Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1878-12-11
ou.e :. absolutely necessary to secure

house IS absolutely necessary to secure
admission. The other s.fsro banks"
are more generally known TO and fre-
quen,ed By '.the mob," which consist
OF unsteady business men, fast clerks,
book keepers and that class OF fellows
generally who make free with their own
money and not unfrequently with that
Of other people.
"KESo" is THE POPULAR GAME,
and is more widely played than is gen.
orally supposed. The entrance to one
of the ..bes: rooms is through a well
known cigar store. The game IN itself
if fairly played, is honest euough-thst
is, as honest as any "game" in the or
binary sense of the word can be; but
most Of the men who play it find con-
siderable inroads IN their pocket books
IN the course of an evening. One OF
the "keno bankers" of this city is said
to be a we'll known horsemaD, whose
outfits III the park are the envy of mil
lionalres and of many other people Who
"wond,r where that fellows money
come. from" There is scarcely a ward
in Philadelpbia-if what is known of
six or eight wards apply to the others
that has not Its "keno game" IN full
blast for hours at night. Sometimes
these keno dens are earned on under
the name of sone club, and are really
a part of the attractions provided for
members. Generally these rooms are
accessible only to members Of the club,
but there are one or two on Calloubill
street. and one Oh Vine street, which
it is not difficult to enter, after a visi-
tor has been looked at through the
"grating." At one on the thorough
fare first named, the players are geuer-
ally restricted to "twenty five cents per
card" although ten cents is more fre-
quently the amount invested. One Of
the most successful keno rooms in Phil.
adelphia is said to be carried on in .
building belonging 10 a prominen. in
.urance company, which, it may safely
inferred, has no idea that the "tailor
shop is devoted to that kind of ''cab-
baging." AZ one descends from the
faro to tho keno rooms it is considered
. fall in the gamblers social scale
There is, however, an intermediate
ground where all meet on a common
level, and where the millionaire and
the mechanic may both indulge-of
course varying in the amount Of their
stakes. That is
THE GAME OF POKER.
1t would astOnish many people IN
Philadelphia if a list of the places
could be published where a person can
90 10 and play for from five cents to
fifty dollars, as a stake. 1t may be
safely stated that after leaving the
principal streets, there is, out Of every
ten saloons, at least seven where those
who desire il can retire to a room and
enjoy "a little game" And when a
Press reporter visited several Of these
places last evening, with view to as
certain their numoer, il would appear
that the business carried on is only
limited-.so far As the players them
selves are concerned-to the capacity
of the rooms. In one place not many
blocks from Ninth and Arch, thirteen
players were gathered at three tables,
all with piles OF "chips" before item ;
at another seven persons were assem-
bied, and the expressions, "ren cent
ante" sraise it a dollar" and -'Ive
go, enough" told plainly the story of
Tha. was going on. And most Of the
players were young men-not more
than twenty FIVE or thirty. \ few were
old grey-headed sinners, who play ed
with the nonchaidnce of the hardened
gambler, and won or lost without ihe
slightest sign of the effect the result
lad produced. And there were mere
boys there--lads of eighteen or twenty,
taking their FIRST steps on the incline
plane that leads downward so rapidly ;
and so for hours these parties uent on,
taking no note of the fight Of time,
but Winning or losing, as the case might
be. Whisky was the standard drink
consumed-it is in that that the saloon
keeper makes his profits to pay for the
use of the rooms. The professional
gamblers of this city do not number
much over couple Of dozen-all told
- that Is, the men who play for high
stakes, who walk Chestnut street in the
dress of gentlemen. and who live a in
style beftting men whose income is
is they have "good luck fifteen o.
twenty thousand dollars a year. YOU
can see them any day. Stern, cold
cynical looking feliows-with the shin.
| lest of silk hats, with customes in thc
height of fashion, and with jewelry a:
expensive as 1t is generally loud. These
men-vultures of socie'y-may be seer
any afternoon lounging around the
principal hotels on the lookout fer some
stranger, on whose well-6lled purse
they have deep designs, whose acquaint
ance may be made over a drink at th,
bar, and whose experience in Philadel'
phia will, as a result, never be efaceC
from his recollection.