The Jackpot In Poker

The jack-pot may be an innovation, and contrary to the traditions of the game, but it is universally accepted, today. It differs from any­thing else in the game, because it arbitrarily forces every player to ante. In all other phases of poker it is only the age who antes. In the prehistoric period of poker the way of playing when every one passed out was for the age to withdraw his ante. When he dealt, in his turn, the next age put up the ante. It was not un­usual for several rounds to be dealt, and for everybody to pass out. This became monoto­nous; and then somebody invented the jack­pot.

The way of playing the jack-pot is as follows: When all pass out, the age leaves up his ante, and all the other players put up their antes or chips in equal amounts to the age’s ante. The cards are dealt for the next round by the next player. It differs again from the ordinary game, inasmuch as there is no elder hand, no one hold­ing the age.

To open the jack-pot, some one must have at the least a pair of jacks. He can open it then with jacks or better. But if no one has a pair of jacks, or better; each player again contributes a chip, and a new deal is in order. A half dozen rounds may be dealt, and the jack-pot not opened. There is nothing obligatory about enter­ing. A player may hold a pair of jacks and not open. Supposing a player has a pair of jacks or better, he opens the jack-pot, that is, he wagers so many chips. The rest see it, or not, as they please. If they do not see his wager, he takes the pot. The opener makes, however, the first bet, and the betting proceeds to his left as in the ordinary game.

Sometimes, by prior arrangement, an ascend­ing scale is determined on for opening the jack­pot, beginning with jacks. At the first round, say it is not opened, no one having jacks or bet­ter. Then for the second round, queens or bet­ter are required; for the third, kings or better; and for the fourth, aces or better. Sometimes, when the round of aces is reached, the opening continues at aces. Occasionally, the opening changes in the descending scale, after aces are reached, going down to kings, then to queens, and to jacks again. But this ascending, or de­scending scale is not often played, because it leads to frequent mistakes. The best way is to make jacks the openers, and to keep the opening at jacks. Of course anything better than jacks, as a pair of queens, kings, or aces, and all the other combinations, open the jack-pot. The opener of the jack-pot must show his hand at the end of the round.

There is one case of opening the jack-pot which leads to many disputes. The rule being that jacks will open the pot, how shall this be construed when a player has a pair of jacks, his hand being made up, say, of the jack of dia­monds, the jack of hearts, and three other hearts? He has a perfect right to open. He has in his jacks the key to the situation. But has he the privilege of throwing away a jack, say his jack of diamonds, and then draw, hoping to make a heart flush? Now, it may happen that A opens, and has the two jacks, with the combination of cards just presented, B and C come in, and D raises. A may want to take the risk of throw­ing away his jack of diamonds, so as to draw the flush. Sometimes it has been decided that the player may draw for the flush, on condition that he puts the card he discards face down before him, so that ‘he may show after the round that he had a pair of jacks, because there is a penalty, to be explained afterward, for a mis­take made in opening the jack-pot. It has been declared that this drawing to a flush can­not be made. In some clubs an arrangement has been made, that the person drawing for the flush should announce the same, exhibiting the discarded picture-card. But this is all against the opener of the jack-pot, as it exposes his hand. The best authorities on this subject have decided that the player opening the jack-pot must show cards which contained the positive evidence that he held a hand of a fixed value. It may be improved by the draw, as a pair made, two pairs, or threes, or fulls, but if he is the opener he cannot draw to a straight or a flush. Aside from an exact construction of the rule, as jack­pots are the most important of all the phases of the game, the amount of chips on the table being the largest, when it is played, to put a card on the table is to favor fraud. The editor, notwithstanding many differences of ideas advanced in regard to this point, is most decidedly of the opinion that this rule should be enforced. Of course this has nothing to do with the rest of the players who come in. They may draw as they please, and come in with anything they like.

When a jack-pot is opened through a mistake of the player, he has to pay for his error, and this penalty should be insisted upon. This pen­alty varies according to agreement. Sometimes the person making the blunder is mulcted to three times the amount in the pot. This we think to be too severe. The fact of making the mistake, though the error is discovered before the cards are drawn, makes no difference. The party making the blunder is ruled out. Suppose that A has made this mistake, is not aware of it at once, and B, C, D, and E enter. A declares his mistake, and is ruled out. Then the round may begin over again; but if any others of the players have a pair of opening cards; they open the pot. The status of the other players is not changed by A’s mistake. Even if A does not find out his error, and has drawn cards, and the others have done the same, and then A makes known his error, the rule holds good. If the others have not had openers, even if one player with a pair of deuces had drawn two other deuces, it makes no matter. It is for this reason that the hand of the person opening the jack­pot should always be closely scrutinized. He must expose it after the round, whether he has lost or won.

The temptation to open a jack-pot by a ras­cally player being great, the pot always being large, the utmost vigilance should be used. Ex­perience shows that a great many of the frauds of poker are concentrated around jack-pots.

For more information about draw poker and other exciting casino gambling games visit our site at http://www.top10online.com