The Outcasts of Poker Flat

“‘I reckon they’re after somebody,’ he reflected; ‘likely it’s me.’ He returned to his pocket the handkerchief with which he had been whipping away the red dust of Poker Flat from his neat boots, and quietly discharged his mind of any further conjecture.”

Despite understanding that the vigilantes will most likely come after him, Oakhurst cleans the dust from his boots, puts away his handkerchief, and continues without any worry for his future. This description characterizes him as unflustered and able to perform ordinary tasks when facing a dangerous situation.

“‘It’s agin justice,’ said Jim Wheeler, ‘to let this yer young man from Roaring Camp—an entire stranger—carry away our money.’ But a crude sentiment of equity residing in the breasts of those who had been fortunate enough to win from Mr. Oakhurst overruled this narrower local prejudice.”

Justice in Poker Flat renders itself as an arbitrary concept. Its inhabitants rely on gambling as revenue yet denounce an outsider for winning their money. Only those who have won money from Oakhurst speak up on his behalf. The hypocrisy tacitly announces that no one is safe in a town with such a capricious governing body.

“Mr. Oakhurst received his sentence with philosophic calmness, none the less coolly that he was aware of the hesitation of his judges. He was too much of a gambler not to accept Fate. With him life was at best an uncertain game, and he recognized the usual percentage in favor of the dealer.”

Mr. Oakhurst’s life as a gambler enables him to read other people’s expressions and demeanors. He recognizes the judges’ “hesitation” during his sentencing but knows that this situation is not one in which he can throw the dice and hope that luck lands in his favor. Mr. Oakhurst’s view of life as “an uncertain game” in which he is “too much of a gambler not to accept Fate” further demonstrates his cognizance of when it is time to fold his cards. However, there is irony in this passage, as Oakhurst’s eventual death will result from his refusal to die on anyone’s terms but his own.