Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1860-09-19

living by il gaIn, rs gambler aDbreVl-
ates the term, will swindlea greenhorn at bluff
poker, or some confidence game, or win his
money by thimble rigging or three-card
monte and use the proceeds to play faro
with. The onlyreal winners, to any amount
against faro banks, have been the professional
gamblers, who play oalculatingly, calmly and
scientifically, aud not with fancy cards to
back.
HOW THE CANE Is PLAYED.
On the long side of the room stands
table. on the three sides of which are the
plavers; at the back sits the dealer, with
man on his left TO see that he makes no
mistakes in paying out and taking in; and on
the right OF him another person, who has
before him handsome box, of about the size
of a large portable mahogany writing desk
This is opened while the game is in progress,
but closes with q spring, so as to be soon
locked and disposed of in the event Of sur
prise which in these days is not unsual. In
this box is the banks money, or as much as
its owners think they will want for ordinary
purposes. There are also in it the checks,
and it is the business of this individual to
keep Il book note Of mistakes by the dealer
flor no one around the table IS allowed or Is
likely to tell him and also to take in money
for checks, and redeem. them again when
players retire. On the table is cloth, called
a spread, on which is painted picture OF
each of the cards. All bets must be laid on
these cards in checks or in money. If one
wishes to bet on the ace, he puts his money
on that card if it wins he takes it up, il it
loses the dealer sweeps itOf The latter does
not know the player, his eyes are only on the
spread, which is a record of the game. Sup
posing the ace to have won, the player has
the opportunity of letting his wager stand, and
should it win again be wins double. SO each
time. Thus, If haquarter beput on the ace and
it wins, the dealer pays quarter on to iri
then it is allowed TO stand and wins again
the dealer answers with fifty cents more
This half standing on the card still; If the
third ace wins the player gets dollar; the
money still stands and should the fourth ace
win, the player gels 81, which he has won
with quarter. But this does not Arrays
occur; and ifOne fancies the ace Is going TO
lose on the second, third or fourth draw, or
turn-as it is calied-One can bet that it will
lose, and thus play with the dealer, if one
faucies his luck. Besides the check box and
the spread, there are the dealing box, the cue
box, and the checks and the cards. The deal
ing box is a square silver German silver case,
Just made to hold pack of very fine linen
cards, made expressly for faro. 1t is inclosed
on the bottom and two sides; the top is open
like frame, so as to show the face Of the
top card when in, and one side is left to draw
out the cards, as with pocket cardcase.-
Inside this rox, there is spring, and upou II
there is a plate of silver or German silver,
which keeps the cards tight in the case; and
as each card is drawn, presses upwards, so
that the reIniundor I5's '--r. -
secure in the box as the whole deck, no
matter if only contains one. The cue-box
4 is simply a tally of what cards are drawn and
/ what remain in the box This is usually
4 handled by some young man who aspires to
| a professor, and gets his reward from the
4 charitable stakes ofthe winner. The checks
represent money they are, at the so called
/ tip-top banks, tokens Of five dollars each;
[ they have red ones representing fifty dollars,
and blue ones still higher, as may be agreed
/ upon. At the merchants games, the whites
| 90 for dollar, the reds, So, and the blues,
/ SIS; at the lower ones, the whites stand at
25 cents, and the lower colors in the same
proportion. When one buys checks, he is
/ also handed over a little copper ring or so;
/ the object Of this is, that when the player
| fancies a card will lose, he may bet that it
viii lose, and thus, if he prefers it, play as
| the bank plays. The cards are rather Lmaller
than the ordinary kind. Players are not
! allowed to handle the cards OF substitute
| others. If this were allowed, the shlIpers
would instantly indent the edges or mark
them so as to bet with certainty of success
The dealer takes the cards, shuffles them by a
curious process, which some think enables
him to tell nearly how the cards lay. Others
say that this would be no advantage, as the
bank must cover all bets. Not SO, he can
refuse, by saying that ne has enough on card
to take any more bets upon it, or by slipping
it out too quickly, pretend that he did moi
see any one offering to bet, and thus manage
to evade taking bet.
An explanation of the rules and chances
which characterize faro is not in consonancC
with the purpose Of this sketch. 1t i!
enough to say that no game of chance Sc
feeds the impetuOus, ali-venturing passions
of the American gambler.
There is generally breathless silence during
the progress of the game, which is onl.
broken at the end of a deal, when the card
7 have to be re-shuff1ed. Then the 'sports,
as they term themselves, curse their luck
= while some are telling ribald jokes, an
others are blaspheming, and nearly all ar
smoking. There is but little drinking don
at the faro table. 1t is game that requires
clear, cool head, and light pOtatiOns of brand
are sometimes INDUCED in by the dealer
when he feels himself tired or distressed.
: RoPNG IN.
4 This is business in itself, md visitors (
e our hotels viii encounter well-dressed mel
who are very able to introduce themselve
: They incidentally engage in conversation 0
faro, tell big stories about winning, and il
: duce parties to visit the haunts Just to see til
thing-not to play. Every man so visitin
b is likely to pat down a quarter, and frol
i that he is drawn on to dollars and hundred
4 If it is what is called a cross or a cut-thro,
e. game, the individual wins one or two time.
= if he is known to have considerable 1aone
about him, they will venture largely upo
him, but before. he retires finally, he is MOI
= than an equally large loser. Ten per ce1
I, is the commission paid to rOpers in by
&c called fair gamers, and one half of the n
winnings are the emoluments to the rop
he from cut-throat game. When strang
ne gets on the street after visiting faro bank,
We will generally find himself followed by
engaging young man, who proposes to call
p upon some other game as they are goiI
IS, down, 'Just to look on, you know; not
ne play"
he THE CUT-THRoAT GAME.
3 This is the game of faro played by raj
swindlers, in which the player has no chan
OF winning. The box is so made that Il
= dealer can draw any card that be wishes,
draw two at time. Some of the cards a