"'Which, you gents is familiar by repoote at least with the several
plans for redoocin' draw-poker to the prosaic level of shore-things.
Thar's the "bug" an' the "foot-move" an' the "sleeve holdout" an'
dozens of kindred schemes for playin' a cold hand. An' thar's
optimists, when the game is easy, who depends wholly on a handkerchief
in their laps to cover their nefariousness. If I'm driven to counsel a
gent concernin' poker it would be to never play with strangers; an'
partic'lar to never spec'late with a gent who sneezes a lot, or turns
his head an' talks of draughts of cold air invading' the place, or says
his foot's asleep an' gets up to stampede about the room after a hand
is dealt an' prior to the same bein' played. It's four to one this
afflicted sharp is workin' a holdout. Then that's the "punch" to mark
a deck, an' the "lookin' glass" to catch the kyards as they're dealt.
Then thar's sech manoovers as stockin' a deck, an' shiftin' a cut, an'
dealin' double. Thar's gents who does their work from the bottom of a
deck---puts up a hand on the bottom, an' confers it on a pard or on
themse'fs as dovetails with their moods. He's a one-arm party--shy his
right arm, he is--who deals a hand from the bottom the best I ever
beholds.

"'No, I don't regyard crooked folks as dangerous at poker, only you've
got to watch 'em. So long as your eye is on 'em a heap attentive
they're powerless to perform their partic'lar miracle, an' as a result,
since that's the one end an' aim of their efforts, they becomes mighty
inocuous. As a roole, crooked people ain't good players on the squar',
an' as long as you makes 'em play squar', they're yours.

"'But speakin' of this devious person on the Las Vegas Plaza that time:
The outfit is onknown to me--I'm only a pilgrim an' a stranger an'