The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1909-06-27
THE OTHER MAN
ON THE ROOF
A Winning Ron at Poker Stopped
by the Long Head Of
Joe Woods.

The trouble and expense that some o
the gamblers would 60 TO in the old days,
remarked Col. Dabney after he had a
fully tilted his chair at the comfortable
angle against a post. "was certainly re
Variable
Gamblers nowadays Is nothing bu'
abort card players and bunco steerers.
agreed the ~barkeeper. Sunless they're
rich enough 10 run a house and buy
protection"
Il kind Of reoollect.' continued the
Colonel. smiling at the picture that his
minds eye brought before him, ''way
back in the '7os a job that "a pulled OF
in Hot Springs by some sports from
Little Rock that took the cake for atten.
ton to details 'cording to my ideas
In fact everything was just like a regular
business investment except that there
want no advertising.'
That's one thing sports don't 60 In
for MUCH" remarked the ~barkeeper.
what was the other part?'
AS l recolleot it started about the time
that Ben Weissmann, the dry goods
man, staked the johnson brothers to open
q faro bank at Hot Springs. During
their leisure hours they marked down a
few suckers that might be worth trim
ming when they opened a game Of their
own in Little Rock later on. and they also
had an eye on the kitty in a poker game.
which Ia always a good side show.
There was a deal Of short cards played
between times at Hot Springs in those
days, but the small piking gamblers was
a little too greedy and always wanted
10 cut the goose open for fear it would lay
the eggsin some other fellow'syard. That
spoiled a good many fat things. and the
johnson brothers made up their minds
to Ak up q sort Of private club where they
could keep out ,ikers.'
Didn't the p.Xers pay the kitty same
as the rest?" asked the barkeoper dryly.
.Yes. but they spoiled the game through
being onooked. The house don't want
no crooked work II it gets a kitty. The
private club sounded sort Of good too.
and the johnson boys got hold OF a big old
empty barn adjoining a very comforta-
BILE road house a little ways out Of town
and we'll supplied with red liquor.
They fixed the place up by partition
ing Of one part of it and putting carpets
on the floor, and swinging lamps with green
shades and card. tables with green cloth,
and they had q nice little sideboard and
q oolorcd waiter and everything in good
shape.
'Of course the game was open to any
conner that had mooey. and the profession
ais got into IL along with the business
men and othars
Il have heard say interrupted the
barkeeper. that most business men
would sooner play with a professional
than with their friends cause they aint
got no computations, rs they call EN-,
about taking the money
Il calculate that's about right agreed
the Colonel: and the professional GER
tsinly amt got no ~oompunctions about
taking the business mans money, when
Il comes to that.
AN kinds Of ish swim into poker
games. and this game that the johnson
boys run want no exception. Among
the hsh they caught was a man calling
himself Fletcher. that played most too
good a game to be q gentleman or q bust
ness man either.
He was q fat man and always wore a
big soft hat. the kind they used 10 call
cigarette hats, that fold up and go in
your pocket. This hat Of his was a
bright green, and he didn't 1t
only when he was playing poker. He
said 1t shaded his eyes better than any
thing else
.Iknow lots Of players that like them
green eve shades for cards." remarked
the barkeeper, as IL to excuse MIR.
Fletcher's peculiarly.
Il guess q man has q right to 9
any old hat be p~leases.. continued The
Colonel. There was no kick. coming
about the hat. but the johnson boys had
not been running that game very long
before some Of the players began to kick
about Fletcher's luck. There was nothing
crooked about his game that they could
see, but they did not like the way they
were always just topped on their good
hands,
That's what poker players have been
Directing Il ever since h game was
invented, amt it3' demanded the bar
We'll. 1t wasn't only the just topping
them that they were sore on, but 1t was
the way Fletcher would crawl when
on a pair Of tons against F1etcher's two
ard draw and got a third ten to his pair
Fletcher always had three picture cards
II he called. II he didn't call nobody
knew what he had nor why he drawed
,nly two cards.
sCould have set a stool pigeon behind
him 20 find out, couldn't they?" asked
the barkeeper.
Fletcher wouldn't stand for no one
setting behind him, although he held his
cards 60 wide open that some OF the boys
thought his eyesight was bad; but the
boys were equal to tho occasion. as the
papers say, and found out what he held
on one or two hands. and from that they
Judged what he held most OF the time.
They worked 1t by having the three Of a
kind man drop out. which / consider was
q pretty clever piece Of detective work.
Just like finding out where your competitor
buys his goods in business.
Jimmy comes In or q pair OF jacks In
one hand, when Bill was In on aces up.
OF course Bill boosted II. and both Jimmy
and Fletcher stood 1t for, twenty. Sure
enough, Fletcher makes one OF his two card
draws, but Jimmy got his third Jack, Bill
standing pat.
Jimmy makes the sign to Bill that he's
got threes and is going to drop EN-; 80
Fletcher was all ready to drop, his. but
when Jimmy knocked on the table to pass
see that Fletcher was studying over some
thing, and II was quite a while before he
put up a SO raise. Bill Just called him
to see what he had and Fletcher laid down
three eights.'
If Jimmy had stayed In he would have
got that pot away from him. remarked
Tho barkeaper oiitationin civ.