The Washington herald., 1919-02-11
HOME, DISCHARGES AND JOBS
THREE WISHES OF D. c. BOYS
After Trip from France-Reatives
May Visit Men.
BY staff Correspondent.

Fort Hunt. Va. Feb. 10.-While the
chief of the big gun officers of the
American Coast Artillery, who hurled
tons of high explosive steel thirty
miles into the Hun lines, worked out
by the utilization of every known
branch of science the system of fir
ing which made the Boche yell.
"Kamerad" when the American guns
doomed, it has remained for Private
Billy Friedman, of Battery /, to
reduce to entirely mechanical methods
the fine art of poker playing.
Private Billy" as he is known in
the army, like the company of former
District Guardsmen here, only recent
ly returned from overseas. Like these
selfsame guardsmen he is more in
clined to talk of the value of systems
in playing poker than the exploits of
his battery in hammering the tar out
of the Boches with high angle and
long range fire. He wears a $500
diamond ring, a tailor-made uniform
costing not less than SIS, and is known
as the little man with the big roll"
Won $4,000.
"Billys comrades here estimate his
overseas winnings at the round sum of
$4,000. Many times in the dugouts
just back of the front lines, he won
so much French money he could not
carry it. Before coming to this coun-
try, where he promptly banked the
entire amount, Friedman converted his
winnings into drafts. checks and Lib
erty Bonds. He has never made public
just what his system for winning at
poker is, but a comrade who has
often sat in games with him states
| that Billy's system of rules is about
as follows:
l. Never stay in on a Jackpot with
| less than queens.
2. Always raise on two pairs.
8. Call all one-card draws.
This same comrade of the army's
best poker player states that you
never can tell from the expression on
] his face what he has.
! Why" said his admirer, Billy can
| bet $50 on a bob-tail flush and you'd
/ never know from the expression on
] his face but what he had a full
house"
: Some Of the District Coast Artillery
men here and over across the river
! at Fort Washington, TO which they re-
! turned yesterday from the battle
I fields Of France are no less expert at
! certain games of chance, but this
! close to their homes it is not safe to
mention names.
Thoroughly inoculated with the
| Coast Artilleryman's idea of doing
| everything scientifically from shooting
| guns to shooting craps" they have
| devised systems which they declare
are unbeatable.
Some of them have made snug little
! fortunes of from $500 to 5000. Just
! to prove they are poker players of su-
| perior understanding they mention the
! fact that they went up against the
navy's best on the transport going
over and took all the sailors had in
the way of change.
Arc Dice Champions.
At Buzancy they went up against
the champion dice artists OF a colored
( brigade, and beat these dusky war
riors at their own game. As to dice
!, systems there are two, each of
(which has its adherents among the
District artillerymen. They are:
I. Bet 'em wrong, and don't use the
dice at all, the chances are all in your
! favor.
. Shoot dice, providing you can
make them stand up on edge and
make them come back and talk to
you.