The sun., 1910-05-22
.XNTHERE POKER GETS
w BEYOND MATHE-
MATlCS
The Possibility Of TrisksFY Even in
the Host Unexpected
Places.

game are such a. 10 make Il extremely
doubtful Il any Eivea problem In actual
play can b. reduced TO q mathematical
statement. Much lsss can the problem
be solved by mathematics. Moreover the
Mathematics Of the game are Of them
selves 40 intricate that no ordinary man
could give an exact answer to such q
problem without figuring for half an hour
or 80. When it IL further oonaidered that
the mathematical part Of each problem is
involved In other questions the compaFa-
tive accuracy Of a skilled players judg-
msnt in actual play is q most surprising
thing.
The percentage value Of any hand has
to BE- weighed against the possibilities Of
all the other hands represented in the
pot. Then the percentage Of the betting
must be oalculatSd. and that varies with
each succeeding bet. In addition 10 this
the personal elemetIt Of each player has
to he taken into account. and al these
considerations are 10 be weighed 20
gether and balanced with one another
in determining whether or not 10 make
any given bet
"Of themselves all these things make
sufiicientlT dificzIlt prObleEn Tor ths
hest trained intellect but this n not by any
means the extent oT the list. II Il were
possible 10 predicate the absolute honesty
Of all the players in the game Il wOud not
perhaps b. necessary n study any further
hut there is always the incalculable risk
of foul play. and that presents a situation
in which accurats judgment IL an abso-
lutte impossibility
when a man plays In his own club or
with a party Of intimate friends whose
integrity Is beyond question be lays aside
a. a matter Oi cOunse all suspicion Of dis
honesty. but even at that he faces the
possibility Of sB0ther good man going
wrong under Sudden temptation. That.
however. is q rgnlOte contingency. What
have In mind n the possibility that some
one among the players in a poker game
may be actually on the lookout for an op-
portunity % take undue advantage ef the
Others.
Il actually knew one man who Ind an
mquestionalyle position in society by
reason Of hia birth. efucaticn and lrill-
iant intellectual cq'hpnent who had sone
unfortunate twist IN his moral character
that eventually drove him " the bad.
Before he was rscognl1>d. a. hs was
later on. as an unsafe pgrsDn to Easo-
ciate with he would have hesn regzried
by almost anybody az a desirable man
10 have in a game Of poker. yet he toki
me with brutal fr1nknsss one day that
he played poker for the MONEY there was
in il and regarird any trick in the game
az perfectly legitimate provided he could
play IL without being caught
Then when | oppressed my Astonish-
msnt and incrcdulity he showed me that
hs really could perform some Of the tricks
Of slsiEht of hand which are q part Of
every professional gambler's stock in
trade For example he picked up a deck
Of cards after hRd cut md showed me
that the euis were in exactly the same
order after the c'it that they were beforD.
He had reversed the two packets in
picking them up. and had done II 10 deftly
that did not detect IL. though I was
watching closely. n is a well known
trick nov. but had never seen il beforr
that time and ! was naturally mUch i'm
pressed A. Il happened ! nSvsr did
play poker with him. but before he told
me what he did | would not have bes'
tated apOut sitting in at a RAns Where
he was one Of the PLAYERS.
There ars black sheep OF this sort % 10
found almost anywhere. Even IN some
~ the hest clubs in the world they have
been discovered now and egain. - srn
entirely within hounds when my that
the possibilities Of foul play ars slwayu
20 he taken into recount.
sThen when the probism IL anInrrud
by the addition Of tricksry II IL mani
testify impossible for the human inteIlect
10 arrive Et a mathematical solution.
The wonder is that anybody ever gtneasas
anywhere near rFht.
The only safeguard against crnokeri
nlay in draw poker 10 a knoWledRe Of
the various trickE that are PLAYED and
inoaaaant Watchfulness. Nv a knoW lpdgp
of the tricks I do not. of oourse, mean
the ability % perform them but the ability
70 detart them when thew are attenptcd.
For instance I DO not believe the cleverasf
prestidigitatsur living cOuld revere
the tsO packets of the deck after
my cut. provided ! was on my rIAFv:
but I never play in a game In which II
sosfns at all likely that such a thing will
be tried, and personally ] bar out any
game in which ! think there IA q prOfes-
sionAl player.
II have been caught. even at that. bv
reason Of putting too much faith IN a
travelling companion. and Il was onlv
a slight accident that oauHed me 20 cash
In and quit Just befors = play that wouId
have meant trouble for mo
'i Fnet this nan on AWaNtgFn train and
Waa thorOuehiy convinced that Ne vas
q salesman for a rival HOUSE 70 my own.
a hOuss that stood high In the community.
We travelled toggther through several
towns and he sold his goods all right
He was a capital nOrt OH fellow. and after
y few days ] congratulated myself on hav-
ing made . PLEASANT AOuuAintance.
Then one night a. we eat In a hotel
threo or four Of the business men % the
town dropped in and after soEns convey
aation somebody proposed game Of
poker.
1T wasn't a big game. thoroughly
enjoyed Il for q time, and though ] had
no intimate acquaintance with anv Of
ths other players thought knew them
we'll enough 10 trust them
After half an hour or ~ ] caught
a rat flush in q jackpot. and aitting m
! did on the DEALERS right naturally
raised Il the limit after Il had bean opanad
and two other men had STAYED
The opener came back at mo and
after one or two raises We drove ule