San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1895-04-14

Ohtili uhiSSS bhVN hdNV PhNhN'HNH
al luck, are able TO keep up tn,
game long.
On May 10, 1894, Brooklyn Han
dicap day, and the opening OF thu
racing season in this state, ther'
were ITO bookmakers doing bust
ness on the Gravesend track. Eacf
of these bookmakers paid $4OO IL
advance to the association for the
privilege OF making book for thu
first four days of the meeting.
A glance around the ring was
sufficient to prove to any sporting
man that there were five "shoe
string" books on to every one sOliC
book. Men who had never beer
seen on the front of the box before
were chalking up odds like old
timers. Many of them were recog
nized as men who, in previous sea
sons, had occupied clerical posi-
tions with other bookmakers. Evi
IDENTITY by raking and scraping they
had managed to get together
enough money to warrant theil
taking a chance at the game them
selves.
On the opening day aim ost every
one of these 10 books won money
Some won $500, while others won
as much as $1,000 and $4,000. The
big bookmakers were all heavy
winners, and, in fact, the loser:
among the entire lot who did bust
ness that day could be counted or
ones fingers. But on the second
day things changed. Almost all
of the books lost, and on the
next day they lost again. Fol-
three or four days the public got
the money, and at the end Of the
fourth day over 80 of the "shoe
string" bOokmakers, who had gone
on with bank rolls ranging from
$4,000 to $1,000, were fat broke and
unable to weigh in" for
THE NEXT FOUR DAYS.
During those four days of the
Gravesend meeting the hard luck
some Of the bOokmakers were hav.
ing was made apparent in most
unusual way. On the third day
three bookmakers conducted bust
ness on only two of the six races
Considering that these men. were
paying 500 day for the privilege
OF making books, to say nothing Of
their other expenses, some idea o.
the luck they were having could bt
gathered from this action on theil
part.
The solid men, however, went
right on bucking up against the
game, and at the end of the first
four days they Immediately
"weigh in" for four more, and they
are still toying with the uncertain
game. At the end of the season
these men will be either big win.
ners or big losers, probably the
former, the "shoestring" book
makers will, with possibly one OF
two exceptions, all be broke and
hustling for their living, while
nine out Of every ten betting mer
who have followed the horses
through the season will find them
selves heavy losers. The question
naturally arises, "who has all tn,
money, them" 1t is easily an
swered. What the big bookmakerl
don't get the racing associations
do.
The association might be com
pared to the "kitty" in a game O
draw poker. If the game contin
ues long enough the "kitty" will
have all the money. 1t is the sam,
with the racing associations. Thei
season just continues long enough
to let them get almost all OF tn
money
There is no doubt but that there
are many winners among the hors
owners at the end OF each season
and there is also no doubt but tina
many Of the ordinary-betting mel
come out winners, but compares
to the horde of losers at the EN-
OF each season they are few il
numbers. The losers outnumbe
the winners 200 to l, and it has al
ways been so since the mutua
system Of betting was abolished i
favor Of the
OPEN-BOOK OF TO-DAY.
There are two classes of better
that make life miserable for tn
bOokmakers nowadays. FRS
there are the small betters, me
who rarely make more than a S
] bet. They are known as "pikers,
and starting on nothing, NATURAL
have nothingsss to lose. Thes
"pikers" have winning days an
losing days, but they are general
ahead Of the game. The bool
makers hate them, and the heav
betters look on them with scorr
but they get there somehow o
other, and are almost always o.
top OF the heap.
These small spectators rarel
bet on favorites. They prefer
play and 10-to.l shots or horse
at even longer odds.
The other class that the bool
makers are wary of are the plune
ers. When such men as M.
| Dwyar or pittShury phil Aood tb