The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-04-30

| pleasing TO Jake though you cOuldnt nave
detected II with an %-ray; The dealer
| Jake how many cards he'd like. when the
third man, Ryland who had passed the
Hold on, he said, I'm in this. Gimme
/ a card and he pushed hts ti2S into the
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.
J 1T began 10 look like Jake's three acres
we're going 70 have moro company than
! they really needed. but when he flashed
| his draw 10 me / saw that he was ready
| TO entertain all corners. The gentlemanly
| dealer had handed him the fourth acel
1T was Jake's hrst say, Of course, being
/ the opener but he quietly hummed The
Dying Cowboy, and passed up the bet
so as TO back In against that dealers pat
hand and give him a jolt that would make
him hato cards for a year.
Tho fifth man, though, seemed 10 feel
considerable better for his two card draw.
lie set in a 500 stack Of blues right under
the muzzle Of the dealers hand as though
a pat didn't strike him rs particularly for
midable ANYHOW
But II he thought he was going to scare
that dealer out Of a raise he was badly
fooled, for the next instant that obiging
gent swarmed In with tilt Of $50 more.
At this Jake lot up on the Cowboy and was
counting out chips to spring a glad surprise
with 500 hoigt, whom Ryland picked up
a $500 bill from his pile and dropped It into
the pot, quietly remarking:
Two 'hunded and fifty simoleons more,
II you please
'Iwas smiling at the thought Of that much
extra meat coming 10 Jake's market when,
to.my, establishment, he toesed his four aces
face down into the discard.
That's good here he sald and pushed
his chips over TO the second man who was
banking the game. Then TO me: I'm
ready now. WHAT Don't want to 90 Just
YETI All right, I've got to telephone a
party anyhow and III meet you In the
lobby in Ave minutes, 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
hand OF Ryland's.
i knew It wasn't possible that Jake had
overlooked his hand. That wasn't Jake
and besides he had tipped of the fourth
ace to me. But II seemed just a. impossible
that he should lay down such bunch
all the indifference Of an elevator boy.
i watched while the fifth man and the
dealer called, one showing down a four
full-he'd caught a pair In the draw.-and
the other ten full he had had pat all the
time. Then in a dazed sort Of way / saw
Ryland carefully spread bis hand face up
on the table, poke the cards apart With his
finger and silently gather in the pot while
his two late opponents breathed like yoke
Of tired steers.
Jake said half an hour later as we sat
over beefsteak and a Budweiser IN the
cafe, what in the name Of all tho gods Of
chance made you lay down fours to a hand
that couldn't even open the pot before the
you've said it right there. replied
Jake. 1t was just because Ryland couldn't
open the pot that / quit.
mo, ! don't care what he had. I'm
not curious about post morten-S. From
your question ! guess my judgment was
wrong. though this Is the way mad 1t fig
ured out:
First, II 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 far
round as third from the dealer, especially
when the pots as far az that one was.
81 opened IL light, as you saw, TO get
the crowd in against my big threes-and
succeeded might well, too. When the
fifth man raised my open l put him down
for tive. pair OF small threes, for evidently
and I'd have gone back and lifted him out
OF the game II the dealer hadn't come trip
ping in and tilted IL himself.
Il put him up for pat hand, for a man
would scarcely make second raise like
that unless he had the top. threes-and /
knew mighty we'll where they were. So
the play came up 70 Ryland not only with
strength showing In three hands, but sad
died with double raise to boot, making IL
mighty expensive to draw cards.
@'Now Ryland's got all kinds Of poker
sense and wouldn't pay that price Just to
draw to a straight or a bobtan flush that
probably wouldn't be good II he caught Il.
50 when he did back In, it looked 70 me
Ike a ctneh he was hunting 70" out one
It was plain to a blind man there was
going TO be big trouble after the draw,
and II be caught he'd have us all whipped
under the bed. OF course when corralled
that fourth ace / knew had all the others
going South, for the pat hand was bound
to bet and then II Rvland laid down I'd
come UP with all the blues that dealer had.
Still hyland might make Il and II he
did II was chaos come again. and I'd better
stay footloose, ready to jump. And so
after the draw I passed up the bet.
When the fifth man with the two card
draw took the bet in the teeth Of the dealers
pat II looked mighty sure to me he'd made
something better than q straight OF a flush
the usual pat hands; but when the dealer
cheerfully lifted him to the tune Of a hun
dred and fifty, began TO think that pat Of
his mightn't be such usual one after all
Still / knew / was sitting on a velvet
throne no matter what they had and / was
sorting out chunk Of money TO show 'em
what good people ! was when In oozes
Ryland with his little old five hundred
dollar bill. Now didn't believe ANYBODY
with a teaspoonful Of gray matter would
have tried blum in that seat .
The strength already shown in draw
and bet made Il a moral cinch he'd get at
least one call maybe more So l made mp
my mind that my aces were as worth ees as
a wooden leg In foot race and quit.
That's all; that's the way figured Il
out, but II my judgment was bad guess
it's a joke and bottle on me-
Il reckon I'll pay for the wine this thin
] said. One ace was a. good as four In that
deal. ! know you make IL a rule not TO
play over dead hands. but Il may interest
you to know that Ryland drew TO the four,
five, six and seven Of heaTts-and caught
the trey Of the same skitl'"