Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1936-11-21

One Of the faw0rite gambling
games Of those MOntanans who en-
gagged in speculative card play 40
or SO years ago was stud poker.
No doubt If all Of the stories which
had their origin in the efforts Of
one man to guess the identity of
the hole card held by another
could be rounded up, one would
have a tremendous and interesting
volume OF reading matter.
Unfortunately, the men who kept
diaries of their life and times during
that period Of MontanaS development
paid little attention to the gambling
games that were almost continuous
performance IN every mining and COW
camp in the country. Consequently
there are few details of the early-day
'sbig games" available now except as
they can be recalled by'a few pioneers
who still survive those stirring days.
Pioneer tradition has 1t, and the
statement has never been disputed, that
the largest pot" which ever graced
the table in a Montana stud poker
game was $4,000. The game took place
In a gambling house run by "Swede
Sam" Wallin in Helena IN 1884
game which lasted for three weeks
without cessation and during three
days and nights Of which there was
never less than $4,000 in chips on the
table, and at one time 100000.
Brief Stops to Eat and Sleep
OF course the players changed from
time to time. Montana nor any other
country has yet produced a gambler
who could play for three weeks at q |
stretch without eating or sleeping. But (
the game ran continuously, without I
stopping for a moment, for 81 days. (
Probably dozens of different men sat I
in 1t during the session. A few partici (
pated in it every moment of the time +
except when they were eating or Sleep I
ing, and they wasted as little time upon
those needed refreshments as they pos +
sibly could.
Among those men were "Swede Sam" 4
himself "Swede Louis" Little Harry"
woodbridge, a San Francisco gambler;
"Brocky Pete later famous through
out the United States in racing circles,
owner of LaCazadora and dozen other
fine running horses; a noted cattle (
man Of that day, and prominent
politician who later held high fed
eral position in Alaska.
Gambling then was licensed in Mon
tana and Swede Sans place was the
largest in Helena, and one of the most
noted in the northwest.
Ordinarily in poker games, whether
stud or draw, there was ''rakeoff" for
the house-a percentage Of the stakes
WHICH was GdCtl DOb
when the hand closed, as payment for
table space" as it were Otherwise the
poker players would have been utiliz-
ing the space and equipment in the
gambling house at the owners expense.
In this particular game, however,
there was no rakeoff. Instead, the
house received 81 for every new deck
Of cards. and was paid, Of course. for
the drinks and cigars ordered by the
players. The game was at its peak dur
ing three days and nights of the three
weeks which it lasted, and during that
time attracted wide attention. The
place was thronged with spectators
drawn by word that there was "big
game" under way, and many of them
no doubt ventured q few wagerS of
their own on various other games in
peration-faro, keno, roulette, AL" {
Patrons could even gamble on solitaire {
in those places.
During the game play was high. {
~Swede" Louis went broke once. He had
lost $4,000 and all that he had left {
was a check for 500 which he declared {
he was going to keep. '
Come on, be q sport, said Brocky 8
Pete to him. You might win with
that"
Swede Louis finally decided to re- e
main in the game with his $780, The 5
hole cards were dealt and he tossed in (
The $780, Three others stayed, and t
8wede Louis won. His luck had changed Q
and he won back all that he had lost. t
Aces IN Hole Speed Betting {
Finally Swede Louis got an ace in &
The hole and a six spot up. He and a
Swede Sam each had about $4,000 IN v
front Of them. Sam had an ace in the o
hole and king up The next turn of ii
me cards brought each of them an I,
1ther ace. With two aces and a king, n
Gam passed the betting to Louis. The n