The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1903-12-20

A CORRESPONDENT Of the Chicago
Inter-Ocean recently asked the
question, why is a flush consid-
cred better hand than a straight"
and the answer was: Because 1t is |
more difficult to get.
Then another man wrote and asked If
that paper meant to say that the hand
which was the most difficult to get
was always the best poker hand. The
answer to this had to be: mo. not
always" Then several others entered
into the discussion, and quite q num-
Der Of letters have been received from
various parts of the country. Of which
the following is a fair sample:
''To the Editor;
"Sir-In poker hands a flush beats a
straight. This would argue that the
probabilities Of getting a pat straight
or making one on the draw. were
greater than those Of getting or making
a flush
Now. assuming that a person has a
four card straight, open at both ends.
there are eight cards available which
would fiji his hand. In the case Of the
flush there are nine such cards. If the
straight is open in the middle there are
only four cards, but there are still
nine cards that will fill the flush.
Personally, have filled Pushes Of
tener than I have any kind of straiEhts,
and have heard those who play poker
a good deal make the same observa-
ton.
"The question I should like you to
settle IS. are the respective ranks Of
poker hands. especially straights and
fiushes, properly adjusted?
"E. 7. SCHRAM."
This question clearly refers to the
division Of hands into classes. such as
stated in its broader form. Are the
respective ranks OF all shades Of poker
hands properly adjusted2" the answer
must be emphatically, mo" because If
the hands which are the most difficult
TO get are those which should rank as
the best. then the best hands very sell
dom win at poker.
The explanation Of this anomaly, the
statement of which may come as sur
prise to many old poker players, is to
be found in the history and develop
ment of the game itself.
Poker was unknown in America fifty
years ago It seems to have drifted
into this country from Persia. by way
Of New Orleans and fOated up the
Mississippi on the packet boats. tt
took root early in the river towns
Memphis. Louisville and St. Louis
and with the development Of the rail-
way it soon spread to the east and
west.
Originally It was a very simple game,
rapidly played, all the hands being
pat. The draw was introduced about
the time OF the Civil war and the
Jackpot came into existence in the
early '70s, shortly after the introduce
ton of the straight flush. All the Won
derful stories one reads about big jack
pots before the war are anachronisms.
The chief features Of the game as
originally played were pairs and trip
lets. and it did not take long to dis
cover that a person would have a pair
dealt to him at least thirty-five times
as often as three of a kind. The rank
of the elementary hands doubtless be
came fixed by the law of natural selec-
ton from observed facts
As the game developed, double COM
binatiOns and straights We're intro
duced. their rank being probably de-
termined by the players experience Of
the relative frequency Of their appear
anCe. These probabilities. which were
all for pat hands, have since been con-
frmed by mathematical calculation.
and the odds. before the draw, against
any players holding any of the hands
which are recognized in the modern
game are as follows.