Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1896-07-02
BREAKING A FARO BANK.
An Old Dealer on Some of the Delu-
sions of Gambling.


From the New York Press.
Yes" remarked the old faro dealer,
as he INDUCED in a quiet retrospective
smile. "a great many of 'em used to la
Dor under tina same delusion-come in
with a shoestring and go out with the
bank roll. That was their overmas-
tering ambition, and it cost them a
barrel Of money humoring it, but they
never los hope. and they tipped away
with their salaries and incomes in
dimes and quarters with never a muir
muir. 1t was the old, old some day
Wen hit you that lured EN- on, and we
always used 10 encourage them in thai
pleasant AMI TO us, profitable fallacy.
why, when | was dealing bank in
that Sixth av shop above Honest John
Kelly's, our biggest play used to come
from those same cheap, would-be bank
breakers, On Saturday night, espe-
cially the place was full of them, and
it kept us on the jump from 9 until
the next morning raking in their little
tWo-for-a-cent plunges.
"A great many of them were bank
ers' and brokers clerks, and they were
the sons of rich men who purposely
KEEP, them on small allowances in the
hope that they were learning 20 rough
it, as they had done when they were
boys. These young chaps would watch
their employers shooting dice and
playing poker after the Exchange had
closed. and by Saturday night they
were ready to plunge their last bone
And let me tell you now that of ali men
l have seen around a roulette or faro
layout none of 'em could touch those
brokers clerks and college boys for
pure, raw nerve.
your $1,000 plunger is all righ., but
the SIS and $50, which was all these
fellows had, meant as much to them,
and they would watch their car fare
home wiped away without a vince or
change of expression. When you get
man reduced to playing his car fare on
the turn of the card or the spin OF the
wheel and he loses it with ease and
grace, you have go5 man VINO some
day will make Wall sIeet squirm, or
else will wind up in Sing Sing.
The little faro box and the roulette
wheel are faithful servants, and they
never beJray their masters in the long
run, but sometimes they will get
thoughtless for a spell, and | have seen
marvellous winnings made off OF al
most nothing. The cases are few ana
far between, though, and When you
hear a man discoWsing on how he
broke the town on a plugged Toe. piece
you can gamble that that man is
heavyweight liar.
you can't beat the little box if you
stay with it, and the wild winnings
that you hear about are made mostly
OF the novices, and the amount OF the
winnings increases in the same ratio
that the story grows.
"'Dink' Davis is one OF the few old
gamblers who ever really made a big
winning and did not go and lose it the
mex day or the next week
.'There was method in his madness.
He is the only man | know who knew
enough to leave the game alone after
he had beaten it.
For two straight nights he played
il. and he played it hard and fast, but
they were coming his way, and while
they came he stuck to it. Those two
nights nave gone down into history
now. No one before or since has
bucked the tiger with such indomitable
courage. backed up with such marvel
Gus luck. He couldn't miss bet, and
he called the turn with an ease that
paralyzed them all.
mo one will ever forgej the night
Dnk' began his wild plunge. He was
such a quiet. unassuming chap. mat
same little skull cap that he wears now
was pulled down over his eyes, and he
placed his bets with such modesty that
the harsh words that were on every
ones lips failed them, and they could
only cash his winnings without
grumble. All night long he prayed in
the same way. He seemed to have the
little silver box hypnOiZeG, and all the
dealers in town could not break the
spell.
They tried them all, too; called
them i'm from different houses, and in
his quiet. unpreJentions way he laugh
ed at them all. If he played the ten
spot 10 win it was a dead open and shut
that the ten-spot was going to win.
Every play was punctuated by quiet
emphasis that made the usual jibes and
comments ridiculous and common
place.
He was playing the old system.
double out'-that is, TWO cards we're
played to win and the other two 10 lose.
In the ten-spot only he failed IN the
first TWO plays. Each time the NUMBER
lost when he was playing it to win, and
on the third one he tripled the bet ana
the dealer almost had nervous prOs,Id-
ton.
His winnings that night have been
estimated at all the way from $Zo,UoV
10 $50. 600. but know that all he pulled
ont of the game was somewhere ne
tween $4,000 and $4,000. 'Dlnk
was the best winning that have ever
known. of. and it has become unit OF
measure, but I have seen equally DIS
good money pulled out on the capltal
invested.
Zone night a young Harvard chap
came into Davis place in twenty
eighth street. He had just Toe. 10 pay
his car fare to the Grand Central STA
ion. and he left his hotel with the iirm
resolve of keeping it. He had TWO
hours, however, and he decided to play
his surplus with Dink and get good
dinner along with his plunge.
He came into the room without any
attempt at concealng his free lunch
mentel .abointr-thra- ahhagt,ssditenu
scheme. and announced frankly INA,
he was going to play 1Oc worth anu
then 90 down and eat up the dinner
He put his dime on No. II on the Tou.
Iette table and we gave him a stack oil