San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1894-07-28

cent gamblers are cheated of as much
money as at cards.
Methods of cheating with dice are
divided into two classes-the manipula-
ton of the proper dice and the employ
ment of improper ones.
The familiar LOADED dice" of ro-
nance are clumsy affairs now little
used. They do not spin properly, which
reveals their peculiarities to intelligent
people.
The commonest way of manipulating
fair dice is called securing" One die
is. held against the inside edge of the
box, while the others are ratified freely
in the box. One therefore falls to the
table in the position in which it has
been held The inside edge of the box
is roughed with glasspaper to prevent
the die from slipping.
The die to be secured is taken from
the table with the six upward, which
fall from the box again in that position.
How they are handled and thrown is
shown by the illustrations. OF course,
it requires great skill and care to re-
move the fingers so that the die falls
on the face intended. Only practice
makes perfect.
BY this method the lowest possible
throw with two dice will be seven.
The average of an infinite number of
fair throws is seven. With one die Sc
cured it is necessarily much higher.
Dice which do not bear the correct
number of spots on their faces are
called "dispatchers Loaded" dice
are, of course, loaded in one side and
tend to fall with one side downward.
Electric dice" are the very newest de-
vice.
Dispatchers are Of two kinds, high
and low. In high dispatcher three
adjacent sides of Gle are marked with
two, four and six. respectively. In fair
dice the two opposite sides number to-
gether seven spots. In dispatchers, the
side opposite six is six, opposite four is
four and opposite two is two.
In low dispatcher three adjacent
sides are marked one, two and three.
A high dispatcher cannot throw less
than two, and low more than three.
If the sharp uses high dispatcher and
gives low one To his opponent. each
using one fair die as well, the former
will average thirty per cent. better
than the latter in his throws.
A price list of gambling commodities
says:
LOADED Dice - Made of selected
ivory, loaded with quicksilver, and can
be shaken from the box. so as to come
high or low, as you wish. With set
of these you will find yourself winner
at all dice games and carry off the
prize at every rattle you attend. Sold
in sets of nine dice. three high, three
low and three fair. Price per set com.
plete, S."
Electric dice are made of celluloid.
A cylindrical cavity is bored from the
six sides almost TO the face of the ace
side. At the bottom of the cavity. i'm.
mediately above the ace, is thin disk
of iron. The cavity is filed in with
cork, and a loaded disk of the same
weight as the iron one, leaving space
for the insertion of a celluloid plug
bearing the six spots. The die is there
fore evenly balanced and will spin like
d ldlI OllC.
I These dice must be used on table
having an electric magnet beneath it
which can be put in and out of effect
at the will of the sharp. The magnet
brings the ace side, near which is the
iron disk, against the table and turns
up the six. The sharper demagnetizes
the magnet before lifting the die from
the table, otherwise its efforts to stay
there would be noticeable.
Unfair dice are usually ''rung in"
after the game has commenced.
Electric dice are particularly useful
in hazard. A pair of dice being made
to fall six and one, he can throw a
mick" whenever he pleases. If he
gives his dupe pair, made to fall both