The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-05-18

was the slickest dealer on the river. He
never inmbled his cards. and so far as 4
could sec. he didn't mark them. but
hadn't the slightest doubt that he knew
every card around the table every time he
.. dealt.
.He was cagey about the way he
played. though. and never undertook to:
press what looked like his luck. Most
generally he'd study his cards carefully
after he'd Got one good raise, and then
he'd call and shown down the winning
hand.
1t was monstrous smooth playing and
so lar as I know it never got him in any
trouble. but / saw great possibilities In.
him, and as always want to know men.
who may be valuable to me. Scraped
| his acquaintance one day on deck.
we got cumming after he saw that
was wise, and l suppose that was the
reason he looked me up when he came
to town. He said that card playing on
the river was pretty well played out. and
he had come to Chicago to see.ff there
wasn't an opening. He wasn't In any
hurry and said he'd lie low for time,
and if I'd put him next to something
good should stand in.
II vas always pretty quick at putting
two and two together. so the next night
after my friend, the contractor, had made
his dicker with me. there was new
! member of the club / spoke of. ha.li't
introduced Hyde there before, and 1
didn't propose to have him there Ions,
for was well enough satisfied with the
kitty and I wasn't going to queer the
club with quick action, but this was
special occasion. and only had a week
to work out my little plan.
ut wasn't complicated scheme, but
l had two ways in mind. was sat-
isfied to let Jones have the most of the
5000 and intended to split the other
five with Hyde if the first pcor osition
worked.
ut only left me quarter of the money,
but [ always go on the theory, that it s
! best to play a liberal game and have
everybody satisfied. You may want to
play again. But if the first idea didn't
work I had another one UP my sleeve G
81 never sat in the game myself. bet
was voucher for every man who lid, and
| l was always the banker. If there was
| any passing of checks or I. o. us, I al
ways cashed EN-, never allowing any pa
per to go across the table, so naturally
| everybody in the club came to have
good deal of confidence in me. and when
introduced Hyde as Western man who
liked sport and was on q pleasure mp
there were no questions asked.
well. Hyde certainly understands ms
game that night, and the luck ran about
as usual among three of them, but HYDE
stacked up against Jones three different
times on his own deal. ane lost ABOUT
$1,000 on the three hands.
The first time it was a Jackpot with
about s35 or $40 in it before it was opened.
Jones opened it for s4o-tl1ey were playing
table stakes-and the others dropped out.
HYDE raised it $50 and Jones came back
at IAN with $50 more.
Hyde raised it against and Jones
merely saw the raise. He was very
conservative player, as said, and had
never known him to go more than S2oo
behind of an evening-rarely more than
$40 or $50 for he really couldn't afford
/, his losses.
I'm free to say that I would have
played his hand harder before the draw
than he did. for he had a queen full nat
but that was his way. On the draw Hyde