so niue
thought OF. and SO soon discarded, was u better
pretence at a hand than the so-called alternate
straight which was seriously proposed some
years ago as a hand TO DO recognized. TINS
omits each alternate card, IA the deuce. four,
six, eight and ten or the ace. queen, ten, eight,
and ain EnntasIic ms he notion NAV seem 10
real Students of the game, arguments were
, made, Inv some who stroye 10 Increase the pos
sibilities of poker, in favor Of recognizing the
| nlternate strairht a, a regular hand and as
| signinr II a RANK next Ia thr straight proper.
Ii seems almost needless to say that these
! arguments did not prevail, Alnost the only
il WAS iust MS sasy TO figure The percentage OF
| the chance of holding the alternate straight
as of the chance OF any other hand. The OBJ
yious reply 10 that was That while IL was un-
doIuhtedlv eosv fo faura The urrcentage, IL
would be found by such figuring that the hand,
| which WIS NOT n SATISFACTORY hand at best,
| than the s,rairh, n ranked nj all. since there
were nine possible straights in every deal
against every six possible alternate struights.
monsrei apuearnnce' and not having a strongly
defined NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. ASPECT, was unsatis-
| factory in every way, IL was never adopted
I'm AnV nllN nnlpCA "A nm RIIeTlntI1. HHu " INV
naver rsfcrred TO eSoepting derisiyely. as a
| Chicago netter And, as il II utterly hopeless
70 aitfmH' to better th 5ft t ,Ss, e. pG dsIT Il IbI the
70 do with r. il 10 stand nat and bet ali YOU
lave As the value of such play consists en-
,ireiy N In, way tg gb Wh m : 'n nro ~ be !. con.
sidarad rs bayino no vaiue Whatever
There il a vsriauon of pokcr repor ted as
certt1n, Of The river towns that NAV be sup
nosed ~ baya Harmed tho new wrinkle from
Nississinni players. Ii consists OF Including
,yo nawp ma a in the LAT Of hose having value
s W. eT Ia ~" ,hem ~ The two hands are called
1HIiIis S"s ana hIg do1 The little dor is a hand
running from ace 10 six with any one Of the
f fn"r nr Iwao no .I Thn bg DOG IS a similar
hand and ,,,nnIn, from nine 20 1H. win either he
ten lack Queen or king lacking. Fortunately.
vat attarknd Eastern players' and there is a
sstrop, nroha hiItv tha,it Nil speedIlv die out
even annon@ The fesbie-minded PLAYERS who
ba,,a ,'nd.r,atan ,n ntroince 40 absurd a nrou-
osition into The game.
E"uallv arbitrarv and eoually uniustieable
BY The logic Of he same s The custom ths! IVA
wears AGO of Allowing A. PLAYER 10 omen a lack
moi on a pair of dslccs' THE deuoes were The
onIy EXCEPTIONS made TO the rule tha, a
o|R;s NTH tho p 20; nan and l, sHEcsP, tin E, for the ,s, privilege y, sSs
other Hpe .ms 40 Ney ,hSt the man w who elso,ed 10
oran N tn,oea uas npllred "a plav Ma hand
o,,r.iv rs n bIny mnless Le cbanced 10 better
kq,t,SS a. a o'u Morenvsr ,be fsct that Hs pcotid
W u pnnvt,,Ilv ro;ssd ,ha smsnIcion
v ,SSet b w hnd nnssIbiy aoSe az and ,en1ed 10
moke 6ts hIpk nj t6o harder, A few notably
inIaresiing contests occurred as n result of me
innoyainn hui IA was decided before long
I'M ,ha egant Of a was demcraIlzing md
tthaat wssiened tbs interest in ,he game In
stead ~ strenDthening il
Tha devica ~ having n deck of sixty cards
instead of aftv-two in order TO make the game
aas,ar 10 nIav In case there are more than seven
M The table can hardly be- classed with the
other at,emrts nj imnroyemeut. The pur-
nose is mo-, 70 disturb any rules or my estab-
Iished vailes b,t merely 10 save trouble in
Tho deal Inv Avoiding the necessity OF shufling
,he discard anew and dealing from IL MS Il
freu,Ientiy becomes necessary TO do when
;here ure more Than seven nieying To This
eytar, /, almost annears iIsi fable hui there
nre nevertheless, objections to the eleven
md tueiy, cards which ara Introduced he
bel vaen The tens and the lacks I'm order 10
nu,.,s mn thc reoIired number
In the first nlaca the very object which