Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1881-12-30
ROULETTE AT MONTE CAHL9.
How They Gamble ut the Gam,
bIer's Paradise.
Boston Herald Pisa Letter.

Boston Herald Pisa letter.
We pass q couple Of attendants, on
ter first a long, narrow room, and occu-
pied by tables, and, Immediately after,
into a large room, beyond which is q
third, draped like the first, all three
maqnifcontly decorated. In the large
room are three tables, and around
them a quiet and orderly, but larger,
crowd Of men and women, some stand
ing, some sitting, players and on-look-
ers, arc grouped. These are roulette
tables. In the center 10 a sunken
bowl, in which is mounted a wheel,
This wheel has thirty-soyen divisions
marked from 0 to thirty-six, not in
the order Of sequence, and alternating
red and black, D also being black and
not subject to color bets. This wheel
being whirled in one direction, a ball
in the opposite, both slow Gown, and
a ball stopping into adiyision, de-
termines the result Of the play. On
each side Of the table, next the wheel,
are seated two croupiers or tailleurs,
and at each end is another, while just
behind one Of the middle pair, on an
elevated seat, is q seventh, who overs
looks all and settles disputes. On each
end Of the table is a %geometrical
figure, with the numbers so ar
ranged and so distributed that one
can bet on red or black, odd or even,
above or below half, on the first, sec
oud or third dozen, on one or three
other groups Of figures, on one, two,
three, four or six numbers, the return
being in proportion to the bet and
numbers covered. The smallest bet
on the roulette table is ST., the largest
being, on a single number, (. 100, and
on a color, + 5000. The returns, OF
course, vary in the same way. Before
twirling the wheels. the crohpier mott.
fes players to make their bets, and
lust before the ball falls into a divis-
ion forbids any more play. Meanwhile
all around the table people are putting
down money, silver, gold and Bank OIL
France notes, in from one to q dozen
places. AT the conclusion Of each
play the croupier coils out the number
and the winning colGg and with little
rakcs, the money lost.is drawn in, and
the winning stakes being left are paid
in full with marvellous celebrity. These
croupiers are many Of them Germans,
cool, collected and possessing quick
eyes, but the strain is considerable,
and they are relieved every two hours.
The gaming table is a great leveler o.
persons, and the crowd that surrounds
it is a strange mixture. Here are
young and old, so old many Of them
that much of their gray hair Is
a memory only, rich and really
poor, good and bad, virtuous
and positively not so, sick and well,
fair and ugly, all elbowing a place Ia
play or watch others play. Some are
here for 4 short time only and look on
in curiosity, some are occasional play.
ers of small amounts, others play {
fixed amount every evening; otherl
again who play madly, ~reeklessly, and
although the bank has a percentage o.
1-3 in its favor, it makes its greatest
gains probably Of ~recklessness and tn,
neYer-satisfed desire for gasn. Fol
instance, = man having won one nigh
will almost invariably return, trusting
to a continued run of luck, aud play
till he has lost his winnings. A story
is told Of q man who came with E 300,'
900, and by an early hour had won
like amount from the bank. TIL,
table being supplied with further
funds, he won f. $1,000 more. Aftel
the close Of the play the croupier re.
ported the loss to ii. Blanc, who onll
said: We'll, and sent his servant thu
next morning to the strangers hote
TO inquire if he had departed. Wher
he returned and reported that thu
winner was still at the hotel, NJ. Blanl
smiled complacently and assured hi
followers that ell would be we'll. Tha
night the man returned, played, los
his winnings, his f.. 100000, and 4
$4,000 more which he had borrowed
One Of the most remarkable player
10 be noticed was a man of pal
complexion, regular features, darI
hair, eyes and mustache. He j
an Italian, said to be a prince
and to have a fortune OF I. 20, ,00C
Night after night he is found at th
table, cool, collected, never losing hi
head. He not only plays himself, bu
hires others to play for him, He ha
a pile of Napoleons, {. twenty piece
10 front of him, and at every turn
the wheel puts down seven OF eigh
piles of three OF four Napoleons eael
On his right is an old lady Of fifty
sixty years, gray hair and glasses,
pinched expression Of the face, a
avaricious look in the eye-she is play
ing for him, {. twenty-five to (. 100 8
a time. Later in the evening a youn
woman, one Of the coolest players i
the room, is playing for him, and 500
he leaves the table to look, perhap
after some other OF his players. AT
other man who has been losing heavil
has a lucky turn and wins {. 5000 Q
his number; a pleased murmur 20,
, up from the crowd, and the croupier
smile at his good fortune, while Il
winners face Pushes and then pale
and great beads Of Precipitation brea
out on his face and neck. The jewe
worn by some Of the female players a
magnificent, and cost fortunes
themselves Some Of the finest al
: worn by the young wife of
. English gentleman, but scarce
Z second to these are those Of
fair but frail habitue Of the salon
jeu. Let US go to the gold table"
, called, because nothing less th'
/, twentY-franc pieces can be playe
! Here the return, if any, only eqBa
! the stake, which varies from f.20
! fl2,0O0. The game is '%'trente
!. quarante," and consists Of dealing o
. cards from a pack which has be-
shufled by the dealer and cut by o.
Of the players, till the number, cOun
ing face cards ten, is between thir
and forty, two deals being made
each play, the relation Of the last car
in each deal determining the winuil
Z color; thirty-fye being a tie, a ne
deal must be made. There are a gre
many cards in the pack, probably 2
! or 300.
! Prominent among the players is