Free Doom Fox by Iceberg Slim Page A

slit in suspicion behind the tinted windows of his glasses to see Clarence call Lefty Hicks' fifty buck bet and raise it to a 'C' note with only the pair of treys and a third card, king of hearts. Draw Back and Lefty Hicks call Clarence's 'C' note raise.
    At the conclusion of the hand, Draw Back and Lefty Hicks throw superior hands into the discard when they let Clarence raise them out with his ace of diamonds high, pair of treys hand. Baptiste tells himself his guests have not only been in cahoots to bust him out and drain him broke against the bandit percentages of their four hands against one, his, but now are throwing their bankrolls to Clarence for the buck power to muscle him broke. To counteract their conspiracy, Baptiste vows to himself not to bet past a 'C' note unless he has the deck in hand.
    At nine p.m. Baptiste finds himself head to head with cigar chomping Clarence Jones. Baptiste, with close to twenty-two hundred dollars before him, glances at the eight grand bankroll stacked in front of Clarence. Draw Back, Dudley and Lefty Hicks smoke cigarettes and drink coffee as they sit around the table and hawkeye the see-saw action.
    At eleven p.m. Baptiste has, on his deals stacked hands, jumped Clarence's cuts of the deck back to original mortal cinch arrangement. On Clarence's deals, he has only called cinch bets. He has dealt seconds with wizard expertise to amass a four grand pile of bills before him. Half of what he requires to save his house, furniture and Packard.
    They ante a sawbuck apiece. He watches Clarence riffle and stack the cards. He cuts. Clarence picks up the deck to deal. Baptiste enjoys an interior chuckle to hear an almost imperceptible whisper of the cards as Clarence jumps his cut. Baptiste peeps at his diamond jack hole card followed by a second face-up club jack. He knows Clarence has a pair of nines, suspects, is almost certain, the third nine is stacked to fall before or on the fifth card.
    Baptiste bets a double sawbuck. Clarence calls, deals the third card, a diamond ten to Baptiste, a spade queen to himself, bets a 'C' note. Baptiste calls, is dealt a heart ten for two pair. Clarence deals himself a spade king. Baptiste bets a token 'C' note, is called and raised five bills. Baptiste folds with his two pair to escape the third nine he is convinced Clarence has stacked to fall to himself on the fifth card.
    Clarence spills the deck to the tabletop face up as he reaches to pull in the pot. He lights a fresh cigar as they ante. His eyes are bright with cunning as he watches Baptiste pick up the exposed deck and shuffle it.
    Baptiste feels his pulse sledge as he shuffles the deck and stacks a bandit hand. Clarence cuts the deck, gets red kings wired. Baptiste peeps at his diamond queen hole card pairing his face-up space queen.
    Clarence bets a 'C' note, is called and raised two bills. He calls, gets a heart queen, Baptiste a spade king. Baptiste bets two bills, is called and raised five bills that he calls. He deals Clarence a spade tenspot, himself a diamond eightspot.
    The deck wobbles in Baptiste's hand. His stacked hand has gone awry. His fifth card, the third queen of hearts, is on top! Oh well, what the hell. I'll just have to deal the thieving bastard a second, Baptiste tells himself with a dealing palm popping sweat.
    Clarence bets five bills. Baptiste calls and shoves his nineteen hundred dollar tap-out raise into the pot. Clarence rises to his feet, leans his long frame across the table, takes a long draw from his cigar as he stares into Baptiste's eyes.
    Clarence says, 'Bap, there ain't no help for you here' as he taps the top of the deck - Baptiste's winning third queen - with the fiery tip of the cigar.
    Baptiste ashens as he stares at the pinpoint scorch on his money card. Clarence's trio of confederates exchange ecstatic glances.
    Clarence says, 'Bap, I hope that accident with my cigar didn't jinx me' as he lets himself down into his chair.
    He counts out nineteen hundred,