The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1893-06-30
TRICKS AT MONTE CARLO.
How the Great Gambling Concern Keeps
Men From Winning Large Sums.

HOW the Great Gampiing concern heeps
Men From Winning Large sums.
A typical row at the casino comes in
the nick of time rs a postscript to the
yearly balance published by the keepers
of the notorious gambling den-some-
thing like IS dividend for every eco
share-andI take it as the earliest oppor-
tunity of exhibiting a few of the ways
of the place. This is the official version
If the row and its cause; Two players
had been caught experimenting with
Euccess in a simple and ingenious way of
i'giving the chance a chance" While
one of them was punting 5O-franc notes
ON squares or sixes," the other, stand
ing right behind the paying croepSers,
had contrived to slip two or three 1000
franc notes underneath the 5O-franc one
each time the ball had favored his con-
federate's stake. The croupiers, busy
paying and scooping the stakes, did not
notice the dodge at first, but feeling that
there was something wrong established
watch, with the result that the culprits
were caught in the act. AS matter of
course payment was refused, words and
blows ensued, and with the aid of the
chuckers out the men were elected and
arrested.
Well, anybody who knows the ms and
outs of the place will take this version
with several grains of salt. That Monte
Carlo swarms 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 l wish to imply here in all earnest
is that nobody connected with the ad-
ministration 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, 81
will give u million to anybody who will
prove that he can win money at roulette
with certainty" and there is good deal
moro in this saying than reference to
the calcul des probabilities.
The fact is that nobody Is allowed to
win largely, and that in cases of oxtraor-
binary luck the administration knows
what precautions to take. First of all
the casino being in a way club, card
of ;.dmittance is necessary. This card
must be renewed every day and may be
refused to an unpleasant punter without
giving him any reasons for it. But there
are other ways of getting rid of the OBJ
stinate winners. There is regular
squad of agents provocateurs, whose
mode of operations is very simple, They
pick a quarrel over a stake with the man
pointed out to them, and IS they are not
in the least particular about epitheta OF
blows, whether taken OF given, a row be,
gins, a smiling inspector comes up with
re, endorsements, invites you politely tc
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 il the right the rule of the
place is not to readmit those who have
been the cause Of u row-and there yor
are.