The Shadowed Rooms of Washington Street

A reporter from the Post-Intelligencer sought to uncover the hidden gambling dens of Seattle. After some parleying, he was led into a saloon on Washington Street and introduced to a bartender. They moved to a back room where a man sat in an armchair; a secret string at the side of the door was pulled, the door opened, and they walked in. The room was hot and narrow. To the right was a table where a number of men, some sitting down and others standing up, were intent on watching a box which held a pack of cards. Another man had a frame upon which thirteen rows of buttons were strung. As the cards came out of the box, a tally was kept so that each player could tell what cards remained. The players were mostly men who had earned their living on railways or who would undoubtedly play night after night until they had lost their wages and were 'broke,' when they would quietly go to work again and earn more money to lose in the same way. Behind the house, the dealer was the only professional who profited. Occasionally a 'poulterer' would come in and throw down a few dollars, but as a rule, the dealer was the only winner. This game was generally known as 'stud poker.'