The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1875-08-05
COMPILING la New YOFk-Tha Different
VARIETIES Of Tiger TO be seen In the me-
troPoiis-A Terrible State OF Affairs.
From the New York sun1

"Banco' is similar TO the old game oil
put, which was driven off the race courses
some years ago. In the game Of "put" they
used eight dice, and had q painted cloth
numbered from eight TO forty-eight. Most
OF the numbers on the cloth had stars OPP
posite them. A few had prizes. ana there
was only one blank or losing number. That
was generally number twenty eight. The
expert whose business il was to count the
dice always counted the numbers so that
they correspOnded with number opposite
a star. Then the player was compelled to
''put, that Is 10 double his venture every
time, or lose or forfeit all the money that he
had put on the cloth. When his money was
exhausted, or he did not wish to bet any
more, the bank claimed all the money on
the cloth. But SO many quarrels grew out
Of the game of ''put' that it was forbidden
on all the race courses. The game was then
changed to 'benco," and rooms were fitted
Sp for it, Some Of these were Furnished
like business offices, having book keepers.
clerks and other ad juncts Of an honest com.
mercial business. There is, however. a
difference between ''put" and 'banco," as
In the latter game the player can double
his wager as often as he likes, and if at any
time he wishes to stop playing and with
draw his money he can do so by the pay
ment of a single dollar.
Until within the past two years "bancor
was played with dice. Then the gamesters
began to use tickets with numbers printed
on them, or small blocks with figures printed
on them from one to six. These tickets
served their purpose well, rs was illustrated
at the time of the evangelical alliance meet
ings in this city. The delegates to the
alliance, who bought seemingly harmless
tickets with numbers on them, would have
held up their hands in horror il anybody
had offered them ordinary dice. 1t should,
in common justice, be added, that the
evangelical alliance delegates who bought
tickets had been enticed by the ''ropers-
in" of the game. Thus: The delegate was
told by a well-dressed person in the street
that an innocent scheme for the benefit of
foreign missions had been established, and
he was invited to visit the place. Once in
the gaming house the delegate was shown a
book containing the names of Henry Ward
Beecher, Drs. Stephen ii. Tying, Sr. and Jr.,
the Revs. DIR. Hail. DIR. StorIs, DIR. Talmage,
and others, OF course all skillfully forged.
There was an exhibit opposite some of the
names OF the amounts drawn by them in
prizes. The conversation ran on foreign
missions, and the propriety of this means Of
procuring aid for them, and it was explained
that while contributing his dollar in aid of
the great object, the delegate really stood a
chance of drawing handsome prize. The
delegate bought the numbered tickets, and
lost his mone~.
One OF the most successful banco dealers
in this city, known as Miller, alias Tom
Brown, has retired on "a fortune of more
than $500, 900. Reddy, the blacksmith, and
Foster have made large sums of money in
the game. Raymond, an expert who was
for years partner of Brown, has about
500, 900, and one ''roper-n" realizes $780,
900 a year. His name is Miller, and he Is
over twenty-five years of age. He COM
menced the business about four wears ago
in New Orleans, and came to New York
when the merchants of New Orleans forced
the police to drive the banco dealers out
of the city.
Brace game is a term applied to houses in
which they pretend to deal faro, but in
which the player really has no chance what
ever to win. In brace house there is no
square" faro dealt. The dealer takes two
cards from the dealing box whenever he
chooses to do so. The box is arranged so
that the dealer can press on lever fastened
to the inside of the box in the right hand
corner. When the lever is pressed by the
finger, the mouth of the box Is opened SO as
allow two cards to slip out at once. On the
withdrawal OF the pressure from the lever,
the mouth closes with a spring, SO that only
one card can slip out. There are some boxes
made called lend boxes" by which the
dealer can press on the end of the box, and
take out two cards, the same as by pressing
on the lever, keeping his fingers IN a natural
position, instead of having to reach inside
of the box to press the lever
An expert thus describes the fixing of the
cards so that the dealer can win or loose
just as he pleases. The cards are divided
into two equal parts, twenty-six cards in
each part. There are various ways of ar
ranging the cards, such as sections, "
''odd and evens," ETC., but, the popular
way is "both ends against the middle"
One-half the cards contain the aces, dueces,
kings queens, Fights, SKIES and two of the
sevens. That is both ends. The other half
contains the jacks, tens, mines, trays fours,
fves and two of the sevens. This Is called
the middle. One-half of these cards are
clipped straight, less than one-sixteenth
pant of an inca smaller than the other half.
These are sanded on the face by rubbing
fine sand paper over them. The other halt
Is cut rounding, SO as to leave them larger
in the middle, and smaller at the ends than
the straight cards. These are sanded on
the backs. This is called ''deck of rounds. ~
The dealer in shutting can separate the
rounds from the straights by holding the
cards near the end with the left hand, and
drawing the rounds out with the the right.
Having the cards separated, twenty-six in
each hand, he makes the ends even by
gently tapping the end of one half against
the faces of the other half He then places
the two ends together on the table, and, by
pressing them together and, raising his
hands, he passes each alternate card
over the other, from the bottom to the
top OF the desk, thus bringing the
sanded face of one card TO the sanded back
OF the other. Ii is very easy to perceive
how by this means the dealer can con
troll any card SO as to make it win or lose.
To enable the dealer to know when
to "take' two cards, the opening at
the top Of the dealing box Is widest
at the end next tAe dealer, and each
card is dotted 40 that he can see the second
and third card, and knows exactly when to
Hske." The most dangerous houses in
this city, the places in which the most
money is lost are the private houses that
abound from Fifteenth street to Twenty
ninth street, close to Broadway. None but
gentlemen OF means are invited to visit
tlem.
"Fifty-three,n or the ssodd-card,n was
introduced about twenty-three years ago.
II Is played by having two cards of one
kind In the deck. Ii you have two travs
OF clubs both sanded on the face,
all the other cards being sanded on
the back, in cutting the cards to make a
deck Of " iifty-three,r all the cards are ent
smaller than the two trays. These are cut
to the same sire as the other cards, leaving
. "bricf.n A "brief means small piece
which is left on the card near the end. JEST
enough wider than the rest of the card to
enable the dealer 10 feel il with his finger.
The cards being thus cut and sanded, they
are ready for use. The dealer, after shut
ding the cards Few times, holds one
Of the ~briefs cayds and dnus ell the
cards above il OF with the other hand,
thus bringing the first tray 70 the top. He
then shuiies one card on the ton az this
tray. Then feeling for the ofher trav ne