The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1893-09-25
1T is THE RAGE.
The Game of Policy is Taking Thousands
of Dollars of Spare Change Out of
Portland.

honestly DelleVe, SAID man yeSUer-
day, that more people in Portland could
be interested in the coming out OF ALI
"A, or of 9-19-29 than in the closing OF the
silver debate in the Senate.
The extent to which policy is played
in Portland is but little understood, and
yet it is astonishingly prevalent. All
classes and conditions of men seem to be
interested in the fascinating game, and
Eggs, saddles" and horses" are talked
about by men who never ownedsa real
horse, and wouldn't have the least use
for the best saddle in the world.
Policy was introduced Unto this city
some five or six years ago, and fora long
time was but little played Suddenly it
became the rage, and hundreds began to
play, and it is said that once policy
player, always SO. Henry Ward Beecher
once said he had heard of reformed gam
blers. and reformed horse thieves, but
never of reformed minister. "They
live and die impenitent," said Mr.. Beech
en- So of policy players, Men have left
off buying lottery tickets, and ceased to
be customers of the bucket shops, but
the men who having once got into the
habit of making up "gigs" have ADAM
doned the practice are few indeed.
1t is said that gambler of the now
YOU see it, and now you don't order,
was once brought before magistrate
charged with operating game OF chance.
nThat is not true, your honor" he said.
"The other fellows didn't have the least
bit of a chancen That isn't true of
policy. The man who tries his luck at
that game does have just as good chance
as the next man, but it is said that the
chances against him very nearly equal l0O,
600 to one That is, he may hit the right
figures, or he may not, probably not, but
he has chance. The writer" that is
the man who takes his order and pays
him his money in case he wins. has no
idea what figures are coming out on the
"slips.n He takes his chances with the
rest, and gives big odds. For 10 cents
he will pay SO in case the "gig" comes
out in the morning, or So. SO if insthe af-
ternoon. That fact alone shows how
desperate are the odds against the man
who starts in to snake up gig" as the
saying is.
1t is a game of dead luck from first to
last, There is man in Portland who
once made one of club. of men who took
one day 5000 chances, and never hit
single time. The next day he wrote out
three "gigs" and everyone came out at
night. In other words,ssit was a case OF
winning three, and losing 5000 times.
Probably the average OF luck is very
much below that however, but still
against the player.
The "writer" has to take big chances
sometimes. The. average policy player
is firm believer in the fixed order o.
things There are gigsn that are played
all over the country, and sometimes a
great many are playing the same gigs"
at once. Suppose, and it happened here
only few days ago, that the idea should
become fixed in the minds of players first
that a particular "gig," as 4-11-44, was
"due" and bound to be on the slip in a
short time. Perhaps he has the reputa-
ton for being lucky, and in that case his
words have great weight. = believe
that 4-11-44 is due, "he will say, land I'm
it twice day and shall for all
this week anyway" Others conclude to,
follow,his example, and the writer" gets
nervous. He is taking too much on a
single "gign and remember that he is
completely in the dark regarding what
is coming out His numbers are wired
to him from the mysterious central
Office, and he may be "in for it" for
thousands. of dollars. Under such cir
cumstances there is but one thing for
him to do. In order to secure himself
against what might prove crushing
loss, he must play 4-11444, himself, but
not in Portland. He must wire to Bos-
ton, or New York, to have that gig"
PLAYED for him there. Perhaps no single
Portland player may be playing more
than 10 cents twice day, but the writ
er" will have to play heavy, in order to
make himself good in case of loss.
The uncertainties of policy are many.
Your true policy player studies his old
"gigsn as the man on the street looks at
his stock quotations. He tries to study
when particular "gig is likely to come
ont. and when it is once out he does
not look to see it on the slips again for
some time. But as has been said the
of the game are many
For example, a gig" call it 43-29-16, was
out recently both morning and evening,
although in shape to win but once
The old players said Good bye to that
for long time" but the next day.lt
showed up again as the winning gig"
but no one played it.
The real player, the man who makes
study of the game, is not content /. to set
down and write out his guesses in this
way:
Smith
Sept.23
2-9-50, am. 10 cents.
6-16-66, p. m. 25 cents.
9-19-29, all day. 20 cents"
but seeks for inspiration in the oldest
WAYS. The land Of dreams is invaded
for "gigs". There are dream books, show
ing what gigs" should be played after