The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1903-02-15
Wl.LTED ON
FOUR ACES.
Hot Gameof Draw Poker That
Runs in Staunton.
BETTING ON BIG HANDS
APayer Who Won for Fifty-one Week
In tho Year and Had a Balance Of
Three Thousand at tho
End Of the Year.
trrou an occas,onn Correspondcnt.)

tFron an Occasional Correspondcnt)
urAGSTON. VA. Feb. l4.-My friend
7roruo, who is In business here N stauu-
Tor. SIS n jolly companion. yolunblo con
yorpalionnlst and nearly alwnys has
something interesting and Instructive 10
toll Therefore prcked up my care
and Listened attentlyely when heard
him say to some one In q place where
happened to stroll:
.'One-hulf tho world don't know what
tho other half Is doing. anyway Now,
TO illustrate this. when anish telling
sou about a big ga,no OF draw pnkor.
which r,lna full-blast steadily tight here
In stnunton-ot whose existence III bet
you i've dollars against ginger calsc you
have no idea-you will DO astonlsne.."
You mny bs sure that this excited tho
interest OF every ono, and oil prcsunt
gathered around and listened He con.
tinted:
Tho game 10 q square ono and every
thing about It moves along smoothly TO
took OH as the play progresses and OBJ
servo tho orderly manner In which II Il,
conducted and hear the clink OF the pref
ty white, red and blue chips II very
tempting-nlmost sure to make one who
has ever played feel like taking a hand
u'lc blue chpo are valued at ono dollar
EACH -ue red ones at fifty cents ann the
white ones at twenty-five cents: the
blind, or ante, Is twenty-five cents. two
call one. and tho betting limit IS ten dol
lars. Straights are played, hence
straight nush Yeats four aces. The to-
tai amount lost or won at this place
each week huctuates from $500 to 500.
y have had the opportunity OF wit
OF these occasions the betting was al
ways lively. but close, and | believe It
rarely happens that anybody bets at one
bet as much as the limit. Such q bot
would mean either big hand or a big
blun The man who runs the place told
me that several fine players played there.
NOT only did the players to whom no al
iuded play skilfully and exhibit the fine
judgment and nerve necessary to play
We'll but phenomenal luck seemed to at
tend their superior play Pulling from
drawer small account booIsrethe rea
non for him keeping which wifi hereafter
% seen, he showed there In black and
White where one OF these players had dur.
NE ABOUT three years won the snug sum
OF over S340. He was IN the winning
column every week. except the week
ending January 6. 100. during which tim,
- seems he lost 185. And the book
hhoWed that during the Same time tho
next best player had. won the cornfor.
"a Die sum OF Sl.5oo. winr.lng every week
he played except two.' -
les. slr. ntinued tho editor NJ tbe
sreeacloth to me, putting up his hook
t ms Is good. square gTlune, and"
AN right" no exclaimed, rs he a brunt.
~ iett me to settle with one Of the NAV.
1rs. VINO at tho time I entered the place
NO no.ieed with several large stacks
ot cnips before him, but who having LOST
them about equally among the Other four
payers. now sIgnified his intention OF
quitting. Why. Sam. what has become
or the big pile Of chips you had inst
1oWI aueried the manager, as he reach.
10 the table where they were playing.
% winch Sam replied. with some good
aumor as well as bad: They are scat-
cred to the four Winds
one OF the other players" pursued
.ieorse. soon drew out of the game, but
the other three continued to play with
lnapated interest. shall simply call
them John Charles and Nathan De-
Ginning TO take hand continued to
converse with the entertaining manager
Of the place. but finally looking on at
the game as we talked. a pot was
raised. and We became deeply interested
spectators OF the bet which followed.
Charles raised the pot and the other
Two stood the raise. Charles took two
caros, John two. and Nathan stood pat
And then, gentlemen. witnessed the
finest play ever saw made at poker
table. It was tho finest ever saw made.
because 1t was the result OF close calcu-
lation and certain peculiar facts Cards
having been drawn, it was Nathan's
first bet. He bet fifty cents-one red
chip. John, who was dealing, raised this
bot ten dollars. and Charles raised that
another ten. 1t was Sathan's time to
bet again, and I'm blessed II he didn't
raise another ten. John put up twenty
dollars and simply called. It now being
Charles say again, he said: Well, I'm
going to pass, and throw down four aces
or their equivalent and suiting the ac--
ton to the word, threw upon tho Ia
BILE, face upward. four kings and an
ace never saw man with such
hand before In all OF my life. II It
had been me. l would have stuck to It
till the COWS came home Nothing could
beat 1t but a straight flush. John then
said to Nathan: Well. what have you
EetF TO which Nathan replied: I've got
you beat that's what and he spread
oowti upon the table a straight flush
or hearts queen high. John CALCULATED,
.Humph! that beats my four sevens all
hol1oW, hhd Nathan quietly took down
the pet. amounting to over $50
afterwards Charles explained why no
had iald down practically four aces. He
said Nathan was the closest player with
when no had ever played and rarely.
made bluff bet; and he concluded, ii
this pat hand Is not straight flush.
but some less strong. good hand, Nathan
would call instead OF raising; and 30
Charles wilted on hand he said he
would put his last cent on had ANYBODY
else but Nathan, whose play he knew
thoroughly, held It.
'Fellows, as sure as my mama ~
George, so sure Is 1t that this is n tr,,e
bill; but should you feel Inclined to
doubt It. will tell you to remomber
that truth is strange, stranger than
felton,
We'll" said my friend Denis, '.the ar.
istence OF SUCH game Is news to me
for one And II 1t is necessary to often
exercise such Judgment as was displayed
In laying down the four aces, III Just ten
you, as a poker player. wouldn't give
snap Of my finger to know, mind that
now. still. for tho sake Of curiosity, IL