This is a collection of wonderful poker stories, some obviously pure fiction, some based on true facts, at least some of the actors are historical figures that did indeed exist. It reveals a good amount of how card sharps plied their trade, and illustrates many of the local differences in playing draw poker.
The book has been illustrated by Ike Morgan of Frank Baum and Wizard of Oz fame.
- CHAPTER I
- What Is Poker
- Its Origin, And Why We Like It
- CHAPTER II
- The Early Days Of Poker
- Steamboat Games
- A Mammoth Raise
- Bowie's Good Deed
- CHAPTER III
- Poker In Washington
- A Story Of Henry Clay
- Cabinet Players
- Mahone's Rule
- When Reed Was Called
- CHAPTER IV
- Poker In London And Paris
- John Bull's Two Pair
- A Game With The Prince Of Wales
- CHAPTER V
- Poker And Jurisprudence
- Various Decisions By Legal Luminaries
- How The Judge Overruled The Motion
- The Sheriff Took The Pot
- CHAPTER VI
- All About Jack Pots
- A $1,200,000 Jack
- Didn't Know Greenbacks
- Won On Two Deuces
- A Boston Man's Narrow Escape
- CHAPTER VII
- The Scheme For A National Jack Pot
- A Jack Pot Without Cards
- CHAPTER VIII
- Women And Poker
- Arguments To Show That They Can't Play And A Story To Prove That They Can
- CHAPTER IX
- Old Time Poker In The South
- A Jack Pot Of Niggers
- Colonel Rafael And His Honor
- CHAPTER X
- Poker And Hypnotism
- A Young Man Who Can Read Cards
- How Five Aces Were Beaten: Callaway hypnotises his opponent to see four aces and a joker (five aces) as nothing but a full house, and Callaway's bobtail flush as four aces. Callaway takes the pot.
- The Man Who Laid Down A Straight Flush
- CHAPTER XI
- A Life-Long Game
- The Great Morgan-Danielson Betting Match
- Four Hours To Open A Jack Pot
- Three Thousand Dollars For A Nap
- CHAPTER XII
- About Bluffing
- $200,000 On A Pair Of Tens
- A Bluff That Turned Into A Flush
- Major Edwards And The Tenderfoot
- CHAPTER XIII
- Tom Custer's Luck
- A Girl Makes The Best Draw On Record
- How A Townsite Was Won On Two Deuces
- Lucky Baldwin's Big Play
- CHAPTER XIV
- Six Cards In One Hand
- Two Games Wherein Six Cards Figured
- What Became Of The Extra One
- CHAPTER XV
- Poker In The Centennial State
- Big Betting On Small Hands
- How Three Klondikers Played Cards
- CHAPTER XVI
- Children And Poker
- Too Much Frankness
- Daddy And Dinah
- How The Tom Fool Had Them "All Alike"
- CHAPTER XVII
- The Police And The Gamblers
- A Down East Selectman
- A Bunko Game At Los Angeles
- Story Of The Short-Card Man
- CHAPTER XVIII
- Superstitious Players
- Queens And Tens
- Louis Laid Them Down
- Euchre And Poker
- An Old Story
- CHAPTER XIX
- Reminiscences Of William Hurt, Reformed
- John Dougherty's Bet Of Arizona Territory
- His Adventures In Persia
- CHAPTER XX
- Now The Bear Spoiled The Jack Pot
- Touching Tale Of A Dog That Tipped Off Poker Hands To His Master
- CHAPTER XXI
- Practical Joking
- How The Dentist Was Fixed
- The Fresh Baseball Reporter And The Players
- CHAPTER XXII
- Crooked Gambling
- An Expert Explains The Mysteries Of Second Card, Paper Men And Hold Outs
- CHAPTER XXIII
- Classic Tales Of Poker
- The One-Eyed Man
- Origin Of The Looloo
- Four Kings As Bank Collateral
- Jay Gould As A Philanthropist
- CHAPTER XXIV
- The Poetry Of Poker
- Ditties, Wise And Otherwise, About The Great National Game
1st edition 1900; 342 pages; PDF 187 pages.
word count: 75387 which is equivalent to 301 standard pages of text
