The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1875-06-24
ZEE sOIENoR OF RETTTNa.

From the New York Graphic.
The passion for betting is so strong
and so general that human Ingenuity
has been racked to devise new methods
TO crafty it. " A man, said a promi-
nent lottery dealer TO the writer the
other day, "who could devise. new
system OF alloting prizes, even if it
were no better than the worst of those
now IN use, would make a fortune"
II this is the case in method of
rlsking money on chances which rests
under the ban OF the Law, the system of
betting upon races, which receives the
sanction OF so large a portion of the
community, has been made the subject
OF even greater amount of study and
inventive application. The result how
ever, practically, is four different svs-
TENS. The fTst-that between one in
dividual and the other-is probably as
old as the human race.
POOLS by AUCTION.
For many years the most popular
system of betting on races and other
sporting events was by the auction OF
pools, or pool-selling, as it is called.
This is so generally understood that
only the most cursory explanation is
needed here. Let us suppose a horse
race IN which several horses engage is
the subject of speculation. The pool
seller offers at auction what he terms
the =" trHt choice" His patrons under
stand that this means that a bet is to
he made on the. favorite against every
other horse in the race. "IIl rive one
hundred dollars for first choice" saws a
bettor. Zone hundred dollars is offer
cd, cries the auctioneer. No one offers
more, and the bettor paws down his
money and secures the right to place il
on whichever horse he pleases. GA Z"
rs the favorite, and he bets on that
horse, What is offered for the second
choice ?" shouts the suctioneer. eff
ty," sixty" "seventy" are the cries
of the SPECTATORS. "Done at seventy
dollars" cries the auctioneer, and the
second bettOr selects "B" or 60" If
he pleases. Then the third choice is
offered and sold, and last of all the
field" or the group of horses entered
IN the race, but whose merits are not
Wen enough known to guarantee their
individual mention. These four suns
OF money thus risked upon the FIRST.
second, and third choice, and on the
" field" constitute a "pool," to be
turned over, minus commission for
the pool-seller, TO the man who has
placed his money on the horse that wins
the race. Each person purchasing a
pool receives ticket duly numbered
and recorded by The auctioneer. bearing
the name of the horse he has selected.
BooK-BETTne.
The system of book-bettinp has been
IN use in this country but a compare
lively short time. To the uninitiated
the term is only source of mystery.
a man who opens books on any race
must be well informed on all points
bearing on the speed, bottom, and prob
able condition of the several horses
that are entered. He arrcnges a series
OF odds on each one as against all the
others, which odds are offered to the
Puohc; In looking down the list
printed on carl gentleman may find
that opposite the name of Sprinebok
the odds are five to one. He knows.
therefore, that in the opinion of the
DOCK maker there are five chances that
Sprlngbok viii be beaten by some one
Of the other horses in the race to one
that he will win. II, therefore. he has
a better opinion of Springbok, he backs
that opi0ion by paying into the book
Keeper any sum of money ne chooses
above certain prescribed minimum.
Al Sprlngbok wins he will receive five
times the amount he has ventured. IF
Che horse does not win he will receive
nothing. In a race in which there are
twenty horses the odds offered will RIM
from two to one up TO thirty or more 10
one. Suppose the least likely horse to
WIN, then, If the minimum Investment
IL Sl.Ouu the man who bets on the
winner viii receive 500, 900, less the
percentage of the bookmaker, and in
return, the bookmaker will have re-
celVed his proposition, :" as it is called.
hnMun L
TX Two persons have accepted his odds
ON the horse in question he will have To
pay out $50, 600, and II his sales of
other horses have been complete he
may be heavy loser.
The peculiar features Of this mode
OF betting are that the sums bet are
usually quite large, and that if horse
changes owners or for any other reason
does not run, the money of the investor
~ not returned TO him, but BELONGS 10
the maker Of. the book. This is a
iavorite way of betting with wealthy
sporting men who prefer TO risk large
sums.
THE PARIS ATUTUFrs.
The only other system of betting
that remains is one that has attained
a great popularity within the past
-FOUR or hive years, since its intro
auction into this country from France
namely, the Paris mutuel pools Tbe
seller OF the pools in this ipetspoe
stanos benInd a counter on which there
is series of brass knobs arranged like
the Keys OF piano-board. Suppose
there are twenty horses entered. The
1ckets are always 50 piece. A person
ueSrous of investing will purchase
1chet on any horse he chooses. Imme.
flIufnIW a how 80 -.
the lace OF large machine STANDING
against the wall figure 1 appear onno,
site the name of the horse desipnatted.
III second person invests on the same
morse the same key will be struck. and
the Ignre Will disappear and a figure
= VIII appear IN its place. To looking
uF and down the list of horses on the
board he sees various figures Opposite
the horses names. From these he
knows Just how popular each horse is in
the opinions of those who have gone be-
fore him. If he thinks any horse
although poor one, has been rated too
low, 1t at once becomes his interest to
buy ticket upon him. The sum of all
the numbers shows just how many tick
cts have been sold. Suppose it a cunts
TO lOO, then $500 has been paid into the
poo, seller. Now, suppose again that
WA--Nt anu buAb NEn LlCkGLA nave
been sold on him, the entire sum s50O
Is divided between the holders of these
ten tickets, after small percentage has
been deducted as the profits of the pool
seller.
HISTORY AND POPULARITY OF THE SYSTEM.
A comparatively short time only has
elapsed since this system OF mutual
pools was devised and the machine in
vented by az ingS nious Frenchman by
which record ia markell of each in
vestment made. The merits and easy
applicability of the system we've at once
perceived in Paris by an eminent
American gentleman who was soiourn-
ing IN the French capitol. and he
brought a number of the machines
here. The system was at once received
with favor by the public, and Justly so.
for 1t is the only way in which the man
who orly seeks moderate risk can Law
ont his money, while the full publicity
OF All the transactions and the checks !
which are employed to perfect the sys. |
EnFgTInW Hhfau 4