The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-04-21
New York SUM

his bar. No one. excepting the usual
group Of regular frequenters, was in the
saloon, and none of them was sufficient
1y thirsty to spend his own money.
Floods had interrupted travel by rail,
and even the boat service was irregular,
so that Arkansas City was thrown upon
its own resources for amusement, sus-
tenance and instruction.
All three were usually to be had IN
old man Greenhut's saloon, but this
evening nothing but instruction seemed
to be forthcoming.
Them that stands ready for t 'xplain
the mysteries O. that there game" he
continued sis mostly the kind't don't
rightly know the difference between a
busted flush an a blue chip. How tits
t q man reckons hisself fitted for to
discourse onto a abstruse subjeck like
draw poker, just cause he's played
penny ante oncet or twicet, beats me, it
sure do.
''There was a gazabo with glasses on
come in here one night an set in fr
a spell with you uns in the back room.
There was a game on with two produc-
ers I'm down the river, an he looked
like he mought be another, so I sold
him chips an he took hand f'r about
four deals.
Then he quit. Likely som o you
uns en- remember it. He come out TO
me an says he reckons he'll cash in.
I like draw poker he says to me, con-
fidential like, but I'm all the time
losin' more'n I en- afford. I've lost So
tonight, an I've got confused already
on my fgurin'. The science o the
game he says, is what love dearly,
an I've got a good hear for figures,
too. but them higher mathematics is
most too much FIR me. sometimes
Then higher mathematics is sure
confusin if you amt used to EN- l
says THE way we play, straight
flush beats anythin', but one O. them
mathematics. they tell me, beats q
straight flush .---- -...
"He looked at me FIR a minute. like
the way I'd looked at him, an then he
laughed That's funny he says, but
mathematics amt hand. It's the sci
ence o. fggers.
so 1 laughed, too, an I says: 90
course I knOwed that. I thought it was
figgerin' on how, to beat a straight
flush t was so confusin' to your poor
head
Then he looked thoughtful. an he
SAYS: No, there can't nothin' beat a
straight flush. 'thouten it's a higher
one. But figgerin' on your hand an
the other feller's is mathematics, an
when you get over million, that's
higher mathematics Now, there's more
two millions an half o hands in
poker deck, an you do get confused
playin' scientific
''Then 1 knoWed, o. course. t he was
bughouse. bein' there amt but fifty-twO
cards into a deck, so 1 says: We'll, !
never counted 'em, but 1 reckon there
must be that many. But what's that
got to do with it? A man on'y has tc
play one on 'em to oncet'
.''That's the trouble with you play
1ss y
ematics,' he says, kind O. toplOftical
You look at your own cards an vol
don't figger the averages on them two
an a half millions SOS for to see what
tother man has. Stands to reason ht
must have somepin', an when you gel
countin' up to find out which one o
them two an a half millions tits he
RELY does have it gets some cOnfusin'
Then when you begins reck min tht
odds in the bettin' an multiplies thai
by two mill
Hold on, therei' / says, kind enough
but toPabIe severe. What you want L
do is to stop drinkin an go home an
go to bed fr about Il week. Pears like
the loss o. that eight dollars 3 gone Il
your head. It's dead ag'in the house
rules says, for to give a man bacl
any money, but if you was to take Z
solemn affidavy I you wouldn't never
talk about draw poker no more, don
know but what 1 might c'nS1der thu
question o. givin a rebate on them eigh
dollars
well, he drawed hisself up in tn
air about four feet an looked like n
was insultcd, but he didn't say nothin
an walked out o. the house.
There was a cuss, name o Red Rtt
ter, come TO Little Rock when I wa
runnin' a place up there, t was said t.
be one o the highest dedicated men II
Arkansas. Pears he'd spent two yea
in a college up north somewheres !
found out how TO read Latin like it wa
plain United States. He had money an
didn't need for to did nothin' in thu
way o. business, but he'd got this craz
f'r learnin' an he entered a law Offic'
FIR to study some more"
lust then the toot-toOt of a boat
whistle sounded on the river, and Jot
Bassett got up aa1 yawned nightly
AT reckon mebbe I mOught go bug
house my own self if / was to listen t
this long. I'm goin' out on the levee
If there's any strangers aboard tina
there boat there mought be thing
a-diddin'."
'Me. too" said Sam Pearsall, am
the two went out into the night.
Old man Greenhut smoked on in 81
lence. not Offering to continue his stOr,
until Ten Spot Ike spoke up. He Will
WinterbottOm and Blaisdell remained
with the old man.
at reckon I'd like to hear SOM
more" ne said, and the others said the!
would too. So Greenhut continued.
"'Pears this here Red Ritter sort o
plumed hisself on dom things stujous
so when he was roped into poke
game I'D to the hotel an lost abou
$500. he went away an studied over i
a SMELL. an come to the conclusion
there must be some way O. beatin' TIL
game If he cd on'y find out what twas
So he sent up moth an bought a bool
some Teller had wrote about poker.
Then he set up nights readin' thii
book over an over, till he come to {;
idee. Pears the book said you'd ge
four of a kind oncet in 4,165 hands, an
when Red Ritter came acTost that, h
says TO hisself here was where he CO
beat the game.
aHe'd set all day, dealrn' hlsself poke
lands. Then. if he didn't strike four