The Education of a Poker Player (High Stakes Classic)

Author: Herbert O. Yardley
Publisher: High Stakes
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24 THE EDUCATION OF A POKER PLAYER

"Several thousand."

"Give me a bill of sale and I'll lend you five hundred. Deliver the trunks here and I'll let you redeem them when you fork up the five hundred."

"Jesus Christ, Monty, you're tough."

"I have to be," said Monty.

The drummer scribbled out a bill of sale which Monty handed to him, and threw it in the pot. He spread his hand. "Aces up," he said.

"Well, I'll be a son-of-a-bitch!" Monty laughed. "You mean you called a pat hand on aces up?"

"You can't bluff me. You don't have a pat hand."

"No, I don't," Monty said, spreading his hand. "I only have three tens."

You could have heard a pin drop as Monty raked in the pot. He had tricked the drummer by not drawing cards.

At last the drummer gathered his wits together. He said, "Now, Monty, I can't work without those trunks and you can't use all those shoes."

"That's a fact. But you can redeem them at any time by paying me five hundred."

"I can't write a check. My wife would know if I drew out five hundred from the bank."

"Then telegraph your manufacturer. You're a sucker for cards and must have got in trouble before. It's around ten o'clock. Tele graph your people and say you need five hundred."

The drummer looked dejected but followed Monty's advice. He had the money from Indianapolis by noon, and Monty released his trunks.

Right after this play the game broke up and Monty asked me to come to his study, which was next to the card room. When he turned on the study light a dark-blue rug was revealed covering the floor. In the center of the room was a flat-topped mahogany desk, and at the end, two deep chairs and a huge sofa covered in leather faced the fireplace. One entire wall was adorned with rows of books. The