Our Illustrations

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XLVII, Issue 21, 22 May 1912, Page 16

Our Illustrations

CHINESE DEN RAIDED. ‘ HOW THE GAMES ARE PLAYED. OJ r MONGST the illustrations in the / I current issue are a series of . I - 1 views showing the Chinese premises in Wakefield-street .being raided by the Auckland police last week, 'together with photographs of the gambling equipment seized. By reference to the photographs numbered 2 and 11 respectively, an idea will be gained, of how fan tan and pakapoo, the favourite gambling games, are played. Presumably fan tan Is the most popular pastime. It is played with a number of coins and discs. These are covered •with a bowl and the players then bet upon what the remainder will be when a pile selected has been divided by four. The advantages of the game from the gamblers’ standpoint are that it is almost impossible to cheat, that it is alike suitable for small or large stakes, and that it 'can be played with extraordinary rapidity, so rapidly, in fact, that very large sums may change hands in a few seconds. In the game as played by the average Chinaman a square lead counting board is placed on the table (our illustration shows the table laid out), 'having on it at each corner spaces marked one, two, three, four. The banker, who sits at tlie head of the table with the “dividend” box on his right, has on the floor beside him a bag containing Chinese cash. He reaches down and grasps a big handful of the money, and, placing it on the table, covers it at once with tlie saucer-shaped metal article known as the bowl. The players then place their money, or its equivalent, on markers in either space on the lead, thus indicating on which remainder they desire to bet. The “cash” is afterwards exposed and counted out in fours by the banker with the aid of the coupe, and those w'no prove to have guessed the remainder scoop the pool. A game almost equally popular is pakapoo, a form of lottery in which tickets covered with Chinese numbers are issued. Several of these numbers are selected by the banker, and the players may bet upon as many as five numbers, paying a shilling a number. They indicate the numbers that they choose on the ticket and return it to the banker, whereupon the result of the lottery is announced. It is stated that it is a regular thing for a number of the Chinese to attend church, and it is customary for them to Invest in lottery tickets before going to church, and to return afterwards to ascertain what their hick has been.