Omaha daily bee., 1902-02-22

ike SIS out Of the third hundred that I re-
membered what } had actually done. Then
Il came to me. because I realized that l was
likely TO have TO buy again OF quit the
game. My arst thought was to buy. and
then. like a stroke Of lightning came the
thought that I couldn't buy more, as my
money WAS all In already. Then the second
tho~ght came and almost stunned me-. that
I had bought, not twice, but three times.
II said nothing, but for the next two
minutes I ala a powerful lot OF thinking. I
know looked at the hand that was dealt
TO me just then without being able TO tell
whether I had deuces or a straight flush. I
couldn't have told q card In the hand. /
threw It down and, as 1t happened, there
was something doing among the other play
ers. so that l had time to think out the sit
uation before d~eridlng what I should DO.
Mixing the Oney.
The question was a very nice one. l
didn't know to q dollar exactly how much
was mlne and how much wasn't out Of that
big roll that was so cursediy convenient
to my hand, but did know that l had
used more than belonged to me, and that
II | eAshed In the chips l had in front Of
me l would still be an ombezsler. The
thought came to me that I might buy still
another hundred and by playing an extra
cautious game might probably pull out OF
my hole, but / am glad to say that / re-
jected that temptation without an in
stant's hesitation. Come what might, I
would not touch another dollar OF the
money.
Then came another thought. There
was nearly $50 in chips which l had already
paid for. OF course, as I see It now, ! had
no more right to play on with those chips
than 1 had to play in the $1,000 or there
abouts that was still in my pocket, but the
thought l had then was that had already
misused so much OF the money and 1t would
be M additional wrong to do the best !
could on that small capital to pull out as
much as / had taken w%rongfully. 1t was
the worst kind Of sophistry. Of course, but
for the moment, in my excitement, 1t
seemed not only q perfectly natural. but n
tustinable course, and I decided TO try II.
II knew poker we'll enough, even then,
to realizs that IL 1 played timidly on such
a capital IL wouldn't last long. and II, on
the other hand, 1 should risk It wildly I
would probably lose 1t all In no time. 80
/ determined to try to play exactly as IL
the money were my own and was the last
1 had.
The tension on my nerves was some
thing frightful when I picked up my next
hand. but my faculties we're very much
alive, and l could have shrieked with 10Y
when l saw thaS I had four treys cold. II
was my age, too, and I had thrown in the
usual anti Of 81. calling 81 The only thing
l had to hope for was that they would all
come in, and the only thing I had to study
was how much OF a raise I dared to make
60 as not to drive anybody away.
1t happened they all came In, so there
was s11 in the pot when It was up to me 10
make good. OF course. l wanted to raise
It all 1 could, but I knew that would be
r%uinous. The game had been q pretty
liberal one, though, and l judged that they
would all be likely to stay against q small
raise, 90 1 made 1t FIVE more to play, and
they all eame In but Cook. More than that,
Adams raised me I'VE.
Then l figured that II I raised again be-
fore the draw / would certainly drive some
Of them out. so l simply made good, think
ing that everybody who should see this
second raise would be hooked for fair and
would put his money up before l would be
called on to bet at all. And they all saw 1t.
"Of course, ! drew one card. The Judge
stood pat, Collins drew two Stetson took
three and Adams took one. The Judge then
bet $40. Collins saw this. Stetson laid down
and Adams raised It twenty-five more.
AL l could do, OF course. was to call
for a show, which 1 did, and to my delight
the Judge and Collins both called. The
judge had a small flush, Collins had three
aces and Adams had q nine full. That
gave Adams the money on HE side, but
III found myself with over a hundred and
dfty In front Of me instead of the thirty
Of a few moments before.
Then 1 put an even hundred in blue
chips on one side, saying to myself thai
nothing would tempt me to play those in
The other City ! considered my own, and
I resolved to try to pull out with that. But
II It came to a choice between throwing
down my cards. no matter what they might
be, OF betting again with the FIRMS money
I would certainly throw down.
, well, It didn't come TO that. In the
next four or I'VE hands l lost about $40 and
/. then / caught a flush against three kings
and pulled in thirty odd dollars, and q few
minutes later / hlled q straight against
l three other good hands and won nearly twC
' hundred. That put me on velvet and l de-
termlned to stay till I got one more goot
! play and then cash in. win or lose.
''The play came soon and once more
/ was lucky. winning sixty odd dollars OF
/ three queens, and I got cold feet promptly
Ny excuse was fatigue from several days
! hard travel and ~ It was past midnight
/ It was accepted as perfectly natural, bu
I no one in the party ever dreamed how mucl
those four treys were worth to me.
"As I said. the lesson didn't cure me o
playing poker, but ] never played 1t agaiI
. with any money that didn't belong TO me-"