He stood no ‘kinder sorter’ chance against such awful luck.
He lost the money in his purse, he lost his watch and chain;
And then the cause of Brown’s good luck to Snaughter was made plain,
For while he held three aces, the General he held four,
And could, had he deemed proper, have held as many more.’”
SEE [PAGE 11].
“I want to impress strongly upon you the fact also, that the game of Draw Poker is an expensive recreation. It’s only a question of time, and means at your command, as to the amount of money you will lose. The longer you play, and the more means under your control, the [15] ]more you will be out of pocket in the end. Like the ‘Outside Public,’ in Wall Street, it is only a question of time. At some other time, my boy, I will talk to you about Wall Street, but not now. With many, the loss of money at Draw Poker is the smallest item. There are those who become infatuated, and the result is not only loss of money, but loss of time, character, business, position in society, and often ends in dissipation and crime. Let me warn you, therefore, my boy, of the danger of becoming too much attached to this game. When you find you have neglected to perform some duty, or to keep some business engagement, in order to play; when you find yourself playing into late hours, as you confess you did last night, or when you find you are losing more than you can well afford, with your salary, quit it!! quit it!!! I say, don’t wait for all three of these warnings, but quit it on the first show of either; for you are then on dangerous ground. The charm of the gaming snake is beginning to [16] ]produce its effect, and your only safety is in throwing off the influence of the charmer. Any delay or procrastination now is almost sure destruction. There is no game of chance or skill that brings out one’s real nature, one’s ownself, as much as Draw Poker. Where players all stand well in a community, the game is expected to be fair and honorable; hence a good opportunity is offered for those who are disposed to cheat, to do so. I would rather play a few games of poker with one whose character and disposition I would like to learn, than to receive a basketful of recommendations. I admit there are games played in which all are gentlemen, and no one under any circumstance could be induced to take any advantage of another. But, my boy, such cases are rare. Want of opportunity, and fear of the eyes of others, are what keep many players honest. Now, with these introductory remarks, I will say, that it is to guard you against the acts of such players that I shall talk to you for a short time, feeling sure [17] ]that, if you remember well what I say, it will be to your eventual great gain.
“I begin by repeating the advice of the father to his son. Said he, ‘My son, if you play cards for gain, you will surely lose in the end; but if you will see that the cards are cut immediately before dealing every time, your money will last you longer.’ This was good advice, and just as good now as when first given. There are card players, or ‘card sharps,’ as they are called, who can shuffle cards so adroitly as to ‘put up a hand’ right before your eyes, and you not know it. Even a ‘bungler’ can shuffle so as to give himself a ‘pair,’ or at least to have knowledge of what cards are left on the top or bottom of the pack, which knowledge he can make useful in many ways. For instance, after the deal, he finds in looking at his hand that he has a pair that match the card he knows is on the bottom of the pack. In helping himself, he takes this bottom card; he ‘does his work so fine’ you can not discover the cheat. And [18] ]if he has a ‘four straight,’ a ‘four flush’ or ‘two pairs,’ and the bottom card will fill his hand, he takes it, as I have said, making his ‘straight,’ or ‘flush,’ or ‘full.’ Many other points under this head could be given you, my boy, why the cards should be cut the last thing before being dealt. Strictly, the blank card of the pack should always be the bottom card of the pack being dealt.