The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1894-05-22
SOME TRICKS IN FARO.
The Pink-Finger-Nai Man Who
knows Ill About Boxes.

SOME TRICKS IN FARO.
The Pink-Finger-NaiI Man Who
Knows all About Boxes.
His messmate bore a slick appear
ance, but with nothing unduly conspic-
uous about him until he raised his
hands to the table. These were what
attracted the reporter. They were as
delicate as those of the daughter Of a
Virginia congressman, who sat at the
next table. They were small, SOFT
white and rosy. They were nervous
hands The fingers almost tw1tched
when they came in contact with for
eign substance. The nails were es-
pecially well kept, and the finger-tps
were strangely pink, says the Wash
ington Star.
EWhat is it and who is it?" unused
the reporter, as he failed to Identify
the strangers calling. He was not an
ordinary beau for his collar was not OF
the latest cut, his scarf pin was not
stuck according to the latest stick, and
otherwise he seemed to have some in
telligence. He was not a musician, be-
cause the proper muscles of those girl
| like hands were not developed. he
was neither a literary mechanic nor a
newspaper man, nor even Journalist,
because in writing his order he used a
hard pencil and showed unfamiliarity
with it's use.
He would run his thumb over those
mysterious finger-tips now and then,
as though feeling them. The mysti-
fication of the reporter increased. Just
then the unknown took from his pocket
a very small piece of 5andpaper and
began to file his nails. Everything was
clear now The Star man had met
gentlemen Of the same class at other
tables The reason of the sensitiveness
and pinkness of those tips was that
they had been sandpapered. The
stranger was a, knight Of the green
cloth.
'Much sport last night?" asked the
reporter, as though he knew all about
the man who sat opposite him.
mo, pretty fat" was the answer.
perhaps luck wasn't your way, per
sisted the news fiend.
Then the other uncoiled himself,
icrawled from out his shell, and spoke
as follows: ST once heard a very dis
tinguished journalist say that luck was
days work. He was right. Luck has
nothing to do with my business It is
not luck that makes the victor flush
and the victim fiat. A scientific knowl-
edge of the principles Of the game is
necessary, and it is also essential to be
a first-class reader of human nature.
"Then why didn't you come out on
the velvet side last night? said the Star
man.
Il bucked the tiger and ran into the
wrong kind of a box"
What do you mean?"
Faro. You see, even dead square
game the chances are is per cent. in
favor of the bank, and if the box hap
pens to be crooked, why the punteI
simply amt in it. Bankers use boxes
from which the cards are dealt be-
cause, as they say, to prevent 'advan-
tage' cards being worked. But my eX-
perience is, that the 'croupiers' around
the board look out for this pretty thor
oughly.''
''Teil me-" said the scribe, chow a
crooked box is made?"
"a most popular box is one whose
front part rises and falls in q groove
and can be taken plumb out. By an in
tricate maze Of mechanism, by pressing
the box in a particular part, the dealer
can press two cards through the
mouth instead Of one. The cards car
be so prepared that they will adhere
when pressed. There are various prep
arations of glass and resin to do this
but sandpaper is much used. The las
gambling device patented is for {
crooked brass faro box. and the model
1 think, is in the patent office now.
was a little longer than the pack, anC
pressure on the top plate would spread
the mouth enough to let two card:
pass, thus increasing the chances fol
'doublets,' which means half the stakes
for the bank, and also raise the bank!
chances for punching the cards. Cards
doctored in this way are what ar,
called shippers, and about the. onl!
way to catch on to this sort of thiever!
is by milking them, and even thi
won't work unless the cards are re
versed. Hollow and round stripper
are perhaps harder to detect than Whel
the cards have been simply shaved
down.
Another box has an arrangement
which is said to prevent the beutor see
ing what card is coming, but which i
really to enable the dealer to serve tn
second card, if the top card, by its PHI
or glass marks, proves to be unfavoT
! able to the bank. If the dealer has al
the cards under seven spots marked
all the bettor can hope for is a stand
off, which means that if you stake you
, faith and cash on the ace and deuc
the dealer gets one and you the other
Another box has a spring attachnan
, which informs him whether The comin
card is a hollow or round one, and h
thus knows whether it is over or beloy
a seven spot. Then there is the cram
box, which gave the dealer the powe
to deal the second or the top card jus
DIS he Q6SIISQ. 1nSIG 10 dlSO d QGNlC
! by which the dealer is informe
whether a long or q. short card is com
ing. There is also the lever box an
scores of other splendid mechanica
contrivances. but the. leading principl
: of all is to inform the dealer what car
is coming and to enable him to eithe
deal that or another"
By this time the reporter and hi
: friend had established the most conf
: Dental relations, and the scribe wa
thinking seriously Of resigning fror
| work, buying a box and going INTO tn
money-making business which the ger
: tleman in question had told him s
| much about.
She Had Enough.
A pretty sehoolmistress told a ratf
er amusing story at her boarding-hous
recently. She asked one of her classe
to put the nouns. boys. bees" an
bears" into a sentence. The scholar
4 thought intently for a few moment
when one ragged youngster, with
I look of victory on his face, raised h
d hand.
!, WELL Johnny said the schoo
4 teacher, what is your sentence?"
e Boys bees bare when they go
e swimmin'."
s The teacher did not call on any MOI
e of her class.-Boston Traveller.