Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1912-07-12
Mistellaneuus Rsadins.
BIGGEST POKER GAME KNOWN.
Memorable Session Between Gates and
Johnson-$aoo,oo Changed Hands.

Memorable Session Between Gates and
Johnson-s2oo,oo 900 Changed Hands.
John w. Gates Is no more; Davy C.
Johnson. plunger and owner Of Rose
ben, has also gone the way of all flesh,
but New York will not soon forget
either the genial financier, whose mot
to was, Life itself is nothing but a
gamble" or the former owner of the
matchless thoroughbred which raced
seven furlongs in 1922 and helped Davy
win a half dozen fortunes.
In the circles of chance, where the
rattle of the little sphere of ivory and
the click of the buttons on the case
keeper Is still heard in spite Of police
activity, "Bet-you- a million" Gates and
"Plunger" Johnson will long be remem-
bered. The reason Is not buried deep
| ly. They both were men Of ready
courage, willing to flip pennies for
$1,000 flip, or to wager a small for
tune on what some third person had
eaten for lunch. Their word was as
good as gold certificates fresh from the
bureau of engraving and printing;
they were never seen to shed tears over
a lost bet.
| John Gates was a natural born
gamester. With equal readiness he
would tackle a slot machine or go
short" on $4,000 shares Of Union Pacific.
To him everything was a gamble. He
admitted of no fine distinction-so long
as the game was fair and square.
Sporting men say of Davy johnson
that he could win faster than any
man who ever staked a dollar. Bet
high, hit 'em hard and double up the
stakes" he was often heard to say. AS
a matter Of course, he could lose just as
quickly, and when Roseben was not
running we'll he was more than once
forced to borrow money for his stable
expenses.
Naturally, when Davy Johnson and
John Gates got tgether over a poker
table, it gave sportsmen something to
talk about. Eventually the evening
came. They got together. A game en-
sued.
And New York and all the sporting
world Is still talking about it.
One evening in the late fall during
the progress of the Sheepshead Bay
meeting Gates came up from the track.
He had had very successful day, had
picked a number Of winners at decent
odds and had "pyramided" his winnings
until the bookmakers waved his COM
missioner away. Altogether he was
said to have cleaned up the respectable
sum of a little over 1924, 1000.
Roseben had been running that day
and Davy johnson was heavy win
ner At that time Davy was interested
in an establishment of chance in Forty
third street, and when Gates was in
town, he was in the habit of dropping
in on Davy for a little whirl at rou-
lette or boxful or two Of faro. Large
sums of money changed hands on such
occasions, but as yet neither of them
had ever been properly hooked up"
over a poker table with. good cards In
their hands.
Gates, after a modest supper and
peep at the last two acts Of a musical
comedy, made his way to Johnson's.
The upper floor was pretty we'll crowd
ed, but he found a seat at the faro ta-
BILE, where Davy himself was perched
upon the lookout stool.
tho raty
Gates, as the dealer slid him a stack
of chocolate colored chips representing
1000.
Davy smiled, wiped his glasses and
then waved toward the ceiling. John
got busy with the game, but the fates
seemed against him.
If he liked the queen open it invari-
ably lost. If he coppered 1t to lose, it
won. His first stack Of chips was lost
before the turn of the first boxful. With
more chips he tried all sorts of bets.
He heeled his bets all over the layout.
He tried the high card. He tried call
ing each turn, but could not even
dope out a cat-hop." In fact, he was
whipsawed from the soda card to the
hook.
| Daylight filtered into the room. All
the other players had long since quit to
watch the financier's heavy play.
Gates counted up the markers against
him and learned that he was a little
over 100000 to the bad.
/ l,;, oh oil I
at the track" he laughed up at Davy.
Johnson was tired. He looked at the
clock, yawned and made some trivial,
good -natured reply. But Gates had
noted the yawn.
| I'll tell you what I'll do. Davy," pro-
posed Gates. 1.-The dealers tired. Let
him turn up the box and go home.
You're tired, too, but what do you say
to a. little two-handed game Of draw
for just thirty minutes? Then we'll
stop, win or lose"
| Davy nodded, and while Gates wrote
a check for his Indebtedness at the
faro table the attendants produced a
box of fresh cards and turned on the
| ISnIS over d poker tdple. roi poSoipiS
fifteen or twenty minutes the game
ran on. The hands were small and the
players wary, as the words mo limit"
had been pronounced. 1t was an even
break up to this juncture.
1t was Davy's deal and Gates had
made it $500 to play. One by one the
financier picked up his cards without
looking at their faces. He punched
them, with his eyes on Johnson to see
whether or not he intended to play.
The latter. having finished dealing for
the time being, picked up his hand.
After a brief glance at the indicators
he tossed four blue chips into the pot.
Each chip represented $500, therefore
his action meant that Gates would have
to pay $500 to play.
The crowd surrounding the table
edged in closer. 1t began to look as II
there might be a little high play after
all.
Holding pretty good cards, Davy,
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