The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-06-03
BETTING HIGH AT BRIDGE
New York Players Gamble for
Stakes Which Would Make
Poker Players Sit Up and
Take Notice
New York SUM

Playing the stock market isn't ex
citing enough for most of the boys in
the street these days." said a gray
haired broker who was slipping some
thing from a long glass in one of the
uptown hotels the other night. IT'S
somewhat different from the days when
was much younger.
Then game of poker for fairly
modest stakes or a turn at the roulette
wheel was dfverting enough to take
your mind away from the cares of the
stock market and its vagaries. But
nowl It's bridge whist, and the stakes
they play for would make some of the
old-timers who thought they were
pretty sporty sit up and take notice.
Here is an accurate account of
game that was played few weeks ago:
"A well-knowT. house, the head of
which comes from the neighborhood of
Chicago has a branch office in a hotel
not far from Thirty-fourth street and
Fifth avenue. A bridge whist game is
played there every afternoon The
plungers Of Wall street know IL and
gather there whenever they have moth
ing better TO do.
lone afternoon it happened that they
were shy a player. A man who has
comfortable income strolled in. 1 know
the chap, and his income is between
SlZ,UOO ana S15,UuO q year.
He IS not spendthrift, and he is
careful not to exceed his income. In
fact. he always makes il a point to
keep inside of It.
He was asked to take hand in the
game. and he did. No money is ever
passed in the game. The manager of
the office keeps track of the winnings
and losings, and the following day a
check is sent to player for what is
coming to him or he gets bill for
what he owes.
what will we play for, rs or so a
point? asked one of the players when
this young fellow took his seat
I make it a rule never to play for
more than rs said the stranger, who
had never played there before.
THAT was satisfactory to everybody
and the game was started. Well, when
they got through in about two hours
my friend figured out that he had won
about 5000, and he was pretty well
pleased with himself
THE next morning, when he opened
his mail, he found a check for s35, 900.
It was from the brokerage Office, and
there was a brief statement from the
manager that the check represented
his bridge winnings the day before.
He was astOunded, but he saw in a
fash what had happened. Instead of
playing for 20 cents a point the stakes
were $25 a point.
ut didn't take him long to decide
what to do. He has his own notions of
things in life and there is nothing dis
honest about him. He put on his hat
and coat, called a cab and drove to the
brokers' office.
" This is all a mistake he said, TAX
ing out the check and showing it to the
manager. When 1 played in that game
yesterday I understood that It was for
25 cents a point. 1 see now it was for
SIS point. 1t is not fair to the other
players and I cannot take this check
1.-THE manager looked at him. He
wasn't used to seeing that kind of a
bird around his shop
Can't help it, he said brusquely L
don't know anything about it. All 1
know Is what my books show. I'VE got
to go by the books. I'm sorry, but I
can't do anything for you'
There was no use talking to the man
ager- 1t was all a business transaction
with him, and he wasn't referee. Some
body else would have to settle IL.
so the young fellow hoped into his
cab and drove to the main Office of the
firm in Wall street. He had no trouble
IN seeing the principal partner in the
firm, whom he knows. I'm not sure
that the principal partner didn't play in
the game.
My young friend explained his trou-
bles. The broker listened to him and
told him to stand pat.
why said my friend, this is out
of the question. If you had lost you
would have been bounded until you set
tied. There is nothing to it. You have