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Something About Its History: Merry Old England
Then the game leaped the English Channel, something Napoleon often contemplated but never accomplished, and appeared in Merry Old England as Brag and later as Post and Pair.
In England the game was played by King Arthur and his knights. This is at once the simplest and most plausible explanation for the famous round table and the all night sessions. It was a very dangerous game at that time. The King was enthusiastic about it and none of his knights, not even Sir Galahad, dared thwart his passion for play. He was a very bad loser, and got sore if any one beat him out of a big pot.
No one but Sir Galahad ever dared to bet the King to a standstill, for the latter always counted himself into his hand. Four aces were not much good against His Royalty because if he had three kings and a pair he called it four kings and a pair. He never could be caught bluffing either. If anyone raised him back when he had nothing, he would immediately send his opponent off to hunt All men are born equal; spades are as good as diamonds. "Twenty-Three for you, said the King.
POKER-HISTORY for damsels in distress, raise the pot again and take it, claiming the absentee had dropped out.
Richard III was another king of poker players, although his most famous exhortation when "pulling" before the draw has been rudely distorted. What he really said was: "A Jack! A Jack! My Kingdom for a Jack."
Y Royalty in all time has been devoted to poker. That's why it is frequently referred to as a Royal Sport.
Many years later, George Washington, the father of his country, beat the Indians to a fare-ye-well at poker and "razed" their villages off the map. Then he turned his attention to teaching the English the game. They thought he was "bluffing" and paid heavily for their mistake. Every time he made a bet they found to their sorrow there was a "hand" behind it. He beat all the Kings and Queens they had, with deuces and other small cards. After the American Revolution every inn boasted a card room, but the reform in politics dragged other reforms in its wake, and the bold New England gamblers had to "pack" up their cards and chips and travel West. In the mining camps of California in '49 every man was an inveterate poker player. Those were days of big bluffs.
Fools come in where wise ones drop their hands.
POKER-HISTORY Although history gives no accurate data regarding the identity of the inventor of playing cards, it is generally believed they were designed by an old weather prophet. Surely it is more than a coincident that the general plan upon which playing cards are based is so closely linked with astronomy, astrology and the other things that go with them in the scientific parade. There are fifty-two cards in a pack, one for each week in the year. There are four suits, one for each season. There are thirteen cards in each suit, and there are thirteen lunar months in a year. There are two colors, red and black, one typifying day and the other night.
When poker came to America it came to "stay." It will always be the game with Americans until they throw down their hands for good and all, and push back from the table on which life is played.
All the world's a game; men are simply players.
You could never start a peace conference on the good feeling displayed in a "friendly" game of poker.
OF DRAW POKER Poker is played with a regular deck of fifty-two playing cards. The cards rank: Ace, King, Queen, Jack, Ten, Nine, Eight, Seven, Six, Five, Four, Three, Two.
To decide the deal one card is thrown face up to each player. Low deals. Ace is low. Any player has the right to shuffle, but the dealer may shuffle last. After the shuffle the player on the right of the dealer (called the pone) cuts. The dealer gives five cards to each player, one card at a time, beginning at his left. Succeeding deals pass in rotation to the left. In case of a misdeal, the deal passes.
TECHNICAL TERMS Age: The first player to the left of the dealer. This player is sometimes called the eldest hand.
Ante: The amount put into the pool, or pot, by each player who decides to come in after examining his original Kings, Queens, Jacks and Deuces make the world go round.
OF POKE] hand. The ante is twice the amount of the blind. (It is customary, however, to make two chips call five.) If the ante is straddled the ante is double the amount of the last straddle, but must not be more than the limit.
Blind: The amount put up by the age before the cards are dealt.
Bluff: To bet an inferior hand as if it were superior one. Call: Putting up chips equal to the largest amount bet by a preceding player, or players.
Chips: The counters, or tokens, for which the game is played.
Coming In: Putting in the pot the ante, and the straddles and raises, if any, in order to draw cards. Draw: Discarding one or more cards and receiving an equal number from the dealer.
Foul Hand: A hand containing more or less than five cards.
Going Better: The same as raising.
Going In: The same as coming in.
In the Pot: A player who has made good the ante and all raises, before the draw, is said to be in the pot. Jack Pot: A special pot in which the first bettor must have a pair of Jacks or better.
A flush in the hand is sometimes beaten by a flush on the face.
A K J 10 Royal Flush OF