Los Angeles herald., 1892-04-27
HOW THEY WOO FORTUNE,
The Hazard Games Affected by
Chinese.
Daily Lotteries Drawn and Tan
Dealt.
The Method of Drawing the Lotteries.
How Tan is PIsyed-Some Big
Winnings Made by Luoky
Coolies.

The average Chinaman 10 an inveter-
ate gambler. He would rather run the
hazards of fortune and remain hungry
than eat roast pig, stuffed with sharks
fns-a Mongol dish that is the acme OF
epicurean delight.
Just now all the gambling that is done
in the Chinese quarters OF this city is
done behind closed doors, but they
gamble all the same, for the Celestial
cannot DO without the fervid excite.
ment Of chance.
AS to the Chinese lotteries. however,
there is no pretenss at secrecy. The
Chinese lottery drawings take place
daily, with unceasing regularity, at
O'Clock and 10 o'clock pm. THE Chinese
lottery is curious study to the tender
foot. 1t is @ game in which the in
vestor can put in as much money az he
deeires. Say for instance he invests 10
cents in any of the different lottery
schemes now in operation contrary to
the law, in Chinatown. He is
given slip of paper marked
with eighty Chinese characters. He is
handed a Chinese marking pencil, and
can mark off ten of the characters.
Then the drawing takes place. Ii the
marker has succeeded in getting five
spots OF the ten that come out in the
drawing he is entitled to 20 cents. If
he gets six spots he receives So, and if
sevenThe is winner $40. For eight spots
500 is paid, and for ten spots he re-
ceives $500 for 10 cents, or il he has in
vested 81 he gets $4,000.
Bu. the game OF all games that is
dearest to the Chinese heart is tan.
This is the game in which Celestials
have invested countless thousands, and
its origin reaches back into the myth.
illogical period of Chinese history. 1t ia
game that any number of Chiramen
can pla y. and the dealer or gamekeeper
has g ure thing on making winner,
unless by stroke Of extraordinary
chance. In front of the dealer there is
grea' pile of uncounted Chinese coins.
As r ale the hrass coins OF the Chinese
dynas ties of the Emperors Suen Gee,
Cow Hong, Ken Lung and Ow Quong
are III Ied.
The, players all sit around the table
and p lace their stakes in front Of them.
At 'est they can only double their
mont ~. The bets by the players are
that there will be one, two, three or
lour COlHS lelG Oh Cue taDlo OF JHS COfN-
age If particular dynasty. The dealer
ther mixes apple of coins without count
ing them. in heap in the center of the
tab 70. He then proceeds to remove, say
thr' ae coins Of the Ken Lung dynasty,
unit ii all are removed but the last remain
ing three, two or one coin of that kind.
If here are three coins remaining, the
Ch inamen who bet accordingly are paid
do nble. If only two coins, those who
bet on that number get double stake.
and if bat one coin remains, after the
segregation, the better on the unit is the
winner. The biggest winning that has
been made in Los Angeles was made
some time ago by All Cow, who
raked in $1600 by playing a system, bet
ting on one, two and three cards in
sequence up and down. He made his
money at one sitting in brief period
by doubling his stakes. The biggest
winner on the Pacific coast, however,
was Suon You, San Franciscan. He
cleaned out most of the tam games in
the northern city some time ago. and
picked up s25, 600 in two weeks time.
Suon You came down to Los Angeles
to zee his friends here, and turned the
restaurants upside down in entertaining
them. He is now over in China, and is
the proud possessor OF tea plantation,
and expects soon to be q mandarin of
the red, by reason of his suddenly at
tanned opulepce.