Carson daily appeal. [volume] (Carson City, Nev.) 1873-1877, 1874-02-11
..HOGGING'' GAME OF FARO.

The San Francisco Chronicle of Mon
day has an article on the gambling game
of Faro, the same containing the follow
ing description of some of the methods
resorted to by swindling dealers to get
the better of their innocent and unsus-
pecting patrons. 1t is "a careful, prac-
teal student of the game who informs
the Chronicle thuswise. to wit:
The main reliance Of gamblers to rob
their victims is the .'brace game or
faro in which the dealer has it in his
power to make a card either win or lose
Its application requires special parapher
MALTA, so constructed AS to present the
appearance Of ordinary implements.
The dealing box is fitted with Il concealed
spring. the touch of which acts upon "a
false slide. and. by charging the open
ing. enables the dealer to take ont two
cards at time, instead OF one. SO that
the card which shoUld have fallen upon
the winning side is made TO fall on the
losing one One-half of the cards are
TRAINED at one edge and AT one end, jlst
enough to reveal the edge Of the card
beneath. which is marked with very
small dots their number and position
showing the denomination of the card.
The backs of the marked cards, and the
face of the unmarked ones, are rough
ened Just a little with sand-paper. where
by they naturally cling together III pairs
and as the dealer can at all times read
the cards three deep below the surface.
and by touching lever can bring out
one or two at time, as he chooses, he
has absolute control over them, and can
make them come whichever way he likes
1t is an actual fact that nearly every faro
bank is supplied with two-card box
and stock of trimmed and dotted
cards. These are not often used, to be
sure; never in fact. when there is any
chance of detection: but they are intro
dUced upon favorable occasions. The
two-card box admits of various ingenious
stratacems of like character. and. in
fact. its use is almost the only scheme
known in faro-dealing by which the
chance to win is exclusively confined to
the bank With its aid the dealer who
is skillful in the GINNING manipulation
known as ..butting in" the cards, or in
other words arranging them exactly as
he chooses during pretended shuttle.
can turn the game at any point, to VIII
or lose, as the bets on the board before
him may seem to render desirable.
As to whether this is the sort OF game
which chiefly attracted the attention Of
that one of the brothers who used to be
known as check guerilla, or whether
he is the aforesaid practical student"
the game, We are at a loss to guess; but
that the description is a good one We
suspect is true. And right here is where
We hope that orr present defective Ii
cense law may be amended, namely: Let
each town where gambling licenses are
issued have an InspectOr-an expert
whose duty it should lie to examine ali
faro-boxes and other gambling imllc-
ments and appliances in order that the
games should be exactly what they pUr-
port to be. This sort o. thing IS what
should he inseparable from the gaming
license system-ard, OF course, without
4 license there VIII be gambling without
any means of protecting the bet.or.
your license system, make ii
amenable to strict code Of regulations.
and you force the better class of Sambl-
ers to exact honesty of the others. Were
the Legislature in session We should
propose some amendments To- the gam
bling Act and this proposition to have
an Inspector Of games would be promi-
nently urged.
SaS Francisco. February 9.
Nafchez the Pinto Chief XnS relensa