The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-08-04
OUTFITS FOR GAMBLERS.
Designed "To Assist the Doctrine of
Chance"
From the New York Tribune.


From the New York Tribune.
A little known but lucrative business in
New York is that of manufacturing
swindling appliances for gamblers. There
are several dealers in this city whose trade
annually amounts to many thousands of
dollars New York is the headquarters
for gambling supplies, and orders are
filled for all parts of the country. one of
these dealers is in business not far from
Broadway and Fourteenth street. He adj
dresses himself to the sporting frater-
nifty and euphoniously describes his goods
as designed to assist the doctrine Of
chance" The schemes for fleeing the
lambs are innumerable, including crooked
faro boxes, bugs" sinners" fixed"
roulet wheels. marked cards. loaded dice
and a host Of other innocent contrivances.
When asked If he did not feel any qualms
of conscience at dealing in such articles,
the dealer replied:
mo: why should L? It Is no business Of
mine what becomes of my goods or how
they are used after l have sold them. I
manufacture them and sell them, and If
1 didn't somebody else would"
The advantage or marked-back cards
are among the principal means employed
by gamblers to cheat the unwary. Nari-
Gus methods enable the sharper to distin-
guish the different cards. one of the most
common is by a slight variation in the
pattern of the back of the cards. Some
of the variations are so slight that II
seems almost Impossible for any gambler,
however keen his eyesight. to detect them.
What is called the bicycle card is a ia
vorite advantage card. The pattern repre-
sents a bicyclist riding along a road, while
- IL IT,. .-1N 9 Soc
side Of the way. The limbs of the tree
are bare, and the little twigs which stick
out just beyond the owls perch determine
the value of the card. They vary In num-
Der and position according to suit and
value. The difference is exceedingly
small, and even If you know the cards
are crooked IL is difficult to discover
where the crookedness lies. Expert gam
blers, however, scorn such methods
these, and mark their own cards.
Loaded dice furnish another means for
swindling. When dice arc skillfully loaded
and the advantage is not too apparent,
detection is impossible without cutting
them in two In making them great SIKH
/ is required. The dice is drilled through
to the center over one of the black spots,
a plug made of the same material as the
| dice is inserted, and the spot reblacked.
| This plug is a little shorter than the hole
drilled, and thus leaves a hollow space,
which influences the fall Of the dice ac
cording TO its position and depth. Some
/ times this hollow space is filled with
/ heavier material. Dice are made to throw
| high or low, or to favor one particular
number. The proper size and position Of
| the plugs are only learned by long ex-
| perience. Most of the orders come from
| the southern negro "crap-shoOters. " They
are exceedingly particular about the dice
/ they use, and require only a slight per-
centage in their favor If dice were tco
/ pronounced on the side of the shooter.
| suspicion would be at once aroused
A book on gambling is also published by
| this dealer which explains all the many
| methods of false cutting and dealing used
/ by gamblers. He also undertakes TO cut
playing cards to order for banking and
! short card games, end rounds side rounds,
/ strippers, wedges, longs and shorts, briefs
rounds, straights. odds and evens. etc.
Another innocent piece of machinery,
which is strongly advocated. is the bug"
| No home should be without it, It's object
! is to enable a poker player to hold out
cards without detection. The dealer in
I geniously declared that it was superior
/ to the ordinary west hold-out," which
was likely to be detected, with the usual
unpleasant consequences
! A lively trade is done in crooked wheels,
! which are popular at horse races. The
apparatus consists of a stand mounted on
a tripod. The circular top Of the stand re-
wolves freely, and painted round it al
regular intervals are different colored
horses. The player puts his money on
one Of the horses, and if the horse stops
! opposite a certain fixed point he wins.
/ The horse rarely does win, however, for
/ the guileless owner Of the wheel has his
/ foot upon a spring at the base of the
stand, and can make any horse stop just
/ where he pleases.
II is not to be supposed that these meth
| DDS are practice by all gamblers. They
are used by that class known as shoe
] string" and "tin-horn" gamblers, who are
I entirely INSCRIPTIONS, and stop at moth
! ing to get the money OF their victims.