Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-04-06
CAPRICIOUS FORTUNE.
HOW THE PICKLE MISS FOOLS
THOSE WHO COURT HER.
The Great Majority of Gamblers I'M
fOrtunate-A Tenderfoot Who
Bet SIS, 900 on the Black.

| Bet So, 600 on the Black.
'The caprices of chance or fortune,
whichever you may call it, are singular,
to say the least" remarked well-known
gambler to Ners man, in reeounting his
| ups and downs at roulette, faro, poker and
various other games. "Not long ago |
made nice little winning at faro, and was
cashing my checks, when rather seedy
looking fellow, with gaunt, hungry face,
asked me to give him % cents. | didn't
know him from a crow, but having won
out pretty well, tossed him white check
and told him to go and make winning.
What do you suppose that duck done
He cashed the check, took the quarter,
strobe over to the tub dice game, placed it
on the six rattle and won S45 the first turn
of the wheel. "Give me the money" he
exclaimed, and away he went to get the
first square meal he had probably eaten in
a week. He might have made that same
play hundred times again and lost every
bet, but some people can fall into the river
and they'll come up with fish in both
hands"
"That reminds me-" said another knight
of the cloth, "of an incident that came I'M
der my observation last week al gambling
house on Sixteenth street. A fly tender
foot from the East, who, it is said, won
| $25, 900 on election, sauntered up to the
IL ~ i 81
the colors.
"'Any amount you want TO stake was
| the reply.
"All right; there's s5,OOO,' said the
sport, putting ten $500 bills on the black.
Just flip the ball aud see what she'll do"
| coolly chirruped the fellow.
"'The dealer, who had picked the ball
out of the pocket, stayed his hand He
looked at the money, sized up the player to
see if he was blufing and had cable tied
to it, and seeing the fellow meant business
and had big wad left, wilted and refused
to roll By this time fully fifty people had
gathered around the table, those on the
outside craning their necks over the
shoulders of those in front of the daring
stranger, who, with the utmost sang froid,
drew cigar from his pocket, asked the
| dealer for match, carelessly scratched it
on his pants: lighted the cigar and look
ing impatiently at the dealer, remarked:
eco ahead win or lose. Give us a
roll and see what my luck is to-day
"The dealer refused to turn, and the
fellow was about to take up his money and
| leave, when the proprietor came over, and
after little meditation told the dealer to
roll the ball and he would pay the bet if
he lost The little ivory ball was sent
spinning around, and after making ten or
twelve circuits struck the pockets, skipped
over the metal edges, and finally, after
bobbing first into one and then another,
dropped into three in the odd red The
house had won the money. The stranger
| shook the game, bought $1,000 worth of
chips and tackled faro with Indifferent
success.
| "Another well, known gambler borrowed
800 of a friend, and sat in a game of faro
on Holladay street. Before l o'clock he
had won 81 400, broke the bank, and would
have won the proprietor and dealer, had
they not closed up and jumped the game.
Two days later this same gambler didn't
| have dollar, and the following night he
borrowed $50 and won So, 100"
1.-The funniest play ever witnessed
came up the other night Clipped in q
third party "a young fellow whose ap
pearance was suggestive of railroad
fireman or brakeman bought so worth O
chips and tackled the wheel. In hal
hour he had lost sos. He was considera
bly, discouraged, and was about to leave
when he turned to the dealer and said
| for. ha
He had so cents worth of chips left from
previous deals, and, throwing s. golc
piece on the red, he straddled the double
and single Os with the chips in order t.
protect himself against the percentage
The ball went spinning around and hat
made several circuits, when the fellow
switched gold piece to the single Q ant
transferred the chips to the red. In tel
seconds the ball dropped and caught thu
single o. He lost so cents in chips ant
won Sl75 off the S.. He exercised
whole lot of sense then, for he cashed il
and got away with the money"
, However" soliloquized the sport
gambling don't pay. In the instance
. stated the parties won by scratch, bu
fifty Others lost These rare winnings re
mind me of the freaks of fortune in tn
J gold mines of California. Everybod
heard of the Floods, O'Briens, Mackay:
and few more fortunates, but the worl
, never stopped to think of the thousand
upon thousands who lost. Most of tn
A money which supports the ten or fftee
gambling houses in Denver is won fror
poor laborers, who take SO or Sl5, tn
l earnings of whole week, and try to wi
: a fortune The amount they draw is nc
t enough to protect them. They simpl
f play their money against the thousands {
e the bank, aud they are bound to lose i
4 the end Occasionally some fellow make
a winning, but, if he stays long enough,
: will break him. The only ones who max
}, money out of gambling are the propri'
e tors of the houses. 1t is costly amus
: ment for the players. They rustic aroun
!, for week or month, earn SIS or $50, ;
\ the case may be, and lose it. They migl
as well march up and hand 1t over to tt
a dealer, for he is sure to gobble it in te
a hours" -Denrer Neus