The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-07-14
THE GAME CALLED POLICY.
ONE or THE FOOLTsHEsr WHY'S IN
WHICH MONEY rs LOST

what tho Chances Are Agnin.t the Player
FiWures thnt Carry thetr own WARNING
Schemes 90 Bent che tsnnk Unavaiiinx.
"Why Is IT," asked tho reporter, THAT
people play polcyW
Nothing simpler" rcpilcd tho authority on
such matters to whom tho question was put.
"Ncxt to getting something for nothing. people
like to get mach for little; and for promising
much for little thoro probably never was n
game that edualcd policy. Tho odds in pay
mcnt arc kept constantly before tho players
eyes, and they ara very seductive; but tho
chances that no will lose tho litto no stakes arc
not 80 obtrusvely forced upon his attention.
ITS curious" no continued. renectivcy
show little some OF these fellows that wrto
articles against policy In the newspapers know
about IT, There's Tint fellow who undertook to
show II mp in Jay Gould's Tribune the other
day, Tor instance. HO snid TINT on n certain
day eleven numbers had been drawn from the
wheel, aud that the hackers, finding themselves
heavily HIT withdrew tho eleven number slip
and substitutsd another continuing four
nonsense. No such thing ever happened.
nnd no such thing ever could happen; for the
simple reason that tho rates nre printed for
the month and distributed among the Offices 80
can ascertain what the drawings will hc on any
given day of the month. No substitution Of
fourteen numbers for eleven could have taken
every player Interested the moment II WAS per-
petrntcd. Besides. to have substituted fourteen
numbers for eleven would have been TO largely
increase tho chances OF all the other pliycrs.
and that. certainly. no manager intent upon
cheating would have done; He. might hnvc
guarded against some particularly heavy play
by altering one number hut even that would
have been done before tho numbers were made
public not aiterwnrd.
=" happen 10 know Of one casa in which what
r. SalIed ne magic gsot tn -t4nnsd been
"a - nfliF ua
found that those numbers had boon drawn. The
game wa. hit to the tune OF about 100000. Tho
irst number on the slip WIS 4. and the manager.
10y convenient stroke Of the pen. placed be-
fore II, thus converting II into IA. He ran the
risk u giving hits To- all who had played II. but
he had saved the bakers from serious los on
1-l1-i4. and that was the best no could DO. |
dare say 1t WAS this changing Of 4 into II that
Is responsible for that Tribune mans stupid
blunder.
An article I read in the Galayy was even wild
writer asserted that 90 remote was the proba-
hity OF any one guessing a. 10 o'clock what
number out 81 seventy-eight would be first
drawn ut IL o'clock. that the hackers gave the
astounding odds of a Thousand for one Now
II this man had stopped 10 think, he must have
seen that one OF the seventy-eight numbers
placed in the wheel must be the first drawn, aud
therefore the player had but 70 place 81 on each
q tue seyeniy;cight 70 get hark q goo Tor MS
suppose the game could live at that rnte' The
first drawing would probably be the last.
There are almost as many ways OF playing
gambler: but which ever mode is adopted the
result TO tho player 10 nearly always the same.
You see there are placed in the wheel 10 num-
bers. from which arc drawn Ia. 10. H. or 49, as
the case may be. The latter number Will not be
drawn but once a week Suppose - to be
drawn. The rhtes-thRt Ia. the sum the player
| will receive II he wius-are ~ follows: For day
numb.rs. 5 for for station or first numbers.
| 60 for for saddles. 80 for | for gigs 2OO for
| for capital saddles. 500 for for horses. ESQ
| for and for station saddles. 800 for !. Cross
plays-tne numbers to come in either lottery
may be mHdr ut the same rites. subject - n de-
| duction Of 90 per cent. You SEE that some III
these offer n remarkable margin for profit The
station saddle with ts 500 for l. seems to offer
unedualled facilities for making fortune.
| But. since the game was started. no one has
| ever been known 10 hit one. To get station
teen numbers drawn hut You must also guess
! the positions they will occupy in the slip. The
! chance Of this Is SO very remote that the policy
| player. sanguine rs lie generally is very ssl-
dom attempts It. The next in order IA the
capital saddle, with It's 500 for |. A capital s
two OF the first three numbers drawn. Oi
course there must be first. second. and third
! number, and either two Of these Ia rec consti-
! tute n capital saddle. To give you an idea OF
I the chances OF any ono guessing a capital
| saddle. II Ia only necessary to show you how
| many saddles ara contained in the IS numbers
| To ascertain tho number Of saddles in any
| combination. you multiply by the next number
| under and divide hy 2: Tor gigs you multiply
| hy tho next two numbers under and divide los
s. for horses. you multiply tho next three
numbers under and divide by a. I'll figure II
out Tor you