Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1905-06-21

ing up the deck and about to ask Jake
how many cards he'd like, when the
third man, Ryland, who had passed the
open, cut in.
Hold on he said, I'm in this.
Gimme a card and he pushed his $125
into the center.
Jake held up a kicker and drew
for a blind. The fifth man took a
couple, and the dealer remarked with
thinly disguised satisfaction that he
had all he wanted.
ut began to look like Jake's three
aces were going to have more company
than they really needed, but when he
flashed his draw to me / saw that he
was ready to entertain all corners.
The gentlemanly dealer handed him the
fourth aeel
at was Jake's first say, Of course,
being the opener, but he quietly
hummed The Dying Cowboy and
passed up the bet so as TO back in
against the Dealers pat hand and
give him a Jolt that would make him
hate cards for a year.
"The fifth man, though, seemed to
feel considerable better for his two
card draw. He set in a 100 stack Of
blues right under the muzzle Of the
dealers hand as though a pat didn't
strike him as particularly formidable
anyhow.
"But If he thought he was going to
scare that dealer out Of a raise he was
badly fooled, for the next instant that
obliging gent swarmed in with a tilt
Of $50 more. Al this Jake let up on
the cowboy and was counting out
chips to spring a glad surprise with a
5000 bill from his pile and dropped il
into the pot, quietly remarking:
"'Two hundred and fifty simoleons
more, il you please
al was smiling at the thought Of
that much extra meat coming to Jakes
market, when, to my establishment, he
tossed his four aces face down on the
discard.
"'That's good here he said, and
pushed his chips over TO the second
man, who was banking the game. Then
to me: Pm ready now. WHAT Don't
want TO go just yeti All right, Eve
got TO telephone a party anyhow and
I'm meet you in the lobby in Eve min
utes,' and he left the room, placidly
humming the Cowboy
"No, not much / didn't 90 just then
You couldn't have pulled me loose
with a lariat until / saw what kind Of
cards were backing those husky bets,
especially that hand of Ryland's.
At knew IL wasn't possible that
Jake had overlooked his hand. That
wasn't Jake, and besides he had tipp'
ed of the fourth ace to me. But IL
seemed Just as impossible that he
should lay down such a bunch without
a call and go strOlling of with all the
indifference Of an elevator boy.
al watched while the fifth man
and the dealer called, one showing
down a four full-he'd caught a pair
in tho draw-and the other a ten full
he had had pat all the time. Then in
a dazed sort Of a way / saw Ryland
carefully spread his hand face up on
the table, poke his cards apart with
his finger and silently gather in the
pot while his two late opponents
breathed like a yoke of tired steers.
"'Jake,' / said an hour later as
we sat over a beefsteak and a Bud
weiser in the cafe what in the name
Of all the gods Of chance made you
lay down fours TO a hand that couldn't
even open the pot before the drawf'
you've said it right there re-
piled Jake. 1T was just because
Ryland couldn't open the pot that /
quit.
"'No, I don't care what he had.
Inn not curious about post mortems.
From your question / guess my judg-
ment was wrong though this is the way
had il figured out;
" First, it was a sure thing that
Ryland didn't have openers he's
too good a player to pass for a raise
when he's sitting as round as third
from the dealer, especially when the
pot = as far as that one was.
al opened it light, as you saw, to
get the crowd in against my big threes
land succeeded mighty well, too
VIXEN the fifth man raised my open !
put him down for two pairs small
threes, for evidently he didn't want
MI