The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1908-01-06
Rules of Game Changed from
OIden Days
FISTS AND WEAPONS USED
Straight Flush Had Hard Time Prov
ing Superior To Hand of Fours.
Old-Time Gambler
Talks.

1T does not seem likely to me-" said
the elderly gambler, that any very con-
siderable changes will ever be made in
the game of draw poker.
But If there are any to be made |
hope I won't be playing at the time when
the new hands or the new rules, what
| ever they may be, are coming to be rec
| ognized by some of the players and not
| by others. I was taught to pray from
| deliverance from battle, murder and sud
| den DEATH and l don't know any better
way to avoid those three things than
| to stay out of a poker game at such a
time.
1T may be that some real improve
ment will be discovered some time, and
| if it is clearly shown that the new order
has genuine merit l reckon it will come
to be Incorporated in the game but. as
l said l don't want to be playing poker
at that time. I've outgrown all fond
ness for strife, and l saw trouble enough
the last time an important change was
made.
"Some of you youngsters don't remem-
Der that time. You imagine, | reckon,
that the straight and the straight flush
were born with the game itself and were
always a part of it, but it isn't so. It's a
| long time since l was a young man, and
when | learned to play poker nobody in
for the excellent reason that no such
hand was known. How it came to be
overlooked when the original game was
laid out [ don't pretend to say, but 1t
was.
Then, when a great many players
came to see the straight was really dis
tinctive hand, with character. a great
many others protested vigorously against
recognizing it as hand of any value.
The controversy was very bitter, but
gradually 1t came about that the advo-
Gates of the change had their own way,
and the straight was played as hand
not everywhere, but here and there at
first, until by degrees the prejudice
against the change was overcome.
Even that was not the end of the
struggle for at first it was only claimed
that the straight should beat two pairs,
and for some time threes were held to
be a better hand. Then some sharp who
understood figures showed that the
straight was entitled to the higher rank,
and after some years of dispute the
matter was finally settled
''It was not until after the controversy
over the straight had lasted a long time
that somebody perceived the great value
of the straight flush, and though there
was violent opposition to giving the
proper rank to this hand it took much
less time to effect the new change than
1t had the other. The straight being
recognized, the straight flush followed
logically, and there was less opposition
to It,
1.-THE opposition was fierce, though
while 1t lasted. Men fought across the
table in those days, as they occasionally
do even now and it did not take lot to
make a man boil over if he thought the
other fellow was trying to get the pot
wrongfully, and he had four of a kind
himself
IT was running the card room in a
certain hotel in La Crosse, Wis, in the
early flfties, when a card room was as
necessary as a barrpom in the hotel bus
mess, and I had been bothered for the
better part of year with the quarrels
and occasional fights that had come
from the straight controversy, so that
1t had come to be necessary to fix the
house rule myself. AS from all accounts
the straight had come to stay my rule
was that straights beat threes and
straight Pushes beat tours.
"Of course, when this was understood
there was no trouble, but sometimes a
yahoo from the wilderness would float
in by the river and start In playing
without understanding the house rules,
so L had learned to be on the lookout.
Casually, at first, If I doubted the
stranger, I would tell him beforehand,
but two or three times they fared up
and refused to play under the rules,
so, not caring to lose business, I came
to neglect this. letting them take their
chances. There was rough house some
times, but we had to be ready for that.
zone night Doc Martin, Harry Jen-
nings a stock broker in town; Jim
Fellows, bartender, and the chief of po-
lice of Lacross were playing a tolerably
81; to-, ;Io
I looked on with special reference to the
kitty. 1t was no limit as poker was
usually played at that time and for
many years after, the only restriction
being that man had show for his
pile. However, nobody had reached his
limit, though several bets of as much as
hundred had been made, when a big
chap, whom I knew by sight, came in
anr proposed to take a hand.
''He called himself Tom Patton. | had
seen him playing on the boats a good
deal three or four years before, but he
had been up in the lumber region of
Minnesota and had done fairly well up
there. being al professional and some
expert Knowing him for a player 1t
did not occur to me to warn him of the
house rules. Perhaps l wouldn't have
done it anyhow.
'"They made him welcome, and he
played along for five or six roundS with
fairly good luc, taking in several large
pots and not making many losings. Then
I got suspicious. For one thing, he had
won three times on his own deal. and
had not played often when he did not
deal, Then / thought / could see that
he stacked the cards, but that is a hard
thing to prove and l awted till could
be certain If he did stock them he did
it well.
'Then, on his own deal there came
good not Martin had anted two call f1ve
and Jennings came in. Fellows made
10 to play. and the chief boosted him 10.
II looked to see Patton raise, feeling
that something interesting was gong TO
happen, but he looked doubtful, or tried
TO and simply trailed. 1 reckon he knew
what was out.
"Well. Martin. he looked at his cards
and put 500 in the pot without WORD.
1t looked some like bluff, but Jennings
was the only one who laid down. The
others made good, though there was no
further raise before the draw.
Martin stood pat. Fellows took two
cards and the chief one, and Patton dealt
himself one Then Fellows bet a white
chip and the chief trailed. Patton bet 500
and Martin made it $500. Then the 9TH
ers folded
patton looked at his cards, pretending
to be doubtful but finally he put up 5000
more, which was much the largest bet
so far. Martin, however, looked pleased
and counted his wad.
(" I've got $500 more he said. I'll raise
you that much,' and he put it in.
''Patton's eyes cleaned. All you got?
he asked and Martin said yes. Then
I'll call you,' said Patton, mad he COW
I.1 -aid