The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1902-09-28
HIGH PLAY AT LONG BRANCH
Man in a Poker Game Who Drew for
Trav

! Man IN Poker Game Who Drew for
( Tray.
( An old-tirne gambler chatting with Pat
! sheedy and others in New York recently
/ told this story OF the days OF high play
/ at Long Branch:
"One OF the biggest games Of poker that
was ever played at Long Branch" said
/ he, took place at the Ocean club Seat
ed at the game were Doc Slater. Curt
Gum OF Chicago. George Gould, pro
prietor Of the Manhattan house: Billy
Connors and Schaefer and ST. Clair OF
! Baltimore. They were playing table
stakes. Frequently there was $4,000 to
$4,000 in the pot. The game had been
going or for two or three hours with
varying luck. Finally there was jack
pot. It got to be a pretty decent size
before the draw. There was something
like 5000 in it, when Doc Slater said
Indifferent ike:
" 1t viii cost you $500 TO play
1T was up 70 Billy Connors
" I'll stay. said he. softly. The hotel
man laid down his pasteboards.
The two Baltimore men trailed in.
Curt Gum skinned his papers carelessly
and raised it TO $500.
90 Another thousand. said Slater
'Bnl Connors looked longingly at his
cards. sighed and laid them down. Schaef-
fer showed in 5000. His partner dropped
out.
Four thousand better said Gum.
slinding in $500
Stay. remarked Slater.
"schaener said nothing. but made good.
Cards. said the dealer.
Two. said Schaeffer. and he Rugged
three queens. as if he loved them
% 'These'Il do me- said Curt Gum, and
then. TO make sure, he looked at his
cards again. Now il was an absurd thing
for an old gambler like Curt Gum to do
but he had made a mistake He thought
ne had a little old pat straight. begin
ming with the deuce Of spades. but. as
an Irishman would say, his tray was an
other deuce 1t was such an extraordin-
airy thing that Curt Gum said calmly:
Gentlemen. 7 have made a slight er
ror-Tye got a belly straight"
Doc Slater began TO feel good. Three
aces-he had not bettered IN the draw
were worth more money under the cir
cumstances. Even Schaeffer. whose
queens were queens, felt some hope
Oh we'll you can draw. said Doc,
consollngIy. He was not much afraid OF
a draw for a tray.
one card. said Gum.
III bet you 5lc00 said Slater.
'Schaefer blinked- There was $3.50
in the pot. Slater had drawn two cards.
He was not afraid OF Gum. The percen-
tage was too big. Three queens were
far above the average In a hot game
IKE this
I call said he.
There was So. 500 in the pot.
Curt Gum paused a moment Then in
a firm voice he said:
There is 5000 and t25.oo0 better.
Doc Slater never winked. He looked
into Gums face. It looked ike the
countenance OF the statue OF Nathan
Hale in the City Hall Park. He either
had them or he didn't have them. II was
the right place FOR a bIun or a straight
play. Slater figured It out rapidly r his
head sixty-two thousand. FIVE hundred
dollars was a good bit OF money. He
could lay down three aces TO any man
who had drawn A belly straight
III cali you. Gum SAID ne-
"schaener rnuttered something under
his breath and tossed his papers into the
discards.
7 frightened up. said Gum, and he
spread out deuce. tray. four. Ave ard
six.
Good. said Doc Slater. and Re lighted
a fresh cigar from the old stub 70 save
a match, while Curt Gum stopped in the
pot % SS7ooo