Okolona messenger. (Okolona, Miss.) 1900-current, 1908-02-26
Z. >J4A 1 NklVLG ) GA9E'
TEXANS POKER GAME WITH THK
Heir APPARENT.
Rules Of Etiquette Observed Units
Players Sporting Blood Was Up,
and Then He Started Out
to Win,

"Did you ever play poker with a
prince of Wales?" asked Col. Tom
Hopkins, of Texas. now promoting
gold mines and formerly a huccaneAr
In Wall street, as he sat in the grill
room of the Breslin talking with q
New York Telegraph man
81 have" continued the colonel
meditatively. Il sat il a game with
King Edward when he was entitled to
only three ostrich plumes and the Ich
Diem motto. 1t was at a house party
not far from London, and l am willing
to confess that it was not a pleasing
game at all in the early stages.
ut was during those delightful dayG
when our government was represented
by Schenck, a past master in the art
of poker and one of the first men to-
properly hedge in the game with rules
and laws. Some of the best poker lit
erature we possess has been written
by Schenck, and the popularity Of
draw in England is wholly due to his
exploitation of it's merits.
1T was he who first initiated the
prince Of Wales into the beauty of
poker, and Albert Edward soon be-
came quite fond of the game 1t was
Schenck who introduced me to the
prince, and made it possible for me to
meet his royal highness at one of the
most old manors in one of the prettj-
oct nn11ntinc in oil FnO1nnd
Before the game began Schenck
took 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 was not to raise unless Albert
Edward had raised and showed a dis
position to stay. Even in that case IL
was regarded as proper to 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 one in particular was i'm
pressed upon me.
II stuck to that rule for four hours,
and it cost me money. l laid down
many strong hand just because !
did not want to be regarded as lack
ing in courtesy to the prince, but final
ly got tired of seeing whole bundles
of good American money going across
the table, and my sporting blood was
aroused. 1t hurt me to see my blue
and red bits of ivory going across the
h1o1H RI no frct in N
land, and / felt that while the privi
lege of playing with the prince Of
Wales was. worth great deal, did
not care to pay for it in that way.
ut was while was in this mood
picked up a hand that looked almost
TOO good to be true. Four kings
nestled together by themselves, crowd.
ing poor, weak, little tray I looked
over the hand carefully and then an.
nounced would stand pat.
"The prince was unlucky enough to
get full house in the draw and an
other player filled flush. OF course,
such run as that made for killing,
and, in an ordinary game, unhampered
by the presence of prince and heir
apparent, the betting would be lively.
when started in placing my chips
on the table forgot all about the rules
Of etiquette. The prince made tenta
tive raise of a pound, just feeling out
my hand, as it were. OF course, it
was expected that would see the bet
but gave it slight raise of G5 and
theIman with the flush stayed in. The
prince also got in for G5 and raised
and when 1t came my way | lifted It
EGO.
well, it's a terrible story. The
prince tried to intimate to me by dark
looks and other evidences Of discon-
tent that he was not pleased with my
methods, but it was a table-stakes
game and he couldn't easily get away
without showing trace of the white
feather, and when, after another raise,
it came nay way again, l made It cost
the prince . level hundred pounds to
call.
Il won, Of course, but could sea In
Z minute that had made q bad break
The prince really took 1t better than
the others, for they looked frightened
and hurt. He was g bit vexed but
when the game was over hS shook
hands and expressed himself ~ great
ly3pleaaed with the rum ! had given
Ill IN, N 43is sa8 VIII 8tNh