The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-09-27
THE NERVE OF
/ A GAMBLER.
How Faseeil Called BlsH 1t Poker
and Looked Into Two
'' Pistols at Once.

TOW 3tSSn ~1u6O - oSO4A - SASS
and Looked Into Two
r' Phtols At Once.
They were telling stories In tho smoking
compartment Of the sleeping car, and 1t
was up to the commercial traveller. The
physician had Just told one about the ex-
traordinary nerve displayed by man who
had his arm out of without taking any
ansssthetic because he disliked the odor OF
ether, and who went through the operation
without fainting.
Billy Farrell had q little more nerve, I
think, than any other man ever saw, said
the travelling man. sOr, at least. never
saw anybody else make so good display
Of It as have seen him make.
~The first time got line on him was on
board of ono Of the Mississippi boats. where
he was plying . cutthroat game with an
other gambler named Harding. They both
hailed from st. Louis at that time, and I
reckon the truth was they had started down
the river with the idea OF looking for suckers
and playing together in the game, but
something or other happened to disturb
the partnership, and there were no suckers
to be caught, 30 they had made up freeze
out for themselves fer thousand dollars q
side.
1T was quite good while ago. when there
was moro poker playing on the boats than
there is now, but not 50 much as in the old
days. On this particular boat it wasn't
allowed in the main saloon, but there was
card room next to the barroom that was
wide open to everybody. and was one OF
perhaps q dozen men who we're looking on
at the game.
1T ran pretty even for a time, though
Farrell had q little the better Of 1t when
there came q jackpot that was sweetened
several times. Then, on Harding's deal,
Farrell opened it for the size Of 1t, which was
about twenty dollars.
Harding raised it fifty and Farrell stayed.
Then he called for three cards and Han ding
took one.
without looking at his three, Farrell
threw in white chip, and Harding picked
up his draw, and looked at it, carefully.
Then he pushed his pile forward, and Far
rell looked at him earnestly. still leaving
the three cards face down on the table in
front OF him.
"While he was studying, another gambler
in the room, whom didn't know at the time,
but VINO, 6lteTWdTu ieaInoo, was ,Pot-
sonal enemy Of Farrell's, named ellison,
said quietly but loud enough for everybody
in the room to hear: Three to one name
the winner
1T was curious sort OF break to make,
and I did not understand it at the time.
Later on concluded he must have done
it to rattle Farrell.
ANYHOW, I didn't look to see anybody
take any notice Of it, but that was where
| was mistaken. shrewd looking fellow
who sat next to me spoke up quickly and
said:
You're on. ! name Harding.
1T only took moment, and Farrell
was still locking AT Harding. He con-
tinued to look for full two minutes with
out saying anything or raising his three
cards from the table. Then he said with
| out turning around:
Is there any more OF that to be mad,
Gisonr And ellison said:
a'As much a. you like, up to 5000
I'm take it ALL said Farrell. Put
up your money.
.fhen Gibson weakened. 1t was the
first time | ever saw q professional back
down from his own proposition. but Far,
looked to me like g. pretty good bet. con-
sidering the play. However, he said
AT reckon l don't like the odds. I'll
take water
But Farrell wasn't 70 ne shaken on,
81 always took you for tin horn he
aGilson hesitated. Then he said:
"I'll 60 you even money.
IAN right said Farrell. producing his
own roll Put up your 1900. And none
Of that he added quickly, seeing that
tin. No betting on inside Information
aStill ellison hesitated. To do Harding
Justice he made no sign, 80 far as could
see, and looked at him closely. myself;
Probably he thought he had enough to
do to back up his own bluff. But it looked
like a safe bet for the outsider and he
finally put up Z, 900, saying lamely that that
was all he could bet. and Farrell covered
the money.
Of queens;
And Harding had to show his busted
flush. 1t was the nerviest play I ever saw
| at the poker table. OF course, Farrell
was gambling on his conviction that Hard
ing was bluting, and he must have known
Harding's style OF play tolerably well. but
it showed nerve, all the same. r,u
And nerve was something that Farreil
never lost. He worked the river boats
| for quite a while and did as well as most
Of the old-time gamblers, but he was shrewd
enough to see that the days OF river boat
| gambling were passing away, ana soue
time late in the los he settled down III
Cairo and opened a gambling house OF
his own.
4They weren't very strict about such
things in any OF the river towns in those
DAYS, and don't imagine he had any seri-
GUS difficulty with the local authorities but
| il he had any at all it was satisfactorily ad-
justed, and 1 never knew Farrell's place
to be molested.
AS matter of course, he ran faro
bank, for faro was the great game outside
Of poker, but never saw any game played
in the place excepting those two. There
was always enough doing there. though.
to satisfy the widest gambler.
Farrell had good roll, and although
the nominal limit at the bank was two
hundred dollars, never heard of his re-
fIsing bigger bets if anybody wanted to
make them. There was considerable
craze about that time for playing system,
and the favorite system was progression
so l fancy the only reason he nxed any
limit was to break up the system players,
Farrell never dealt faro himself, but ne
had two dealers who were called two OF
the best in the West. Don't ask me II they
dealt a brace game. l don't know.
4If they did, they did it too cleverly Tor
me to detect them, and I have watched
them carefully more than once. but
crooked dealer always knows he is being
watched, and If he can't fool sharper
man than the average player, you can't