The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-03-27
BLUFF
D HE EVER SAW.
Col. DAbney Recalls the Play Of a
VISITING Sport and a Brace
Game WORKER.

sud oi recollsct.- re,naFks.d Col.
~ u-r. - he settled himself in q chair
go the. porch outside tho barroom door.
, -v..U asking Ine the other afternoon what
~,s tine greatest blnn ! ever knowed OF
lind 90 thought suggested the
.-r, '-p-r. YOU might have seen some
.ag out II the common IN that line in
o. It'd days. Colonel. There amt no
r.- buffers IN the poker games va ha -
- lbs all showdown since they goa
I'lay such childrrns games a. IN cent
Tn'J and making every pot . jack.
Well draWled the Colonel. speaking
- hlufting. the fact N the biggest blnR
ever sen pulled on want In q poker
game az all. hut IL was . SURE enough
TgT Jus, the same
business deal.' suggested the har.
se-per. apparently losing interest,".
40. Il want no business transaction
r-ther.- answered the Colonel shifting
~ his seat. "Lsastways. was based
on a strict gambling proposition: bat
a. ! was saying. the game want poker
NU roailette".
-Roslctte'- exclaimed the hArkeeper.
That's new o9e on me. How can a
man bluh in . banking game. and Of all
The wheeli-
Correct asssnied the Colonel. Cor
act. You can't blur the wheel. no more n
vou can blud q poker chip. but may lie
vcu can bluh the man that's running
he wheel OF the one that's playin G against
. iuss like you can bluif the man behind
me poker chips.- and the Colonel looked
'nquirinsiy. almost asrcely. at the bar
S~epeT.
-Os course agreed the bsrksspsr.
'vou naturally can't hluE the marble
~ the green cloth. bai I cant quite zee
how bluG could he worked against any
rsu Of roulstte game no how
Well IL you want 90 know how the big
.:est bluG I ever saw or heard tell of WAS
worked. III explain just how II happened.
Col Dsbnsy beRsn. hooking his heels
into the T,lng % his chair a. he tilted 10
hsck against q post
There was a cha p drifisd into Memphis
about forty years ago that called himself
frank Donovan. hut he hadn't been Ia
town more'n two days before one II the
ports said his right name was Billy tho
sneak. he having knowed him in Chica 60
Nv that title
This Donovan was a cumbination 81
tgnco steerer and brace game worker.
n" didn't have money enough to pIsy
'aro hank nor nerve enough To risk his
LAT dollar buying keno cards and he
"ouldn't shufiSe 'e,n good enough tn he
hustler. 80 he started in steering for y
race game On Adsms street and helping
Md Miller pick up suckers for hunco in
the lobby % the Per body.
one day he got hold Of a we'll dre-s s,l
mn who was sitting watching q game
= billiards. in Md Cooks room at the
Fcshohy. aud although D'n"vsn dioin';
snDw whether he WIS a str.nser in town
not he sized him zap for a sport all
ght aud tackled hun right awrv
-Donoven. after finding oni th-t he
anew n little sbout faro bank and the
Sme-I. cOnflded to him that he had sns led
ne wheel at Mike Bl.ssing's end that all
30 wanted To win III" hsnL~ roll was q
take 90 start with
sane I'D game ,ntsrrupt-i ~" Isr.
seeper with = lrugh 3, they pla we'd
that forty years ~ GO. did thew Bart
Thought yOu always todd me Mike Bless
ing's wAs a dead square GENE. How
ypuld Donovan work that racket th@re?
Would Mikes dealer divide with him.
"ThAt's the funny pr, u 10. explained
81. Dabnav. with twinkle IT, bis eve
The man that ran the wheel ~ tho BPy
Horse was Mike BlCasiH ga son but psIss5-
van didn't know thst W. "xpls med
10 hiss friend. who csll~d himself Mr.
HUtchins that he hsd @naksd the nh. a
AZ the Bay Horse th@t morning while
there was nobody ~ tho table. In, r. b. ing
only tCw pikcrs round thu faro layout
And whst might he pr tend n hsd
hOas 90 the wh~slg- dsma nded the her
"copper". looking incT odulous
He didn't pFetsnd nothing - u hep
- ned answered the Colonel dryiy.
He Just told his friend Huchins that he
'-sf turned one Of them liftle brass dIvis-
.ons around 10 that the high end Of IL
Was on the outside rim Of IN" wheel IA
stead Of inside. End that every time tha
ell made a fat roll il would hat that
d
-Buf any sucker could Sc right awsy
that Donovan wsS lying an aOon a. he
'pOkcd a. the wheel end saw there W. Mt
unthing turned objected the baTksspSr
That's where the funny part OF IL
comes in the Colonel vent on. The
'>ct being that Donovan had done Just
~hst he id and that he he'd turned that
~ 81 brass around for eur. without
DnyhDOdy seeing him do ". IL ne could
only set a few good beta down befors the
,-sler tusnbled 20 Il ho would win twenty
al times tan dollsts without risking q
cent every time there came a a. { roll
His friend Hutchins seemed perticu-
Izriy Interested. and allowed Re had ths
- IN 70 40 NJ D8tttuM WIN " tne prOpOal-
ION was on the square. but To begin with
10 asked Donovan what hs knowed about
the Boy Horse and n HI kBowsd Mike
Is -sing or his son when he saw EN-. az
curse Donovan hsda't never seen Mike
us life and sRid 30. and he had To con-
'.s~ he'd never ben in the Bay Hors-
r..t Oocs before. He had just strolled
here that morning and jumped ~ the
,"sn"~ to snake the wheel
Hutchins said he was glad to learn
''~r Donovan didn't know Mike Blessing
and would take HE word for il thai Il
ISN'T no brace game he was sieering
NJ 10 against and he agreed 70 60 along
"'h Donovan that night after the theatre
zn1 y ~ was a. Donovan said and that
rrt-s division was still turned around
lat the ball would hit 10 and fall into
..rren and the red every time there
corr" a fat roll. hc would stake D. -ovan
o" sI0O To buck tho game
md the limits on the wheel in those
caFs- demanded the barkeeper.
In dollars On single numbers.
a.. Al