Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1885-1890, 1885-10-31
How Some Men Make q Good Living
Over the ureon Eloth While
Others rail.

"Gambling is scientific professios
founded upon the foi5.gs Of mankind,
astutely remarked zone Of them to
reporter the other day as the two Wer
seated in the main room of a Watering
place resort.
Yes" went on the card diplomatic
1T IS a truism to safe that the sue
cessful gambler must be close stu
dent Of human nature. OF course h,
must, for his whole business is al
evolution, simple and direct, of certain
| phrases Of human nature Why, the
other day, while running down to New
York on the special from here, bear6
two or three rich old Jews talking
about this very place. One Of them was
complaining that lie had left $4,000 tc
enrich the houss.
''Ohw said another, spreading our
his pudgy hands, I left more than
that, much more with chucIlle.
But what do you expect, man? We
must have our pleasure
'And that is just the keynote Of
the whole thing. There is large
class of men who find their pleasure
at the gambling table alone, and it is
this class which supports it. No 9TH
er form Of dissipation SO panders to
certain natures as a game Of chance,
and these make and maintain the
bank.
There goes q man now," he con
tinued, passing into the restaurant,
who is a fair type Of the bone and
sinew Of these places. He does not
come often, but with fair regularity.
He was in ten days ago and made
night nf II tool q cocktail with
INN just before ne "ent % breakfast.
He had lost but $50, but had sacriiic-
ed his sleep, and would waste the
coming day in making it up, yet he
confessed with entire honesty to hay
ing had a fine nights sport. He often
leaves $500 behind him, rarely wins,
but he can afford 1t, OF thinks he can
and counts it only as playing for
pleasure.
"Of course others than these find
their way into this and similar places
but they are comparatively few. Men
come to retrive fortunes lost in other
channels, to drown grief or disap-
pointment, &c, but not in the num-
bers that come to indulge in the to
them pIeasurable rack of suspense,
the pain Of loss and the always to be
hoped for flush Of victory"
Il suppose, them" observed the re-
porter, quietly, that when man
shoots himself through the head in
gambling den the pleasurable pain Of
loss has probably been a little too
severe2'
'EIt is possible" was the reply, ig-
noring the sarcasm. Nothing annoys
proprietor more than tragedy. He
will take any measure to keep such
emotional, high-strung temperaments
from his rooms. If all the sentin1en-
tai and sensational story-book fre
quenters Of these places were elimi-
mated the bank would scarcely notice
their absence. They are not the bone
and sinew of the gambling harvest.
It is the great majority Of average
commonplace men that yields the
profits
Can you tell me what is the real
percentage of risk the bank possesses
against the player?"
"NeIl, was the reply, the appar=
ent percentage is small and varies IN
the several games-roalette, faro and
others carrying different rates but
the real percentage is enormously in
the banks favor. tt les in this same
principle OF human nature that have
just commented upon. The average
player If he wins several consecutive
bets becomes cautious, anticipates a
change IN luck, end ventures his mon
ey accordingly. The result is Il his
good fortune continues his winnings
are small and unimportant. On the
other hand, let him lose continuously
and he becomes excited He loses
his head, and, pursuing the same line
of argument that It IS q long lane
which has no turning, he increases
his stakes. This policy, with eontin-
ued misfortune, ends in large losses.
Thus, when the bank is loser, it is for
small sums, but when winning the
gains are large.
NV hat the bank is afraid Of are the
conservative, persistent players, but
there are not many of them. There IS
a class Of men at the European ganlb-
hing places, and a very small class,
who have reduced the thing to a fine
point These men risk every evening
a single bet, always the same amount.