The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-06-08

lllr. when he proposed the division. t,he
Colonel acceded promptly, and gathered
In the s35 he had won by calling a %
cent bet with nothing In his hand. The 4
onener, under the rules, showed his 4
cards, and we all saw that he had jacks
scrIy. which was the chance the Colonel
had reckoneG on.
NO DISPLAY OF NERVE.
THE Colonel threw his cards on the
table face down. but there was quiet
smile on his face. and one Of the other
players noticing It. demanded that the
hand be shown. AS 1t was called hand.
this had to be done, of course. under the
rules, and there was general laugh at
the opener.
Among professionals the play would
have been recognized and appreciated
instantly, but there was in this party
lot OF explanation and lot of chatting
before they all saw what a pretty play
it was.
There was no particular display OF
nerve in the call, for 1t didn't require
nerve, but it did show a good under
standing of the game. clear thinking and
a pcrtinacious determination to hold on
to the last desperate chance. and those
are among the qualifications that go to
make the winners in draw poker
1T is by no means seldom. though, that
it takes all these, and a great amount OF
nerve in addition to call bluff have
heard and read a lot of stories about two
players raising each other back and form
again and again, when neither of them
had anything worth betting a single chip
on. and about pair Of deuces or ten
high, or some other absurdity scoopng
the pot when it came to a showdown
Now, these stories may be all true.
There is no limit to the variety of fool
ishness that can be exercised in draw
poker by people that seem to be trying
to find out how many kinds OF idiot they
can be- but it is safe to say that no
poker player is going to stand series
of raises and come back with a raise
himself. even in limit game unless he
has some sort of hand to bet on And
the reason is very simple.
He NAV be satisfied in his own mind
tina. the other man has q. weak hand,
but if his bluff has been met by more
than one counter bluff in return. he
knows or ought to know. that the least
the other man can do is to call. And no
man goes on raising against a certain
call when he has nothing in his own
hand, if he knows enough to fall down
when he slips off his feet
WHEN YOU ARE UP AGAINST IT.
The real nerve in calling is shown
when you are up against it good and
hard and the other fellows bluff looks
as If it might very possibly be good
and the money it takes to call is all
you have.
IT saw case of that sort in a rail-
road train in Missouri some years ago
that convinced me of the foolishness Of
playing cards with strangers, and at the
same time compelled my admiration for
the young fellow whose nerve saved
him
..He didn't know how to play so very
l.; low \ no, dc
that were worth calling on two or three
times, and more than once he took
chances that We're foolish. And the
very fact that he held his cards so 1
could see them showed that he wasn't in
the same class with the men he played
with
Zone, at least, was professional. and
the two others may have been cattlemen.
They were playing table stakes and they
had each shown up hundred to start
with but I was sure, from what little
] knew of the young fellow. that hun
dred dollars was pretty nearly the length
of his string. He was clerk in coun-
try store where I sold goods occasionally,
and was a sporty sort of youngster in
the village, but not strong enough for
his company.
THE play was not particularly hard.
though, and he hadn't been hurt very
badly when he got his chance and show
ed me that he had, at least, the markings
of a player
1OJNGSTER AGAINST PROBES
SIGNAL
THE professional was the only one II
the party who seemed disposed to press
the play, and he. ] suppose, had sized
the others UP pretty well. Three or four
times he had made what looked to me
like outrageous bluffs, but none of them
had been called, and he was the only
winner.
The others had won occasionally, but
lost more. and the youngster had only
about $40 in front of him when a jack
pot was opened
1T was 81 pot. and had been sweetened
up to SO. One Of the cattlemen dealt
and the other opened it for the size of
the pot.
1.-The gambler sitting next made it $50
to draw, and the youngster put up his
$50 without a word I reckon he had
sized the gambler for a bluff. and he
had a, four flush Win an ace and jack.
The next man laid down, and the opene,
made good. We found afterward that he
had aces
In the draw he took three cards. and
looked at them before betting. The gam
bier took one and let it lie on the table
face down. The youngster of course,
took ne.
The opener bet white chip and the
gambler. still without looking at his draw.
showed his whole pile forward giving the
impression that he either had two pairs
or three of kind unless he was bluffing,
in which case, of course he wanted the
others to think he had them.
He had noticed the youngsters fond
ness, for flushes. and took chances on his
not having filed. The fact of there be-
ing one-card draw to hear from. how
| ever, was an indication that he might be
| blufing, and the youngstcr was bright
| enough to see it.
He skinned his hand down and found
he had made pair of jacks. OF course,
| it was no hand to call on unless the other
| man was bluffing. but if he should call 1t
was morally certain that the opener would
| lay down unless he had bettered-
GAMBLER FAIRLY CAUGHT
| IT am free to say that I would have
dropped if l had been in his place. but
| the youngster studied awhile. and then
said: I call you for my pile at the
| same time pushing up his $50 The
opener dropped out naturally enough, anc
| it was show down.
| The gamblers face never changed. bul