The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-06-02
HOLDING HANDS
WITH A PRINCE.



Did you ever play poker with a
Prince of Wales?'' asked Colonel Tom
Hopkins. now promoting gold mines,
and formerly a buccaneer in Wall
street, as he sat over a highball In the
grill room of the Bresl!n.
Strange as 1T may seem, not one of
his companions had ever enjoyed that
rare but expensive luxury
I have" continued the colonel. med
itatively. Il sat in game with King
Edward when he was entitled to only
the three ostrich plumes and the Itch
Dleh motto, 1t was at a house party
not very far from London, and l am
Wiling TO confess 1t was not a pleasing
game at all in the early stages
III was during those delightful days
Nnen our government was represented
oy Schenek. a postmaster in the art of
poker. and one of the first men to prop
erly hedge In the game with rules and
laws Some of the best poker literature
we possess has been written by
Scnenck. and the popularity of draw
in England is wholly due to his ex-
ploitation Of its merits.
1t was he who first initiated the
Prince of Wales into the beauty of
poker, and Albert Edward soon became
quite fond OF the game 1t was
Schenck who introduced me to the
meet his royal highness at one of the
most noble old manors in one of the
prettlest counties in all England. 1t
WASH I SO hard for an American TO meet
the Prince of Wales then as IL is to
meet King Edward now, and found
him pleasant, unaffected man at first,
put afterward learned he had his pc
culiarities.
THE first game took place one even
ing after fhQ had
day. and a very pretty party OF FIVE
was MADE up. We sat down In the
smoking room and, SO far as I could
see, the arrangements varied but little
from those made in this country for a
session with the cards and chips
Before the game began Schenck
look me to one side and impressed me
with the necessity of observing the
many rules of etiquette that obtain
when playing with the prince. He laid
particular stress upon the fact that T
was not to raise unless Albert Edward
had raised and showed a disposition to
stay Even IN that case 1t was re-
garded as proper 10 simply see his raise
and allow him to take the bridge and
set the course. There were other minor
regulations to be observed. but that
me.
81 stuck to that rule for four hours
and 1t cost me money. 1 laid down
many strong hand just because I did
not want to be regarded as lacking in
courtesy TO the prince, but finally I got
tired Of seeing whole bundles of good
american money going across the Ia
| Die. and my sporting blood was aroused.
l began to whinny like horse every
tlme my stack was punctured. Tt hurt
me TO see my blue and red bits OF ivory
going across the baize to the first gem
t.eman In England, and / felt that.
while the privilege of playing with the
| Prince of Wales was worth a great
deal. did not care to pay for it In that
way.
at was while I was in this mood
picked up a hand that looked almost
too good to be true. Four kings nes-
tied together by themselves, crowdine
a poor, weak, little trey. 1 looked over
the hand carefully and then announced
I would stand pat
| Now, as you know. a man with four
of kind usually discards the odd one.
Why this IS done I don't know II
may convey the impression that YOU
have two pair, but the minute YOU be-
gin to grow strong in your betting
everybody knows Just what is lurking
in your hand. By standing pat 1 fooled
them into thinking had either a Sush
or straight and left It up to them to
decide.
i The prince was unlucky enough to
| get a full house in the draw. and an
other player filed a flush OF course.
such run as that made for a killing
and in an ordinary game, unhampered
by the presence of a prince and heir
apparent, the betting would be lively.
, When / started in placing my chips
in the middle of the table / forgot all
about the rules of etiquette. The prince
made a tentative raise of Ell, Just feel
ing out my hand, as IL were. OF course
it was expected that I would see the
bet, but. l gave it slight raise of e5,
and the man with the flush STAYED in.
The prince also got in for e5 and
raised, and when it came nv Way
lifted it 920.
"Well, it's a terrible story. The
! prince tried to intimate to me by dark
looks and other evidences of discomfort
, that he was not pleased with my meth
DDS, but 1t was a table-stakes game
and he couldn't easily get away with
out showing trace Of the white feath-
er, and when, after another raise. il
came my way again, made it cost the
prince a level 2100 to call.
'1 won, of course but l could see in
minute had committed a bad break
The prince really took it better thar
, the others, for they looked frightened
, and hurt He was a bit vexed but
when the game was over he shook
hands and expressed himself as great
iy pleased with the run 1 had given
him."