CHAPTER 10
Luke Short set out a dinner for them on a table against the wall. As with the other meals, each player had wandered over during the game, eaten something or taken it back to the table. This time when they broke, all moved to the table to eat and have a drink. Butler limited himself to one beer. He noticed Charlie Coe and Dick Clark had two whiskeys each and then a beer. Three-Eyed Jack had three beers. Al Newman drank half a beer, apparently just to wash down the food.
“How long do these games go on?” Newman asked, during the break.
“I can’t tell you,” Butler said. “Sometimes hours, sometimes days. When I sat down here yesterday I had no idea it would go this long.”
“By the way, thanks for getting me in the game,” Newman said. “I know it was you who spoke to Luke on my behalf.”
“Hey, we were down to four-handed. Everybody just wanted another body.”
“Forget it,” Butler said. “I’m going to do my best to take all your money.”
“Thanks for the warning. But tell me, if I hadn’t called you on that hand, would you have shown it?”
“I never show my hand for free,” Butler said. “Somebody’s got to pay.”
“You know,” Newman said, “I used to think I was a good poker player, but I’m learning a lot here.”
“Good,” Butler said, “just don’t use too much of what you’ve learned on me.”
The game went on into the night, with Luke Short stopping in to see how everyone was doing. Butler thought Short was not only surprised to see that Al Newman was still in the game, but that he was flourishing. Three-Eyed Jack, who’d had the hot hand for so long, until Butler joined the game, and then Newman, finally had his luck take a turn for the worse. Charlie Coe and Dick Clark were playing pretty even, and Butler had the feeling they were almost done. Treading water for a few days was not worth the effort.
Butler was well ahead, and Al Newman was winning
Just as Butler predicted, around three A.M. Charlie Coe announced that he was finished.
“This is ridiculous,” he said. “After the better part of three days I’m even. Time for me to move on. Gents, it’s been a pleasure.”
He stood up, shook hands with everybody, and took his leave.
“So are we playin’ four-handed?” Dick Clark asked, looking around the table.
“Sure, why not?” Jack said. “I’m game.”
“Although if I don’t start winning some pots soon, I’m going to have to call it quits, too,” Clark said. “I know how Charlie feels. After all this time I’m close to even, too. It’s not a good feelin’.”
As it turned out there had been several other players in and out of the game before Butler joined in who had donated their money to the cause. There were virtually no losers at the table at the moment—although Three-Eyed Jack had given back quite a bit of what he’d won the first two days.
“Okay,” Jack said, “we’re four-handed. The game is five-card stud.”