The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1903-03-29
Interesting Stunts
lit DraW Poker.

. railroad conductor whom I had. seen
/ before. and one looked Ike country
/ merchants I found out afterward that
/ he really was one
"The professionals were of the or
binary type. one was big man and
one was understood ana the third was
/ baldheaded. The last i set down for
I the cieFerest of the Tot, and i gct the
seat on his right. I would have chosen
/ that seat, but it was mere chance that
got IT,
zone OF The tricks ] had mastered
I was shufiling the cards deity with one
hand. IT'S thing I don't often do eX-
cepting for practice Tor it's not easy
Z but did e tile first time i handled
/ the deck, for the sake of the moral
effect / calculated that N either Of
/ the three was doubtful of his own skin
7 be would be afraid 10 try any funny
/ business when he saw that I could do
some stunts myself.
Another thing I had worked on till
I could Doe certain of it almost any
time was telling by the feel of the deck
I whether there were any cards miss
I ing Let me handle the fun deck once
and then i can tell by my fingers If
i y
That's a thing that has it's uses.
And the third stunt that 1 had oc-
casion 20 use that night is a peculiar
/ cut. I can. by taking both hands TO
it. make a cut that looks like an or
binary one and yet dlsarrange the
order OF the cards without being de-
tected. unless the man who is watch
ing has unusually keen eyes.
And I was pretty well up on all
/ the ordinary systems Of marking the
cards so that I was not likely 70 be
| fooled by any tngernail marks or
( things like that
II didn't reckon on any funny busi-
/ ness for the FIRST few hands. and J. had
made up my mind beforehand to do
my best TO get In one good pot be-
I fore there was any and IL managed
that successfully We were playing
/ table stakes and 50-cent jackpots. 1t
I wasn't a game that would give me a
very long run for So so I knew I had
| 20 work quick.
81 had dealt and a jackpot was
made nobody coming in. The bald
headed man dealt next. and I felt sure
/ it was "A square deal.
Luckily for me, the conductor
/ opened it under the guns and the big
L
That made So I'M the pot before IL
came 20 me, and ! had about SO left
| one had gone for antes.
II skinned down my hand and found
pair Of sevens and an ace, which
/ looked good enough for "A bluh, so
I raised 10 So. The conductor saw the
raise having "A pair Of aces as
learned after but the other two laid
down
ION the draw. the conductor took
three cards and 1 took two. He threw
I'm a white chip and 1 raised it my
pile before either of us looked at our
draw.
Then he laid down. not having bet
tered. and / raked in S24 i don know
whether I had bettered or not. for /
didn't look to see. ID was a bluff but
Ii didn't look it.
After that I didn't get a chance for
some time once or twice / came in.
but lost and So or 81 or my winnings
melted away before there was another
jackpot AS il happened that came
on the bald-headed mans deal again
and I saw him hold out a card. That
Is. I thought I did, and when I took
the cards TO cut I felt the deck was
shy.
on not I couldn't be sure but / reckon
he had, for found three jacks. OF
course 1 passed being sure he was go
ing TO have at least three aces. 1t dis
concerted him. too for ] saw him look
sharply at me as he opened IT, but
nobody came i'm and ne sCoOped the
pot. showing a pair Of aces as OPEN
ers.
at least one of the aces was
marked. and cleverly. too, for it was
not even scratch, but a little bend
on one side, and / called for "a fresh
deck. They couldn't kick of course.
but ! saw that the three professionals
were a bit anxious and l decided on
one more bluff.
THE chance didn't CONE. though, till
/ the baldheaded man dealt again BY
that time there was a Jackpot sweet
ened three times. so that there was
almost s. I'm IT, This time 1 knew he
was stacking the cards, So I gave him
my confusing cut as I cali IT,
He was pretty clever too. for I saw
that he picked up the two packets In
the same order. as he supposed that
he laid them down. That is q favor
lite trick with many players, and when
it is done well 81 is "a good one.
He did 10 We'll but he hadn't seen
my cut and dealt suppos.ng he knew
at least two or three hands that would
Doe out.
The look OF blank astOnIshment on
his face when he looked al his cards
was pure joy for me- for / understood
lt. His own hand being different from
what Inc expected, he knew of course
that something had gone wrong. and 7
know well auomun fnnr ~ .g-rrrTT r-f
play.
Luck favored me again. for the biz
man found three deuces in his hand
and doubtless suppOsiug that this was
his cue he opened the pot The
merchant stayed on a pair. and the
small man stayed / suppose. in order
20 help his pal
THAT made about S19 i'm. for it was
opened for the size of the pot. and I
stayed. though 1 hadn't anything but
king high
The big man took two cards and
didn't better The others took three
apiece and / stood pat i could see
some eye-telegraphirg, but / kept my
lace straight and when the big man
had bet a white chip. and his pal had
seen IT, the merchant dropping his
hand, I showed my whole pile forward
and they an laid down
That gave me nearly S35 capital
including the SO I had put I'm, and
made up my mind to play two or three
hands more. and quit If I could raise
be 90 $40. IL was getting near train time.
anyhow, and I had only one thing TO
hope for
AS IL happened I caught a small
straight on the conductors deal ana
was lucky enough 20 get a call on a s.
bet after small raise before the draw
that had swelled the pot to about SIS.
and that gave me my fare 10 New