Show OBSERVATIONS ON WHIST Types of Whist Players to Bo Blot with in the Course of Travel The writer of a book on whist which has but recently been published and which I should be glad to give the name of to my readers as it is really an excellent book were it not for the fact that I do not desire any fame as an advertising agentthe writer of this book let me observe has taken occasion to speak contemptuously of railroad whist andI must confess to a feeling of sympathy with him in the evident sincerity of his disgust dis-gust at the player you meet in the smifcing car carSome years ago I took a trip up the Mississippi Mis-sissippi river on a boat and having ample leisure the passengers organized a whist table I Mypartner was a gruff old Englishman who had imbibed just enough of the principles of Cavendish to mako him if anything a worse player than if he had resorted more to his own natural intelligence For two days we played together and it was as much as the old gentleman Y could do to restrain himself him-self at what ho considered my stupid play Near the close of the second days play I made an unsuccessful finesse playing the nine third hand when I also held the knave and the ten was at my left At this my partners ire broke forth Ho threw down his cards in a violent fit of anger and stamping his feet he exclaimed By gad sir you are the most I stunid player I ever saw You ought to throw yourself overboard The exasperating type of whist player to meet is the one who has read a few whist books and thinks that he knows it all I was recently introduced to a gentleman of this kind I have been told said he that you play the game and should enjoy playing with you but let me tell you sir that I play entirely by book and I absolutely refuse to play with a careless player I have made a study of the game sir and flatter myself I understand it I thought I had struck a prize but alas I found that a few rules learned by heart had so clogged his understanding under-standing and warped his reason that he was worse than useless as a player of the real game He would finesse precisely at tho wrong time and his knowledge of unblock ing was so uncertain that he was sure to get tangled up and fall helpless at tho most critical criti-cal period I made up my mind that in whist as in life CIa little learning is a dangerous thing and my experience is that the man who studies the game for its own sake trying to find a reason for every play without reference refer-ence to books is a much better partner than he who depends entirely upon written rules In an experience of years of travel in various va-rious sections of the country I have never yet met a whist player who united a systematic reasoning with a thorough knowledge of the laws of the game The great difficulty is that people have not the time to devote to the study of the game They will pass hour upon hour playing euchre casino hearts seven up and like games and indeed they will play what is termed railroad whist but the idea of making a study of tho game is to them absurd and ridiculous and yet as one who has played all games I have no hesitation in saying that for an intellectual human being there is no game which affords so much pleasure as whist New situations are constantly crowding themselves on the player and to meet them with a keen reason and an understanding mind affords an enjoyment which is peculiar to the whist player Let those who would learn the game study it in its entirety and as they grow older in it they will find that it will become one of the keenest intellectual pleasures of their lives I Toil LANSING |