The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-04-30
AID DOWN FOUR
= ACES IN A ROODLE
The Way the Good NAtuFsd Man
Figured Out the Hand of the
Player Who Drew One Gard.

sDid ever know poker player to lay
down four aces7'
The Cripple Greek man threw an uncon'
acious leg over the arm OF his chair, and his
rye grew eminiscent,
sYes several Of them he unused, -and
III good short card men, too. Nobody but
blood cousin TO the king fool halks at
aging down any hand, no matter how
good It looks to him. II his poker sense tells
him it's beat
Right there is the great dividing line
)etween the easy mark and the man who
iJnows how-the gulf between the mule and
he master mind; knowing when to quit.
p Tod hates a qultter, they say He may
hate him, but I'll risk fifty he don't look
IN him with the same sour contempt a fell
.ow feels for himself the morning after
Ie's spent the highland his July salary
ralling hands because he wasn't going TO
let any stiff in that game get away with a
Jluf, b'goshl
Curiosity il all right in scientific re-
'earch, but In poker it's about as useful as
4 vermiform appendix, and n AXE 1t a sore
one, at that; just good for trouble-and
the sooner you cut II out, the better for
you.
But, coming back 10 our fours, I've
Known that bunch Of aces laid down several
times, say; but ] reckon / saw the only
play that ever came up where a ran laid
down a hstful like that without II aking
even a bet or a call after the draw, and
No was as smooth fellow as ever fondled
A stack Of blues,
Il don't reckon any Of you ever heard Of
Jake Saunders, but between the Big Muddy
and the Golden Gate Jake Is as we'll liked
as be is we'll known, which is saying whole
lot. for he's prominent in everything-poli-
tics, public enterprises, and play-tSat
comes up. And ten years ago the least OF
his talents wasn't poker.
"He could sit in game for two hours
without a hand let er than a pair Of mines
and stay good natured, always good ma
tured-that impenetrable good nature that
marks the old masters Of the art When
a man begins to throw cuss words around
you can count his stack over in your win
nings; but you couldn't tell from the mel
low, golden chuckle that welled up from
Jake's insides whether he was sitting be-
hind a king full or a killer
he played this particular hand one night
up In Bat Masterson's clubrooms in Denver.
Yes, it's the same Bat that's low leading
the Simple Life as deputy marshal after his
nervous career west Of everything that ever
hunted cover.
sHe and Bob Austin had the swiftest
game In the West big, handsome rooms,
with half a dozen faro ayouts and a couple
Of roulette wheels for the cheap suckers
that trickled in. Back Of these were the
poker rooms, some open for anybody to sit
in that had the price, but a couple Of them
private and only entered by back stair
way opening on the rear Of big hotel.
These two were reserved for the high
class, papa-gone-to-prayer- sports
who wanted TO play under the blanket;
bank cashiers, pillars Of the vestry and
presidents Of things, that got tired Of being
keyed up 10 concert pitch and had TO let
down a spell. A big Guinea Niger guarded
that stairway, and II you didn't belong
you might as well have tried to butt into the
Winter Palace.
'one night i dropped Oh the Cripple
Greek train TO see Jake about a mining deal
that meant money; Jake had every kind
that was ever minted. After an hours
hunt learned that be had clipped I'D into
Bats with a lot Of deacons and business
ulsn. stood In with the big coon. and
pretty soon be brought me word from Jake
TO come up.
Hound him and Ave others just winding
up q roodle.
"A roodlef Why, it's a round Of double
ante jackpots, each player dealing until his
pot Is opened and every time it's sweetened
you Get In whole ante. Yes, it's a mighty
lively game-and some juicy, too.
Out West, when a man gets a faceful
beaten they inject a roodle into the game
70 give him chance to make a killing and
get even. OF course, the beneficiary stands
Just as much chance as anybody else 10
furnish the raw material for the massacre
and turn up among the killed and wounded [;
but after fellow who's dubbed along for
an hour and half gets hold Of a full with
boots on, and then gets it beat, that fellow
wants 70 plunge the country into civil war.
Then It's due for roOdle. It Gains him
down. he either makes good or gets so
high up in the casualty list that he can't
speak above whisper the rest Of the ses-
We'll, Jake asked me to sit down a mo-
ment as 1t was the last deal on that roodle
and he was going to quit after IL. Il was
fairly still game, / gathered; blues out
running along from twenty-five to fifty
dollars,
There was about sixty dollars in the
pot when this last hand was dealt. Jake
squeezed his cards over TO me, showing
three big bullets.
, The first nal next the dealer passed
the open. So old the second and third.
Jake, who was fourth. cracked IL light for
Houe twenty-five dollars to toll in the ret /
on percentage and bump them hard after
the draw.
Some Of them didn't need much coaxin'.
though, for the fifth man jumped in with