Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1893-04-09


are going to play the balk.line game. two
huhured points up. Ia that number Beau
nus gwen his opponent twenty points
Sometimes the odds given are az high
US nity' seyenty-iive. OF even one hundred,
winch latter could only be given when
the great Nignaux himself was PLAYING.
Nhen the game Is over the professor
VITO wins-the boy ne the board will call
luis out IN high voice. although Il Is
lulle unnecessary viii find himself be-
sieged By all thNpeople who have backed
his SKIN. eager 20 claim their WINNINGS
Aha here Is where the establishment
makes It's chief profit, profit which
amounts 10 several hundred dollars "A dny
no matter who wins the house retains
~ per cent Of the sum wagered, 20 TINT
You bet twenty francs ana are sue
Cesslul you will receive only thirty-six
ffancs, II you bet one hundred francs
only one hundred and eighty aud SO on
Inns percentage Is ~ enormous that Il is
hopeless TO expect TO win in the long run.
oile might ~ well play roulette with n
Wnecl having seven or eight zeros. In
spite OF the hOpelessness Of the scheme
however there are uways enough cranka
prseht-and Americans are usually
among the number-who are confident
they can size up the players correctly,
70 keep the establishment doing roar
ing business.
THE BALL IN THE CORNER"
GAME.
The next game will be that queer ball
n-the-cQrner novelty which only lasts
ABOUT three minutes. and consequently
makes the profits larger as the betting
goes more quickly. This ball-ln-the-cor.
her game Is not played In America, but
VIII be easily understood from the accom-
Rlnying diagram. IL Is as difficult to
play ns L Is easy 20 understand. The
red ball Is wedged into the lower rirht
hand corner, then the player who begins
must drive his bah across the table and
back 80 that Il takes two cushions be-
Tore striking the red ball which must be
displaced and driven into the triangular
space at the opposite side of the table.
The player who accomplishes this In the
tewest number of strokes wins, and 1t
Is amazing 10 see the skill displayed I'm
doing this. ! have known the professors
10 succeed IN four shots and they will
usually do II In seven or eight, although
sometimes Il takes twice as many. 1t
would take n clever amateur fifty or
sixty shots 20 accomplish this. aud only
then would he appreciate the great deli.
cacy and precision required.
Another game IN great favor at the
Paris billiard academies Is the three
cushion game which Is played up to
twelve or fifteen points. NignauX will
make runs of three or four at this game,
and Page, the big spare-shouldercd man.
Is also very clever In these difficult
cRr0ms. Carter and Gibein are also
strong az this game.
Perhaps the most interesting Of the
variations from the ordinary balk-line
game are the matches 10 cushion cnroms
In which Carter has kept up his Ameri-
can reputation and on several occasions
been able 10 beat NignnuX, although the
4
him 10 give Carter odds as he does, In
deed, 10 everyone else, in order to get
anyone TO bet on his opponent
PERSONALITY or THE PROBES
SORS."
At about 10 o'clock Vignaux himself
usually In his shirt sleeves, aud for
midable looking fellow he IS with his
coal black hair and powerful frame. will
come forward for "a match with the See
Ond grcntest player In France, Lucien
Plot, u lcft-Mndcd player and wonder.
IL Plot could control his inpatence and
nervousness, he would be almost n not
quite Nignnux's equal As II Is you see
the crowd back him readily ut small
odds NignauX usually allows him
thirty OF forty in 200 Either Of them is
apt to run hundred or a hundred and
fifty In "A single inning, and there Is
absolutely no way Of determining who
will win. Whatever happens the fight
between these giants of the cue Is sure
TO bee exciting. and there are moments IN
the match when the spectators fairly hold
their breath, and the only sound which
breaks the silence Is the Fat boys shrill
voice as he calls out the score-"Quatre-
Ningt deuX, Quntre-yingt trois AMI so
on until the champion misses. Then there
are signs of RELIEF or despair and the new
total Is chalked up on the board while the
other man takes the balls.