The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-12-23
AN EARTHQUAKE
~ IN A POKER GAME.
L. Gave to Three Aces q Pot That
Would Have Been Lost
With Focr Aces

For simon pure cussedness I reckon ar
earthquakes about the orneriest institu-
ton west OF the Big Muddy said the Grip
pie Creek man. there's nothing like q
full grown temblor when IL comes 10 turn
Ing Q sober sided town into Q lunatio asy-
lum With q grievance. Nv known EN-
10 drive q one legged man up a ladder and
q blind paralytic down; to move a gambler
20 fearful prayer and set of a preacher
swearing like . Tonopah mule skinner.
sBut the ~craziest thing I ever saw one do
was to make q man sitting behind four aces
IN . poker game discard M Of them and
draw two cards, and I've always had q
warm spot for that particular quake; for
Il put the fellow on TO winning the biggest
JACKPOT ever fattened under the roof of the
old Palace Hotel-and I was the fellow
"You mean you won q pot with three aces
that you'd have lost with four?" asked an
i~ncreduIous auditor.
.Yes." replied the Cripple Creek man,
'I'm talking about the oddities Of that old
shaker. There'd have been nothing
strange In my losing the pot, I reckon.
Il played the game with q fellow named
0ilohrist I'd met on a boat and two friends
Of his, whom he introduced as the cashier
OF . national bank and the secretary Of .
big trust company. Before we began Gil
christ had some large bills changed into
gold and silver coin. He explained that
nobody on the Coast played with chips.
With coin and bills said he, as he
sold NJ each Q few hundred dollars In metal
money, its always straight cash with no
banking or bookkeeping. A man gathers
In his pot. pockets It and's out Of the game
II he wants 20 be-
Il saw q man could make a quick get
away II haste was an advantage.
Table stakhs. boys said Gilchrist, as
We settled into place. He and the others
dug up bulky wads Of yellow notes and I
followed suit. There were all the symp-
toms Of q heated term. 49,
Il sat with Gilohrist on my left, the cashier
on my right and the secretary opposite.
There was no fixed ante; a man made il big
or little AZ he felt gay or grumpy. Il started
with call two.
The deal hadn't gone round before it
was clear q man oouldnt sit in that game
and lot his mind wander unless he wanted
TO be skinned TO his sools and 90 home
bsrsfoossd. I'd gathered that the Hnanciers
rarely INDUCED IN this sort of pastime, but
no professional ever surpassed the facile
skil with which the cashier gave the cards
the head on collision shuttle known a. the
gsnblar's butt, and the careless but exact
ma IN which that trust company fellow
hAdled out the hands, keeping half a dozen
cards In air like q Japanese iuggler, would
have landed him q life job In Morgan's
plAce IN Cripple dealing stud. For their
play. 10 was above criticism; I'd AVE liked
Il better otherwise.
we sawed along until . In the morn
ing and I was about Ave hundred ahead
q trtne In that game-when there came a
tidel wave OF a play. A double jackpot
bad gone around without action until /
was dizzy, and % IL put o n desh to the tune
OF 200 a deal our mouths watered for il.
A length, on the cashiers deal, / picked
Up, a. 1 sat there right under the guns, first
an ace, then another ace and still a third.
The fourth card was the diamond ten, but
whsn-k -pielzed URr the 5ffthI GOULD hardly
ressrair-K rrznt.-u Of tuyg-ft-was the big,
black aoe OF spades.
Il opened for only two-hfty. for a man
with fours 10 mighty sociable, and Gilchrist.
who'd won h~saky all the other fellows had.
churned ft for fve-hundreds, I mean.
The secretary invested his last dollar in a
sight for the pot, and the cashier, who had
next TO no money, passed out.
And a thousand more, if you pleased
] Wied, pushing gold and bills into the Dot.
with n wink at the dealer.
And six thousand more, If you pleased
cried 0ilchrist, so quickly that for the mo-
ment ! thought the words an echo of nv
own.
Blu as I looked I saw him carefully
counting out the cash. IL took just about
all be had. II was about the size Of my pile,
too; II / saw the raise that pot would have
all the money In the game In it.. Q
For an instant / thought I was buncoed
0fchrist sitting behind Q pot straIxht