The Washington critic., 1886-08-19
"PLAYING THE RACES"
The Growth OF the Bookmaker's Busi
ness In This city.

"The Bard in the lead; The Bard
in the stretch Dew Drop, second
The Bard wins" were the re.
marks that attracted the attention Of
THE Critic man as he stepped into the
Marble Saloon, Tuesday afternoon,
as the great race for the Choice Stakes
at Monmouth was being run. The en-
thusiasm was almost as great on the
part Of the crowd of over hundred
present as IL they had witnessed the
race, instead of hearing description
| OF 1t over the wires as 1t was being
run. From the time the horses started
| to the end of the race those present
were kept informed on the relative
positions OF the flyers as they sped
around the track. The description
| was given by "bookmaker," who
was laying odds on the race, as well as
| all others being run in all parts of the
| country.
| "Bookmaliing" has become quite on
institution in this city and there are
now four places where money can be
| staked on the races in different parts of
the country. There is more money
| won and lost here on horses in one day
than on all other kinds OF gambling in
n month. The telephone, without
| question, Is responsible TO very con
| siderable extent for the existence of
| "bookmaking" away from the tracks.
1t is indispensable on account of speed
and privacy, because If the layer of
| odds was getting his information and
tips" from his correspondent at the
track on telegraph instrument they
\ nn,tll hn rnnI Ar I,,n oil
himself who might be familiar with
the art of telography.
A pool room or bookmaker's estab-
lishment is busy place while the races
are being run, and only skilled persons
can conduct them successfully. The
bookmaker or banker generally has
three assistants, q blackboard, some
large sheets of paper, very large mum.
lars in money. The horses In each
blackboard, with two rows of figures
in front of the names. The first row
represents the odds" or the number
of dollars that the bookmaker will lay
| against one dollar or more that the
horses will not be first under the wire,
| and the second row what he will
| NuStl luC lCbIJCCllNC uOlotS
| will not be either first or second.
There being no limit to the bets except
| minimum of 81, 1t will be seen that
the man who backs the board is liable
| to lose many thousands of dollars
| day, and he must be fortified with any
amount of information about the merits
of the horses and with tips" The
bookmakcr will take bets after the
| Enronp To "a ,to ti,,,
| place, and even until they get "olf,'
or have been started. The "track
odds" are received from the track
every time change is made there, but
it is not often that "track odds" are
| time when anything approaching
silence in the room Is when the
horses have been started. Then one Of
the bookmaker's assistants calls Off a
| description of the race as it comes from
| the instrument at the track. AT all
other times the voice OF the layer of
odds is heard above the comments of
the bctters on the horses, as he cries
| out:
Now, who wants to back them in
the next race L II lay - to one against
-, those are the track odds, gentlemen.
| utlt o olu III lllub Ntt, H,Clillbllltu,
and don't see how he can lose. Come
now They're only laying - on the
outsiders, and Ill lay =. that's bet,
ter than they're laying at the track
They're at the post, now who wants
to back them! They're Off
| AND THAT RACE is CLOSED.
The anxious look on the faces of the
ticket holders as they watch the lips
of the person who informs them that
their horses are contesting for the
| supremacy, and as he announces the
leader at the different Quarters, pre-
sent a striking picture of alternate
hope and anxiety. When'thc winners
are announced there are some express
sions of delight, but many black looks
and eXclamations of disgust. The man
| who records the bets on the large sheets or
"book," as they are called, then hands the
| sheet on the race to the cashier, who pays
| off the tickets sold on the first aud second
| horses, when the announcement of the
result has been officially confirmed by the
judges and tine time and the third horse
| given.
| Probably the most remarkable feature of
backing horses, and particularly OF accept
| ing boOkmakers odds is the fact that every
man who engages In 1t will tell u beginner
that ne had better "keep oir.N They say
that IT is sure to break man in the end,
and that not one man in a hundred who has
played them for-any length Of time is ahead
of the game. Still they continue to bet on
their favorites aud put their hundreds on
| their tips" or predictions made by more or
less skillful bettcrs, There are all classes
| among the betters. An eX-New York Con
gresham is one Of the heaviest betters. II,
generally bets hundred on race and
frequently more. He comes IN great
| style, with his pair of boOdcd horses unl
coachman, There are a few bettcrs who
| are recognized authorities ON 'winncrs,n -
and they make their bets privately but
| when the outsiders discover what horses they
| are backing, there is rush to back the same
horses. These people generally pay heavily
| TO some one who is on the inside OF the track.
| Then there are people who bet on their
| Judgment They generally lose. Others
| bet at random anu sometimes do wen
| Frank Ward, who bets on the horses some
| times, tried this the other day, lie put the
| names OF all lhe horses IN racs--about
| do4en-in his white hat, shook them up,
| auu drew out two, who turned out to be the
| hrst ana second horses in the race. He bet
| on HE judgment Oh the next race and lost.
Red star Cough Cure cured inIamma-
! ton OF my lungs Mr.. o. nmkley, san
| Francisco,
|
| TOrc Not weather.
The Signal Onlce says to-day that a hot