CONFESSIONS OF A GAMBLER.

Western Star, Issue 810, 19 January 1884, Page 6 (Supplement)

CONFESSIONS OF A GAMBLER.

“ What are the chances against a player in a square game of faro ?” the reporter asked of an old gambler. “ Against a sucker —a ‘ producer,’ I mean ?” inquired the gambler. “ I mean the clerk or merchant who drops in to tackle the game,” said the reporter. “ Well, that’s what we call the ‘ producer,’ ” the sport explained, and then went on: “ That’s the class that produces the wealth that makes gambling a business. It is the producer’s money that keeps the game going. The chances he has of winning with nothing against him, and if he hasn’t got a system, and isn’t betting high, are about one out of three, or maybe two out of five—that is, he will lose in two out of three, or in three out of five plays against the bank, and no matter how often he wins he is sure to be a dead loser in the end. If he plays big and has a system the dealer soon gets on to it. If he is stuck on a card, or plays three on a side, or odd and even, or both ends against the middle, it will take the dealer no time to find it out, and, as it is his duty to protect the bank, he will shuffle his cards so as to lay the player out cold. The player generally sticks to his system, and has no chance. If there are a number of persons playing of course it is difficult for the dealer to handle the cards in this way; but often the numerous players seen at a table are staked players, who are playing with the bank’s money, and of whom the dealer takes no notice, as it makes no difference whether they win or not, so his whole attention may be given to the producer. In nearly every bank they have a lot of cappers hanging aro aid, and when a producer comes in, they are staked to start the game.

“ The dealer has ano'.her trick,” he continued, “that we call taking the card by the ear. if the player is a high roller, that is a big bettor, and has a favourite card, it may lose for him every time. In that case the dealer puts it on its proper pile, but if the player is winning, the dealer will throw this card down carelessly, so that it doesn’t lie squarely on the pile. Pretending to straighten them up, he will slip the card under the pile and then shuffle them so that in the nest deal the player’s chances are to lose: if the player wins again, the'dealer will agiin take the card by the ear. Those t lings cannot be done where there are a number of genuine players, for in that case it makes very little difference who wius or loses, the players winning each others’ money and the bank having the benefit of . the splits.” “ And this is what you call a square game ?” “ Why, of course; all this is done merely to protect the bank, which must have same protection. In a brace game the player stands no more show of winning than he does of swallowing a lightning*rod. In the square game there is some show for him. But every player has his system with which he expects to break the bank, and he finds out in the end the truth of the saying that there never was a system the dealer couldn’t beat. These things are necessary, as I said, to protect the bank. It is often subject to losses by shoe-string players, who being deeply in debt, manage to get hold of a few dollars, and having nothing much to lose, conclude to try their luck. Sometimes a fellow wins six or seven hundred dollars off a shoe-string, as we call a small stake, goes out and pays his debts, and that’s the last the bank sees of the money. The chances are if he has five or ten dollars left he’ll come back, and if luck is still with him may win a few more hundred. But talk about it as you may, faro is the fairest and squarest game, and if a man must gamble I'd advise him to tackle nothing else.” “ Can’t faro be beaten ?”

“ Not unless you play a limitless game and have a mint of money to do it with. If a bank has 2000dols, you can bet 2000dols on a card, and if it wins the bank is busted, and there’s an end of it. If you lose you have to keep on doubling your bets until you do win, when, of course, the desired end is accomplished. But every bank has its limit, and when you get it, you’ve got to slay there. The fact that few gamblers have money shows which way the wind blows. It’s rare one dies rich. The banks make the money, the producer furnishes, and the professional sport kind of hangs in between the two until women or whiskey bring him to his g sWQ.~~PiUshv,rg Commercial Qwctte.