Queer Luck: Poker Stories from the New York SunCurtis, David A.
General
Queer Luck: Poker Stories from the New York Sun
Curtis, David A.
Poker -- Fiction; Poker players -- Fiction; Short stories, American
“The game went on without any special development for perhaps half an
hour before I noticed that Martin was playing against Gilmartin as
heavily as he could, and only trying to hold his own against the rest
of us. Gilmartin held his end up fairly, and was not far from even when
Martin got his first good chance at him. It was a pretty play, too, for
Gilmartin thought, as the rest of us did, that Martin was bluffing
when he stood pat, and contented himself with coming in without a raise
every time it came his bet, until the rest of us had dropped out. Then
he raised Gilmartin the limit. Gilmartin had a jack-high flush and was
confident, so they had it back and forth till Gilmartin called and gave
up four hundred dollars to an ace flush.
“That was the heaviest pot for a long time, but presently the two got
together again, and Gilmartin lost two hundred more. Then he grew a
little nervous and Martin grew cooler. Then Gilmartin became angry,
though he controlled himself tolerably well, and I was sure that Martin
would beat him. So it proved. It came my deal soon after in a jack-pot,
and Gilmartin opened it. We all came in, standing Martin’s raise. I
had aces, but didn’t better in the draw, so I laid down after one
raise. Martin drew three cards, as did each of the others, excepting
Gilmartin, who drew two. He bet the limit, and the next man laid down.
Martin raised it the limit, and another man and myself dropped out.
Gilmartin raised, and the fourth man threw down his cards. That left
the two alone again, and Martin raised back.
“‘Ten better than you,’ said Gilmartin savagely, and then with a short
laugh he added, ‘You won’t get away with me this time.’
“‘If you think so,’ said Martin quietly, ‘what do you say to taking off
the limit?’
“‘That will suit me exactly,’ said Gilmartin, and Martin pushed up his
last blue chip and a hundred-dollar bill.
“‘I’ll see that and go you five hundred better,’ said Gilmartin
eagerly, and he skinned the bills off from a big roll that he drew from
an inside pocket.
“‘Does my check go?’ asked Martin. ‘I haven’t so much money with me.’
“‘It’s good for fifty thousand, and you know it,’ said Gilmartin.
“‘I raise you a thousand,’ said Martin.
“‘And I’ll go you a thousand better,’ exclaimed the other. He was
getting excited, but nobody dared to speak. It was a serious matter to
interfere in a game like that.
“‘A thousand better,’ was the response.
“Gilmartin hesitated. He looked at his cards and thought for a moment.
Then he counted his money.
“‘I’ll have to call you,’ he said finally, ‘for I’ve only got twelve
hundred left.’
“Martin’s face was perfectly impassive. He, too, hesitated a moment,
and then he spoke.
“‘I’ll put up five thousand more, if you want to play for it,’ he said.
“‘But how can I? I tell you I haven’t any more money,’ said Gilmartin,
looking puzzled.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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