POKER STORIES.

Bruce Herald, Volume XXIX, Issue 2971, 24 June 1898, Page 3

POKER STORIES.

A delightful volume of "Poker Stories" beats upon its title-page the name of Mr. J. F. B. Lillard, a writer who has the faculty of telling bis " yarns " in a pituy aud pointed fashiou He claims to have gathered his material from the lips of " statesmen, soldiers, lawyers, commercial travellers, bankers, actors, editors, millionaires, members of the Ananias Club, and tbe Talent," aud certainly one finds ample variety in his stores. Here is a decidedly •• tall " specimen, wherein the operations of tbiec* skilful practioners were defeated by an exttaiudiu»ry " draw " : — 'L once found himself in a gume of poker, where three of the other players were playing a sure game. They were professionals, aud «rere after a big buudle of money that be hud iv his possession, as well as lookingjor that which the fifth player.a miuiug operator named Durkm, was kuown to have. Z knew in twenty minutes after the first baud was de-ult that the intention was to rob him, and wearied bis wits trying to find a way to get out of tb<without making trouble, but he couLl not discover a means to save him. At last be was dealt a pat flush of diamonds, u\a.<*.e up ol the 5, 7, 8, 9, and jack. He skinned those curds. over and did a mighty piece of thinking. Ht felt in his bones that a flush would be nc account in the world when it came to a showdown, but he chipped in, and stayed to druvs cards. To his surprise, "he wasn't raised befort the draw." Ho looked over his bright red diamonds again and concluded to draw a euro, in order, if possible, to straighten tbe fiu.ih. i)< pondered a long time between discarding tbe live-spot or the picture, and at last tossed away :be jack aud called fer a card. The dealer surpriMjd at his wautiug auy, but nave him ths nard. Z- picked it up aud found he had got the six-spot of diamonds. He ucver turned a hair. The betting began, aud he> nursed bits sequence of diamonds and just stayed, lotting the other fellows do the raising. At last it got lown to Z— — aud one of tbe professionals. Kisally tbere was a call, and the other mau showed four queens. Z-— — laid down the 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 of diamonds and swept in the pot. The game stopped t'.eie. I reckon that was the greatest piece of luck that auy man evor bad in a. poker gams. The followiug story shows how a wholesome terror may be inspired by nothing uiore formidable than an imposing note-case : — A certain very well-knovrn Ne<v Jersey politician — an old man, whose fame exteads far br.youd the borders of his own State:)— is celebrated as a great bluffer. At Trenton they play quite a lively gume at times, and this old man was formerly one of tbe most rapacious players there. Whenever he got a particularly large hand he would reach dowß iato his waistcoat, pull out a huge wallet, slam it down ou tho table, aud cry : " I raise that a hundred !" As a rule he scooped the pot. Several men who had seen him do this several times noticed that he rarely, did it except whon be was reasonably sure of winning. Tbey began to wonder what the big wallet contained, but none of them bad nerve enough to call, as they knew the old man was a close playor, who never bet uuless he had something good. One day last winter a young legislator from Newark was ia the game. The old man evidently had a good hand, and it was a rich jack pot. The young Newarker also had a good h»nd — a really good one, a full house, aces high. He sized up the old man and thought that a flush or a small full was about his size. They raised each otber for comparatively small amounts several times. Then the el ! man's hand went down into his waistcoat and out came the big wallet. Down it slammsU on tbe table, and tbe old man shouted : — " I raise you a hundred .'" The young man from Newark" skun " bU cards, loflked at the old man a minute, and then, reaching down, he took off a hug boot, looked at it carefully, threw it upon the table, and said — " I -oall. 1 guess there is more leather in my boot than in your wallet." And so it turned out. Th« wallet was empty. The old m_n had succeeded is bluffing the entire crowd for months on an empty wallet. This time the pot wont to Newark. " Speaking of poker hands," eaid young Pecan, of Texas, " I once played in a threecornered game i« which one man held fire aces and the other man a six-shooter " " And you ?" -• Aud I held the inquest."