Their dress consists invariably of a well-laundered "biled" (white) shirt, huge diamond stud in front, no collar or tie, perhaps a silk handkerchief tied loosely round the neck, and an open unbuttoned waistcoat.

They are necessarily cool, wide-awake, self-possessed men.

All in this room are chewing tobacco and distributing the results freely on the floor.

Now and then the dealers call for drinks all round, perhaps to keep the company together and encourage play.

But poker, the royal game, the best of all gambling games, is generally played in a retired room, where quietness and some privacy are secured.