Omaha daily bee., 1902-02-22
ONE LESSON OF POKER CAME
II Was Learned by a Man Who Bet His
Bmplo, er's Money.
SLIPPED FROM THE BRINK OF DlsHoHON
\ Pointed story on the Dangerous
Practice OF MixiaE Another
Man Tones with Your
own.

Il can't say l ever had any experience
that made me swear OF playing poker"
said the sray-haired, young-looking man 10
. New York Sun story teller, but there is
something that poker taught me. Ever
since ! played a memorable game in Detroit
some twenty-five years ago ! have made it
part Of my religion never to mix another
mans money with my own.
II was travelling for . large concern In
New York at the time and, as the custom
was In those days, ] not only sold goods for
them, but q good part Of mg business was
the collection Of outstanding accounts. It
therefore happened not infrequcntly that /
would have considerable sums OF money
with me for some days.
There was one particular party Of I'VE
in Detroit who played together a great deal
and who always seemed glad to have me
q \ the sixth hand. Good players they
were, too. though only one Of them was a
professional. He was old Jack Adams, who
had the reputation OF being the squArest
gambler in the west. He was fond Of poker
as an Amusement. but he wouldn't play It
excepting with his friends, His roulette
and faro tables were for outsiders.
There was q Judge among the i've aud q
hotel keeper named Collins, a doctor named
stetson and a hardware merchant whose
name, / think, was Cook. The Rgn1s was
usually a pretty stiff one, for they played
table stakes and usually started in with 100
apiece. so IL there happened to be any un-
usual good or bad luck running to anybody
there would often be 81. 900. or even $4,000
on the table by the end Of the evening.
II had been travelling for a week among
the smaller towns and had taken In some
thing over 81. 900. which ! had not had an
opportunity to remit. / expected TO bank
It on reaching Detroit, but the train was
delayed and ! got there after banking hours.
30 It was still in my pocket when / went
around with Collins after dinner to Join In
the game. I had about $500 Of my own with
me. But the important thing, as It turned
out. was that the firms money and my own
was together In one roll.
Starts with q Rush.
The game began as usual. and proved to
be . swift one. almost from the start. No
body seemed to have any monopoly of the
luck for more than a few minutes at a time,
but every few deals there would be a strug-
gle between two, or sometimes three
hands, and the pot would swell rapidly.
The cards were running unusually well.
For my own part l did fairly we'll sew
sPaI times. but got hit hard almost as fire.
ouently, so that although l doubled ms
stake inside OF twenty minute and ran II
up to nearly $500 in twenty minutes more,
found myself down to q few red chips by
the time the hour was up. With the game
going up and down as Il did, l had ne
particular misgivings about declaring an.
other hundred In, and i did so without re-
aliEipg at the moment that I was prac'
tically putting my entire capital into ths
game.
The next pot put me on Easy street
1t was a jackpot for 81. and on the nrst
deal I csught three jacks, 30 1 opened 1t
though ! sat under the guns, for the amour
In the pot. which was. Of course. t12. Cool
sat next and he came in. The Judge laiC
down. Collins raised me SIS and stetsor
saw the raise. Adams studied Ills hant
for a full minute before he put up hi'
money, but finally he threw II in, and
raised It s25. i thought It was a good play
even though two players had seen the mrs
raise. for / etfl had the chance OF tn,
draw and my hand was certainly stronl
before the draw.
1T turned out all right, for though Cool
threw down his hand. not being stronI
enough to see q double raise, Collins ant
Stetson both made good. Adams sur
rendered, showing that his long stud,
hadn't been a blum, as l had suspected |
was. I therefore had the hands weedeI
and only two players left in against me
and my Jacks looked as good as, II not bet
ter. than they did at nrst.
"Ot course / was at a disadvantage Il
having TO draw FIRST. but I decided to dra,
the strength OF my hand. although It wa
dead give away. Threes were TOO
enough to Justify my play and unless Col
Inns or stetson should stand pat l felt tina
was still strong. stetson did stand pa
after Collins had drawn two cards, o
I sized up Collins for three Of q kind an
ststson for a small straight. II couldn'
be much Of a straight. even, for II be ha
much confidence In It he would have playe
II harder.
Raked In the Pot.
Anyhow. I threw In a white chip befor
looking at my draw. Collins wasn't likel
to raise unless he had bettered. but h
looked carefully before playing and to m
dlsmay raised me $50. 1t was up to stetso,
then. and he. having. as I had suspected
and as afterwards proved to be the case
nine-high straight. felt compelled to call
After that had. OF course. to look at m
draw, and to my intense joy I found I ha
caught a pair OF fours. The onIv regre
then was that | had nothing Important i
ront Of me to raise with.
my pile was only $50. but I pushed tina
forward. knowing that the others woui
have to see the 81 additional. and I SCOPE
In the pot, Collins having a seven fuI
against me. He said afterward that b
would have raised me. but my money wa
all up and Ststson had only three or fou
red chips, 30 II hardly seemed worth Will,
That gave me pretty nearly $500 to z
on with and ! played along with varyin
luck tor more than an hour before I struo
q bad streak that ran me away down agail
Then, strange as Il may seem. I forgot en-
tirsly hat I had bought twice and / pu
another hundred In. II had not had m
money rolled up with the arms l nsvS
could have mSde that mistake. but I didu
stop to cCnet up and the thing was dor
before ! realized II.
1T W not until / had Lost somethln