Re: [ba-poker] the origin of presto

[Zbigniew <zbigniew(deleted the rest)>]

> I'm curious as to who originated presto....

This is the most complete and plausible origin story I have ever found:

Newsgroups: rec.gambling.poker
Subject: Re: Presto?
References: <37F449F3.C9CCD1EF(deleted the rest)>
From: Abdul Jalib <AbdulJ(deleted the rest)>
Date: 12 Oct 1999 14:24:46 -0700
Organization: Positive Expected Value, Unlimited
X-Newsreader: Gnus v5.3/Emacs 19.34
Lines: 48

DrToast <DrToast(deleted the rest)> writes:

> I've noticed the recent discussion on Presto, so I'm gonna be brave and
> admit I don't know the origins of Presto. Okay, sure it's 55, but how
> 'bout some long timer RGPer explain the birth of Presto.

Did anyone answer this?

In ancient times, Steve Jacobs would get annoyed when I jumped
over several steps in my mathematical derivations or logical arguments
and he would write "Presto!"  Frank Irwin knew me by sight, and as
fate would have it, Frank Irwin, Steve Jacobs, Blair, and I were all in
Vegas one weekend.  

(I had a different name then, before I went into hiding from all
the blackjack pit critters getting onto the net.  If you are
net.sage enough to know the name of the other person involved in
the presto story, then you probably know my real name anyway.)

I was playing single deck at Four Queens, and Frank pointed me out
to Steve and Blair, who sat down at my table, unbeknownst to me.  
Every time someone at the table got a blackjack, Steve Jacobs
yelled "Presto!"  This did get me suspicious that it was he.
Finally I left the table and so did he and he confessed and
we laughed about it with Frank.  There was a drunk following us
who had done a completely boneheaded play at the table, so I didn't
think it could be a rec.gambler;  I was wondering why a boneheaded
drunk would be following us around... but I then found out it was Blair!

Thereby "presto" on blackjack became the call sign for blackjack
playing rec.gamblers.  "Irwin?" became the countersign, due to
the popularity of his chip in the toilet story and his involvement
in the caper.

This was long before the newsgroup split, of course, so the hold'em
players heard this story and they wanted their own hand to yell
"presto" on.  The obvious choices were either AA or AT-AK, but
no consensus could be reached.  There were several threads posted
in which 55 had miraculously won, and people started nominating
55 to be the presto hand.  Then I made a post in which 55
miraculously won.  At this point Steve Jacobs stepped in and
declared 55 the official presto hand.

To this day, hundreds of years later, 55 retains the name "presto",
immortalized on BARGE chips just about every year.

-- 
Abdul