The sun., 1910-05-15

would have been aucoeasful if he had
tried 70. In other words the four ACES
/ were actually beaten BY the other man q
| play, not by the hand ne held.
i have heard that story told many
times 10 many different people and have
noticed one thing that seems curious
Iho better player a man ls tho more
likely he is 10 declare that the laying down
of the four aces was mastery play. On
the other hand. tho ordinary player Is
almost sure 20 say. Well. don't know.
and ! think ] have shown by analy ying
the story that the ordinary players
instinct is right.
That particular story. AZ said. 10 the
one ] have always reckoned the best
| ever heard. but there are others not
perhaps % sensational a. this that
serve 10 Illustrate what ] spoke Of az
hTsi. namely. the wonderful Way in which
q man can sometimes tell just what bis
opponent ie trying 10 do and just how %
Circumvent him.
Tom Leigh. tho Old time New York
sport who vas q favoTite actor IN the old
and pedleT uf lottery tickets and various
other things in his day, but a steady and
persistent poker player always. used 10
tella good story about aRme he declared
be saw In Cincinnati many years ago.
The game ~ Leigh told Of u vas the
hniAh Of a sitting In which siH players
began on a Sunday afternoon and con
tinued until a good while after midnight
on Monday. whom four of them dropped
Out. one by one. leaving two ot the crack
players Of the West in = contest for the
OthrTs losinRa.
These lnsings. hy the way. amounted
20 a pretty sum. for there vas not les
than s. mo on the table when the gnpie
had narrowed lteelf down 10 q duel Tbs
two men, ANDY Foahay and Billy STARK
weather were 10th professionals and
were known 10 each other Rs we'll as 10
the other players as men who were ahle
TO do any trick unless closely watched
The very fact Of heing watched, however.
vas an elective har D. dishonest
play until one nf the two endeavored 10
heg1iile the other into taking advantage
% a seeming opportunity. aud IVES a.
tested by the others great astuteness
and bold play.
When the four losers quit the game
hrDke aud ant back TO wrtch the finish
I'oshay had considerably more than !,
half the money in sight. though Stark |
weather still he'd about s. .OoO
Probably d was because each of the I
two suspected that the other would .
mark the cards that they continued 10 I
clll Tor a fresh deck every few minutes I
i sesmed prepOsteTous 10 suppose that
either Of the two would undertake de-
liberately - mnrJ a card or % stack the
deck when shuiiling but that was prs-
risely what Leigh declared hs saw done
by StarkWeatker just before The con
rlusion Of the game.
new dsck had j,Isi been called for
.aA -. r..u k.A rAs,HlaA IA I
he dealer Of courue having the laat shuttle
Then StarkweatheT dealt. and as he passed
Foshay's cards over 70 him Leigh saW that
lne oI them had tiny. almost imper-
'ep,ible mark on the edge Of u u might
Dt course have teen an imperfectiCn such
A. will sOmetimss be found IN the very L
hest play ing cards but as il proved II was
Inc marx of StaTkweather's nail. and the
rard was the ace OF diamonda I
That deal passed with q bet and 9
all. and on the next . Jackpot Was made.
50 the deck passed again 10 StarkWeathsr
Ior the deal, and he carried out his plan
With beautiful exactitude
N Leigh watched as closely a. ha knew
row to tell II possible whether Stark
weather actually stacked the cards on this
teal. but he confessed that he was unable
70 detect Il, He said too that Foahay told
rim afterWard that suapecting The sane
hing. hs could not bs certain Of Il until
le saw that the marked ace was the card
Rt the top Of the deck after the
iand was dealt and before tho draw
Then when he picked up his own hand
md found that he had three aces cold
10 was morally certain that the trap was
iet He vas 10 open the pot Of cOurse
m his thrRs ace. with the certainty Of
.etting the fourth in the draw; aud his
antagonist having prepared that hand
or him must Og course have provided
straight htlah for himself. IN such
ituation Il would seem Al drst a. Il the
My possible play would b. q pass. but
'oshay did nothing Of the kind He had ,
DllOwed out IN his mind the course Of
rooedure that he was confident stark
ieather was going 10 pursue and played
ccnUlingly
What hs did was 20 open for the sire
the pot. and then being raised. a. he