The sun., 1908-10-11
THE WINNING POKER BLUFF
THINGS THAT JUSTIFY LAYING
DOWN FOUR ACES.

Why Bluff Sometimes eueeeedO Better
Against Good Player Than Against
FyTO--T'wO PeiFs That Toek the Pot
From ThFee Of q Klnd--An Impulse.
"Age cannot wither It nor custom stale
lie infinite varsity" said the gray haired,
young looking man In the Cub smoking
room, 'and II one wanted 10 follow the
subject 10 q whlmsical conclusion 1t
wouldn't be difficult 10 argue. with some
show Of reason, that the Bard of Avon
had at least an academic knowledge OF
the game Of draw poker. II might not
be o very convincing argument, but at
least IL would stack up even with some Of
the Baoonian theories I've read.
sBut one does not have to study Shake
speare any moro than he does tho musical
glasses to discover the amazing variety
of the game. Any one Of those two and
half million-aud-odd different hands 10
liable to win against any other. even
II II is n little dog against fours, IL it's
played right and the circumstances lead
up logically to successful bluff.
aAll lies IN the surrounding circum-
stances. If they're not right the bluY
is not practicable against good player,
but II they are it1l work better against
a good player than 1t will against q be-
ginner. You have TO understand poksr
pretty we'll to be bluffeds sout on a good
hand. and that again, is paradox worthy
Of Shakespeare.
'The old story OF Mr.. Goodplayer. who
laid down four aces without calling q
single bet made by another player because
he was sure the other had filed straight
flush is perhaps the most illuminating ex-
ample of the possibilities In bluffing that
ever came up in the game. As matter
of course Mr.. Goodplayer could have no
positive knowledge that the other man
had straight flush. All he had 10 rely on
was his knowledge of the circumstances
OF the deal and his knowledge Of the other
man as player.
AManifestly. then. it would be possible
for the other man, supposing him to be as
astute as Mr.. Goodplayer himself, to play
along exactly as Mr.. Goodplayer supposes
him to be playing up to the actual draw,
and II would be then possible for him II he
has followed Mr.. Goodplayer's reasoning
up to that point TO continue the play pre-
cisely as 10 he had filed his straight flush,
even II he had not bettered.
'Tn that case the success Of his bluff
would depend entirely on Mr.. Good
players confidence in his own reasoning.
and that brings us back to what said
while ago, that IL the surrounding circum-
stances are just right the bluff 10 more
likely to work successfully against really
sliltul player than against a beginner; .
that carried through successfully the
other night may serve as an example Of
what have been trying to explain, and
| In telling 1t must begin by saying that
am not Ia the habit Of blufing fire.
quently, and that the meh was playing
with knew that fact perfectly well. That
Of itself was Of course an advantage,
since the man who has been often caught
blufingis most likely to be called II, there
Is anything out against him.
We we're playing table stakes, but
nobody had more than $50 or $50 In front
Of him and the game had been rather
quiet up to the deal I'm telling about.
There was q jackpot on the table with
S.50 in II after one sweetening with six
Of us playing, and / sat on the Dealers
Smith opened under the guns for IS,
saying I'm let you all In cheap, but
Jones, who sat next. raised htT, s., and
the next two men dropped.
That brought IL up to me, and mad
two pairs; jacks up. I reasoned that
Jones wouldn't have raised, sitting where
he did, Ii he had been stronger than two
pairs. 60 I didn't particularly fear him,
and as II cost me only $40 to stay with
$22.5 already in, stayed.
The dealer dropped. and Smith made II
$40 more to draw cards. That did not
disturb me greatly, for knew. as we all
4 IL L. LL FAI
but looked a little anxiously 10 see what
Jones would do. II he had raised back
wouH havo dropped, but as / rather e1-
pected him to do, he hesitated and then
trailed 80 put up my other ten.' closing
the Dot.
IF Smith had stood pat, as thought
he would do. and had bet out. would
have callei him unless Jones showed
more STRENGTH than l Expected him to.
for up to that moment had not tho.iRht
Of bluning. but little to my surprise
Smith took two cards and threw in q
white chip. That at least INDICATED
three Of q kind. for | reasoned that II
he was really bluffing he would have
stood pat and would. moreover. have
pushed up the whole stack.
! Then Jones took one card and took
one. When Jones laid down. as he did.
suddenly decided to bflff. not having
bettered, but seeing that Smith would
know that had at least the possibility
Of full house and seeing. moreover. that
could tap him, for my stack was bigger
than his, and he would be the less likely
70 call II 1t took all he had 10 do so.
Il therefore pushed my stack forward
and he dropped. II was in no sense q
remarkable play. and only describe il
as an instance In which recognized the
possibilities suddenly and acted on q
sudden impulse, those two things being
the two best factors, as understand tt,
| ~ N slccessful bhiff He would have