Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1907-03-23

one would call him, he took the pot with
out showing his cards. II a call was made
all the hands in 1t were shown and the
best brag hand took the pool
Hands That Counted.
The only combinations Of any value in
brag were pairs and triplets, and Of course
three aces was the best possible hand.
The popularity of brag was that there
was a special privilege attached to three
three cards in the pack, which were called
"braggers"
These were the ace Of diamonds, the Jack
of clubs and the nine of diamonds. Any
player holding one or more of the cards
could call II what he pleased, so that If he
had a pair OF queens and a bragger he had
three queens. A ten and two braggers
was practically three tens. In case of ties
the braggers outranked one another in the
order in which they were given, so that
a pair of fours with the jack of clubs
would beat a pair OF fours with the nine
OF diamonds.
But in brag a natural combination would
beat one made with a braggeE so that
three Fights were better than one eight
and two braggers. In the same way a
pair Of kings would beat a king and a
bragger.
When the French game OF poque came
into vogue the game was changed into
what is called three stake brag." IN
which there are three pools to be decided
The third card given TO each player was
dealt face up, and the highest shown took
the first pool, braggers outranking cards
OF the same denomination. Then the play
ers bet on their pairs and triplets for the
| second pool, and finally they laid down
all their cards face up and counted the
pips on them for the third pool. After a
while they got to buying more cards from
| the pack to increase this pip value.-for
the last pool. and then a limit was SET
to the number to be reached. and from
this they got the idea OF our modern game
OF vingt-et-un.
When this game of brag got to America
the ace OF diamonds was dropped and we
find all the Jacks and all the mines used
as braggers, so that there were eight OF
them in the pack, but they had no rank
with regard to one another In this game
| natural combinations were better thar
/ those made with braggers, on account OF
| the number OF braggers In the pack.
In the earliest book on card games
/ printed In America. "Hoyle's Games pub
| lished by Edward Cotton and printed by
| c. Stebbins OF Boston IN 1914, we find a
description OF American brag. in which
the compiler falls into the curious error
OF telling us that three aces will beat two
aces and a bragger, He repeats this fol
every card In the pack, as II there were
| FIVE Of each denomination. Fifteen years
| later George Long Of l61 Broadway, New
York City, copied this description in his
/ 'Hoyle's Games" including the errors OF
| the Boston original
Poker Takes the Lead.
When the American game OF poker got Z
| France Il very quickly superseded bouillott
/ and brelan. AS the new game requires
| hfty-two cards the French pack beinl
only thirty-two, It was quite natural tina
! American cards should be used.
In every pack Of American made card
there Il a blank or joker. which Is some
thing unknown 10 European makers. i
fact, some importers OF American cards a
| nrst had some dimculty in setting Ga