Capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1893-1895, 1893-07-08
TRICKS At MONTE CARLO.

How the Great Gambling Concern Keeps
Men Prom Winning Large sums
A typical row at the casino comes in
the nick Of time as postscript to the
yearly balance published by the keepers
Of the notorious gambling den-some-
thing ike g dividend for every E20
share-and / take it as the earliest oppor-
tunity Of exhibiting a few Of the ways
Of the place. This is the official version
Of the row and its cause: Two players
had been caught experimenting with
success in a simple and ingenious way Of
"giving the chance a chance" While
one Of them was puntlng jO-franc notes
on squares or skies" the otter, stand
ing right behind the paying croupisrs,
had contrived TO slip two or three 600
franc notes Underneath the j0-franc one
each time the ball had favored his con-
federatcs stake. The croupiers, busy
paying and scooping the stakes, did not
notice the dodge at first, but feeling that
there was something wrong established
a watch. with the result that the culprlts
were caught in the act. As a matter Of
course payment was refused, words and
blows ensued, and with tine aid Of the
chuckers out the men were elected and
arrested
Well, anybody who knows the ins and
outs Of the place viii take It's version
with several grains Of salt That Monte
Carlo swsrrns with unprincipled ruffians
nobody will deny, but the organization
Of the partie precludes all possibility Of
such childish tricks as the one above.
What with eight crOupiers at every
table, the chef de partie, the inspectors,
the detectives and the losing players,
there are too many eyes on each stake to
admit even its probability. The cue Of
the situation is in the word feeling, and
what | wish 10 imply liere in all earnest
is that nobody connected with the ad-
ministTation Of the casino can admit a
suggestion Of heavy gains on the punt
er's side-they know better. Old Blanc,
the founder OF the place, used to say, Il
viii give a million to anybody who will
prove that he can win money at roulette
with certainty" and there is good deal
more in this saying than a reference 70
the calcul des probabilities.
The fact is that nobody is allowed 10
win largely, and that IN cases Of extraOr-
dinary luck the administration knows
what precautions 10 take. First Of all,
the casino being in a way q club, a card
Of admittance is necessary. This card
must be renewed every day and may be
refused 70 an unpleasant punter without
giving him any reasons for It. But there
are other ways Of getting rid Of the OBJ
stinate winners. Thrre is a regular
squad Of agents pro~Ocateurs, whose
mode OF operations is very simple. They
pick a quarrel over a stake with the man
pointed out TO them, and as they are not
in the least particular about epithets or
blows, whether taken or given, a row be
gins. a smiling inspector comes up with
e-enforcements, invites You politely TO
come with him and gets you out Of the
precincts OF the place. There he ex-
plains that although he has no doubt
you were in the right the rule OF the
place Is not 10 readmit those who have
been the cause Of row-and there you
are.
QuArrels about stakes are always plen-
tiful az Monte Carlo. and very often
they arv genuine. In come cases, espe-
cially when the stakes are small and on
single chances. the administration pays
both claimants aud keaps AN eye on them
II unknown, for there Is a whole army
Of ruined gamblers hanging round the
place, known 10 everybody in il. and ex-
ercising the profession Of 80 called ''0r-
phan pickers' (cueillcurs a orphelinsl
An ''orphan" is stake left by inexPeri-
enoed nOyioes about a minute longer than
il ought 20 be and kidnapped in the
twinkling u an eye by a cusillenr who
has spotted his man Croupiers and in
SpectOrs look with benevolent eye on
those green haize pirates and generally