The Saint Paul globe., 1902-11-15
MONEY BET AT POKER
LUCKY BALDWIN TELLS OF FIF.
TY-TWo YEARS OF GAMING
Bonanza Kings Played for Big Stakes,
Often Winning and Losing Fortunes
Little Cheating at Cards in the
Old Days-Chinese Make the Best
Gamblers.

LOS ANGELES, Cal, Nov 14-Sit-
ting on the piazza; of his ranch house
in the San Gabriel valley, near Los
Angeles the other day, E. Y. (tLucky')
Baldwin became reminiscent about his
flfty-two years acquaintance with
gamblers in the. United States, Austria
liza, Europe and Mexico. He said:
3I reckon there's been no one in this
generation at least that has seen so
much money pass over the green tables
as have. / have been in every gam
bling place Of any Importance in the
United States and Mexico, and a good
part of them in Australia and Eng
land.
Nowadays. San Francisco is again
the chief gambling city in America.
The inpouring. of Klondike and Nome
miners with their golden harYests in
to San Francisco has revived the
gambling spirit of the city and, besides,
wonderful prosperity has come to San
Francisco with the opening of the ORR
ent. - ~ Sss5
Denver used to be "a wonderful town
for big games. There was club of
silver miners there that used commonly
to have games in which $4,000 and
$4,000 were at stake. I have known
$1,000 and $4,000 to be in a jackpot
there on several occasions. But the
dropping out of the bottom of the sill
yer business has ruined gambling for
heavy stakes in Denver.
Il haven't known much about gam
bling in New York for half a dozen
years. 1t used to be a great poker
town, but faro never was as popular
there as in New Orleans and Chicago.
'What were the biggest games I
ever took nart in? Well, they were
in San Francisco in the early '70s, when
the Comstock mines in Virginia City
were yielding gold and silver to the
value of from 100000 to $10,000,000
monthly, and the stock gamblers were
leaping into fortune at the rate of
$4,000 and upward a week.
zone game I have in mind was play
ed in the Baldwin hotel one night about
Christmas time in 1871. 1t was in
United States Senator Sharon's rooms.
Among the seven players were Flood.
whose annual income then was about
$6,000,0 Ralston, president of the old
California bank, who had made over
$3,000,000 from an investment of S4O,-
900; Sharon, who left an estate of
about $15,000,00O, and Michael Reese,
who left some s4,500,000 aFyear or two
later. @
81 have never known of a game
like it. Our cheapest chip was SIS.
At the end of the game, which lasted
three nights and two days, quit win
ner by $4,000, and I believe Sharon
came out about $4,000 ahead.
"Once I was out some 100000, and at
another time / was winner by SIS, 1000
or sS0,000. The other players had sim
liar vicissitudes.
! 81 remember one jaclkpot-the larg-
est actually ever saw in any poker
game-amounted to over $4,000. If
the deal went around the table one
time only there would be from $500 to
! 5000 in the pot. If it went twice
around, $8,000 and we always opened
the pot for the size of it.
Lets, just look in @on the game. Say.
a jackpot is opened for $4,000; three
men stay; $4,000 now in the pot The
third man comes in and raises it; S15,-
900 now in the pot.
"All drop out except myself, the
opener and the fellow who raises; the
opener stays; $4,000 more; $4,000 in
all.
1--WE draw cards; the first man one,
the second man two. l bet white
chip-$100-the second elevates me
$4,000. Talk about quick thinking and
concentration Talk about brain -wark.
lightning calculation and that sort of
thing! You haven't got week to
consider this matter and talk it over
with a friend and a lawyer.
rs he blufing? Can his threes beat
mine? Is he trying to steal the pot?
Is uO HCINOuS UGCduoO lC . dIloio 1iO
is beaten if I call? Or is he nervous
fearing I will call, and so he will not
get my additional $4,000.
"a cold shiver goes around the room
when the bet is made-$27, 900 now in
the pot. There is a sigh or two. but
not a word is spoken aloud. The 81
lence becomes oppressive and the
ticking of the watches becomes more
and more distinct Finally 1 say:
ct see that and raise you $4,000
''Now the scene of action is changed
the guessing goes to the other man.
After squeezing his cards. little med
itation, he says
That's good 1 guess, but had
three queens all the way
'T raked down the $4,000 and the
$4,000 I just put in. He felt relieved
when I leaned over and showed him
three aces.
Neither of as had bettered. He nat
urally thought after 1 drew one card
that I had two pairs or threes. but
never played me for three aces or any
big threes."
sfWho are the best gamblers ?"
"The Chinese. Then the Yankees.
The English are 1le most absurd gam
bIers and they think they are Won
derfully adroft.
"a smart Chinaman VIII learn more
of the art of poker playing in an hour
than an intelligent American can learn
in days. The Chinese are natural born
buffers and readers of human nature.
81 confess that I have had three of
III. CJ,f1