The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-05-20

q
are Tor half crown, and I've seen them
with g guinea u. The man who guesses
nearest taxes the pot lts a fool het-
one chance in nifty or Jon. but there are al
ways the fifty or the leo 10 chip in Then
another pool Will be made on the hour
gl taxing pilot 4 very common pool
pilots were in sailing vessels. was on the
number u the boat that would give us a
pilot when we. were homeward bound
Now you would think all OF those pools
would DE managed fairly. wouldn't you2
Every one knew or learned the average
passage OF the steamer. and all could
Learn the numbers OF the pilot boats. SO
j appeared as fair for one as for another.
But the fact was I've sailed with one ship
master VINO poasted or winning a score
or those pools. lie learned, for instance.
that certain pilot boats We're laid up Tor
repairs, and kept his Information. lie
learned what boat was 20 be on station at
the light ship on his return here. and was
careful as possible TO take no pilot until
he was at the lghtship. There are daily
pools on the days run, OF course, ana
pools and bets on the number or reyolH-
lions OF the screw or screws. Everybody
bets because il relieves the monotony or
a sea voyage.
with cards the most popular games are,
of course. poker and baccarat. There Is a
quiet game OF whist, or OF pinochlel or or
monte, even. Whist is not so much OF
gambling game, OF course, but guinea
side is "a common bet"
why do You say guinea a side or a
pool at a shilling guess? Don't you bet
Not often. Western men do. but the
shuttlecocks like myself who are vibrat-
ing between New York and London and
Amsterdam always carry English money
Tor use on the other side. Then the purser
is the banker of the ship. and he general
ly does business with English money.
The story OF the bet of 5000 to 81 hav-
ing been mentioned. the diamond dealer
said:
THE man that made il probably got the
scare OF his lifetime; but he was cool cai-
culator of chances. When you can figure
Tor yourself that there is but one chance
IN twelve Of throwing double skies once.
while there is but one in IA of throwing
them twice. and SO on, multiplying 10y
twelve for each throw. There wasn't one
chance in l00.0O0O0 OF throwing double
SKIES ten times or ever seven times. But
that was a remarkable game when nine
double SKIES had been turned out. The
player had one chance in twelve then, OF
course. But the fact IS not one in a hum
dred players knows anything about the
mathematical doctrine of chances, and OF
those VINO do, not one in a dozen is able
knowledge.
For instance. I like a small game of
smiling limit as well as anybody, and my
cigars and drinks do not cost me any
lnlhg, as rule, but with a northeast
wind blowing l can never win "a cent. I've
tried II often, but latterly / always find
where the wind Is before / sit down. Aud
l m not the only one of that feeling, either
II you VIII make inquiry among the regu-
laf travellers you'll find, probably one i'm
Yen mas that feeling about the northeast
Mlnd. IL S superstition, of course hut
IL influences play. / know a man who Is
q SILK buyer, VINO always sits on the north
east Slue OF the table to win, and he's a
very lucky fellow. The old shore SUPER
sutton about going under a ladder bring
ing bad luck does not apply at sea. but
know a man who will not play if he hap
pens 10 count the number Of steps coming
up the cOmpaniouway from the saloon
ana hnds the number even One time /
went across with a man from ST. Louis,
VINO was an excellent hand at poker
IrSt-claSs. He was always talking I'm an
easy fashion during the game-the talk
was part OF his game, l guess, though
he never changed his voice or tried Ia
say anything to msead the rest He won
steadily going over, and on the way back
az we happened to come together | saw
nun nun IIaklng IN my shillings steadily FOR
Two Gays. But on the afternoon of the
second day, as he walked the deck some
tnlng was done that called for the iippine
Oh a com, ana he drew a Mexican dollar
win a triangular hole in the center from
ms pocket. He gave Il flip and away In
McHt OgeTDoaId That night he lost stead
ny, ana Tor the rest of the voyage would
NOT play. lie had lost his mascot.
what Is the most remarkable fact Won
ilaEe nqueed about the gambling at sea %
Il cannot say that there is anv one very
remarkable fact in my experience / saw
a game once in which a Portland (Ore !
man worked a remarkable blum There
We're SIX IN the game. and he was the age
on a tWo-and-siX limit When a iackpof
came-dll the interesting stories Of poter
@SIS tolu or Jackpots by the wayne got
FOUR cup including the king and TACK.
me other card being the Jack of hearts
ne opened me pot He VAS raised bv the
MIRO and iifth man. but he raised them
nach ana stood pat. The other two drew
Two cards each. The Portland man bet
the limit and each Of the others raised
Nun. Ihen he dropped his cards on the
table Az face up, but with his hand over
inc ilfth card, and raised them the limit
LsatH, WHstedt they drew out, suppos!ng
In another remarkable Jackpot was
me second from the age, who opened the
POT. mere We're six in this game too
Dy the way had two jacks. an ace and
two spots OF course, / drew to the lacks
ana got the other jack and a king Well.
no one could have either four aces or four
hlnss, ana since an the others had drawn
Two or more cards, there could not be
straight flush, so I settled down with the
IDEA that ! had a cinch. Directly an
dropped out but the are ard he kent ra Is
ing me the limit; so / showed a Biz nile
OF chips over toward the pot ana dropped
on the shillings as fast as called for until
finally he called me. 1t was one chance
in million, but he had the four queens
In general / should say that the most
interesting features of gambling a sea are
In the facts that about everybody bets
and that the bets re usually of small
amounts Why, women and children 20
INTO the pools on the days run. have
observed that dice leave the losers in the
mos, cheerful frame Of mind. Next to
that for chcerfulness Is poker. The one
game that seems TO 1rritate and grasp the
soul, Is whist, for OF course. there Is al
ways one in the game VINO Is a dinged
fool, and his blunder simply ruin The
pleasure Of the rest. once saw man so
worked up over the loss of ten or twelve
shillings In an afternoon at whist that
he couldn't eat his dinner, but when on
reaching port his partner met him with a
doleful tale Of big speculation that had
gone wrong to the extent of $4,000, he
laughed at his partner for making such a
long face over it,"
-Nell-"what I like about Mr.. scribner