Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-08-08

winning 0 winning. of course. in prefer
ence to 9: When either side ties with the
bark it 9 is draw. The side which has
drawn neither an nor o. he has right,
which is supposed to be greatly to his ad-
vantage, to offer third card to either
and to take third card himself. The
side that is weak, having 2, 3 or naturally
accepts, seeking to augment its point. In
every case of drawing, however, the side
which has thrown down s without accept
ing cards wins against the banker even
though he has obtained a 9 through draw
Ing. At the point 5 some players ask for
a card. while others stand" thinking the
danger OF overlapping by accepting a
third card too great.
While baccarat ia the simplest of all
games 1t being only necessary to throw
down your cards for comparison with the
bankers when you have s or 8, refuse a
third card at 5. 6 and Z. and accept third
card at zero, 2. and 4. there Is a gen.
eral impression that individual players sell
dom win against the banker. In other
words, 1t is the ambition of every one to
bank and get the banks supposed advan-
tage Of ~ per cent. The bank, playing
mental law Of all gambling. which is that
Money goes where money isl The
banker rises to the dignity of an imper-
sonal machine his money doing the work
for him, while he sits calm, disturbed by
neither greediness Eor fear. The popular
recruitment against this gu erior position,
Which is at the same time a dumb admis-
sion of their own weakness and inconslst-
ency, Is summed up in the individual play
er's constant question, always heard
around the tables, Why do 1 SO often
lose my big bets?'
Losing His big Bets.
An Individual comes to the table with
1000 francs. By betting relatively small
sums of five, ten or twenty francs, he man.
ages to win 800 francs. At this moment.
feeling himself In luck, he puts down 200
fraacs-a big bet. Suppose that he gains
it; follow the player in his evolutions
Since he has made an effort, which has
beel crowned by success, he hastens to salt
the big winning down, and begins to bet his
little bets again. ten francs, twenty francs,
thirty francs. But anon, just as a mouse
that has hid itself in a crack sticks out Its
nose again when ell is Still, this greedy
person begins to feel around, until at last
he gets the courage to put down another
big bet say 800 francs. Allow him to win
this also. He Is not saying now why do I
SO often win my big bets?" No, he finds
the thing quite natural. He has lost so
many big bets in the past that 1t is not
astonishing he should win one now and
then. He takes the credit to himself to his
science in playing, perhaps even to his
knowledge Of the laws of probability!
Around him every one is saying Hes a
good one. He knows how to press his bets
at the right moment" The gay gambler
has now almost 1900 francs before him
He has doubled the cape. He is on the
home stretch. Do you think he will stop?
Not at all. An individual who, beginning
with hve-franc bets, has been lucky enough
TO work up to 5OO-franc bets has no idea Of
quitting the table in the flush of success
1t is the moment to win the Casino and
grounds. Therefore he puts down another
big bet, 600 francs. This time we must
suppose he loses-otherwise he would gain
always-and would not be complaining Of
losing his big bets.
He has lost his 600 francs, 1t Is terrible.
He had won 1000 francs; now he has only
wo1 400! He sees clearly that IL he had
won he would have had before him 1900
francs profit. He has lost his big betl In
ten minutes more he will try another big
bet. and probably lose it--because 1t is still
the bankers turn-and after this he will
rot dare to try another, but he will flicker
out like dying candle. gold piece by gold
piece In slow agony. forever mourning
| that he lost his big bets"
Robbing the Banker.
Baccarat, according to the general i'm
preston. would be good game for the
banker, were he not continually robbed. II
| Is understood that there are often forty or
fifty persons betting against the bank, 40
that the paying becomes long and tedious,
! In order that the game should not drag
the Casino proprfetore have invented clerk
| for the banker. called a croupier, whose
mission is to pay and rake in money All
the same time. always in the interest Of e1.
| petition ana dispatch. they have adopted
| the American system Of "chips' instead of
allowing the money to be played In gold
and notes. as at roulette and trente-et-
| Quarante.
| The croupier Is generally a robber. and
the chips are the Instruments of his thiev-
| Ing. A sum like ZOO francs, for example
] represents in gold and notes . certain bulk,