Okolona messenger. (Okolona, Miss.) 1900-current, 1908-02-05
PRINCES CASH
TEXANS POKER GAME WITH THE
HEIR APPARENT.
Rules Of Etiquette Observed Until
FIayer's 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 buccaneer
in Wall street, as he sat In the grill
room Of the Breslin talking with
New Yo:k Telegraph man:
Il have" continued the colonel.
meditatiyely. Il sat in game with
King Edward when he was entitled to
only three ostrich plrmes and the Ich
Diem motto. 1t was at house party
not far from London, and am willing
to confess that 1t was not pleasing
game at all in the early stages.
1T was during those delightful days
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 pretti-
est counties in all England.
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 dis
position to stay. Even in that case it
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.
Il stuck to that rule for four hours,
and it cost me money. l laid down
many a strong hand just because !
did not want to be regarded as lack
ing in courtesy to the prince, but final
ly l 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
blaze to the first gentleman in Eng
land, and felt that, while the privi-
lege of playing with the prince OF
Wales was worth a great deal, / did
not care to pay for it in that way.
ut was while l 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. Hooked
over the hand carefully and then an.
nounced l would stand pat.
1.-THE prince was unlucky enough to
get full house in the draw and an.
other player filled flush. Of course,
such a 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 l started in placing my chips
on the table l 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, 1t
was expected that would see the bet
but / gave it slight raise of G5 and
the man with the flush stayed in. The
prince also got in for G5 and raised
and when it came my way lifted 1t
ego.
well, it's 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 table-stakes
game and he couldn't easily get away
without showing trace of the white
feather, and when, after another raise,
it came my way again, made it cost
the prince level hundred pounds tc
call.
II won, of course, but could see in
a minute that had made bad break.
The prince really took it better than
the others, for they looked frightened
and hurt. He was bit vexed, but
when the game was over he shook
hands and expressed himself as great
ly pleased with the run had, given