The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1896-08-26
WARNED THE GAME.
A aAMBLERs TIP TO A FARO DEALER
| THAT He WAC "oN."

II walked Fnty-thf00 M1l6e Today" h
Said, '1and Then I stumbled"-Ho Got
Back the $500 That He Had Lost, but .
"Sucker" Understood and Quit.
II saw funny thing In Chicago last
week." said o New York business man.
II was In gambling house-not very
elaborate establishment but place where
25 cent chips were the rule--when good
looking man with keen black eyes took
thu scat beside me at the faro table and
began betting on the high and low cards
always observe little things, and when
this man sat down noticed that the deal
er paid very little attention to him. None
of the attendants bowed to him either, and
/ gathered from this that like myself, he
was stranger in the place. Most Of the
other players seemed to be known; that Is,
all but the man at my other side. He was
short, stout, red faced fellow who kept
up q rapid fire of conversation all the time
he played. He seemed to have 1000 sys-
tens, and he informed me that he rarely
lost at faro bank when the game was on
the level When my keen eyed neighbor sat
down, the fat man was slightly bewildered
over the failure Of his systems to work. He
was about 500 in the hole and didn't
seem to understand 1t. I was some $50 be-
hind myself, but wasn't at all worried
over 1t, for never gamble heavily and III
ways lose anyway.
Wei, tho keen eyed man had varying
luck for half an hour He played in q
cool, precise way, which told even inexpe-
rienced me that he was an old hand. When
he tired of playing the high and low, he
switched to the numbers and began cop
pering on the odd ones and playing tho
evens to win. At the end Of the half hour
he had lost at least $3.50, but he didn't
seem at all worried about it. The luck con-
tinued against him until his losses aggre-
gated $500. When the last Of it was hauled
in, he pulled s2l in bills from his pocket,
leaned Il little bit forward, and, placing it
on the high, said very quietly to the deal
er: That's my last bet tonight walked
81 miles today and then stumbled, 80 m
very tired Now, to my mind, that was
the most innocent sort of remark, but
my fat neighbor almost had fit over it.
He had laid bet of $50 on card, but like
n fash he seized 1t back and glued his eyes
on the box The high card turned up, the
quiet man rose from the table and started
away, while my fat neighbor leaned over
greatly excited and whispered In husky
voices
"'Watch him! Watch himp
II watched and saw an attendant ap-
proach tho man. The latter seemed to ex-
pect some one to como to him, for despite
his assurance that he was going right
home, he stood in m of corner of the
room. No one was paying the slightest at
tention to him save my neighbor and my
self, and l wouldn't have even glanced
around but for the fact that my attention
had been directed his way.
"Well the attendant was very obsequi-
Gus, and after a few words he escorted my
late neighbor to another end of the room,
where they met dapper looking little fel-
low. There was some Handwriting, and
then the three men went out of the room
together. Well, sir, you never saw such u
mad man as my fat neighbor in your life.
The oaths he Kissed into my ear were
something awful. ! went to make bet,
and he stopped me. Get me out of here or
I'll bust, he said, Then he gathered up
his chips and l gathered up mine, not hay
ing the least idea why was doing 1t, and
after cashing them in we went away. Out
side in the street the pent up rage of my
companion broke loose in all its fury.
ga hundred dollars, cool hundred
he roared, and you, how much did you
Drop
"'Only about $50, replied, but what's
the Use of making such fuss about it9'
"'Fussn he fairly shrieked DO you
think Pm making u fuss over that $l009
hat icY,,t b,,t bo bot
cheated, makes me crazy
My FRIEND said, don't be foolish.
am satisfied that I lost my money in a
fair game. You mustn't yell murder every
time you get the worst of it in faro
'He looked at me for moment in
pltying way. All the rage was gone.
"'You don't mean it?' he asked.
why, of course, said.
"'Well, well, wellp was all he could say
for moment Then he turned to me
again. Tell me- he said, did you hear
what tho man on your left said, and did
you watch him after he left the table, as
told you tor
~ replied that had whereupon he in
obliged il some more well, wells and
then explained his remarkable conduct as
follows:
eff you knew as much about gambling
houses us do, you'd know that that was
n crooked game. the moment that man
spoke. He was professional gambler,
you sec, and was stranger III the house. |
They didn't know him at all and went |
right on with their crooked dealing. Flo /,
was ''on" in u moment, Of course, but gam
blers never make a fuss. 1t wasn't his
business to inform you and me and that |
fine array of other suckers around the ta- |
BILE that We were being done. All he want
ed was his own money. So he played on
until he had dropped his $500, then he
made that remark to let the dealer know
he was on, walked away and waited for
the invitation to see Mr.. Blank He didn't
have to wait long, as you yourself know,
and as he knew, too, when he quit the
game
"'That sounds very nice said, but
nay ask how such a simple remark con-
Keyed all that you say it did to the dealer?'
II was rewarded with another look of
,ity. Then my companion began to laugh
He said he had walked So miles. He
meant by that that he was perfectly we'll
ware Of the fact that there were So cards
n the deck being used. Now when there
ire So cards in deck which is being used
or faro the odd card is a stop card. 1t will
break up any combination that was ever
made, and an expert can manipulate it in
! way to make any bet lose that he likes.
There is one danger, and that Is that some
me outside of the regular man may be
teeping cases. The odd card is kept low
hen, but players don't often bother to
,eep track of the played cards, and no one
lid tonight
"'Wel, our smooth friend said he stun
led. He meant by that that the house
ould take their choice of giving him back
lis $500 or standing the consequences He
new perfectly well what tho result would
70. You saw the rest. They took him down
tairs and squared him. and, like true
he went away satisfied That's
Il, but you see 1t saved us both some
hing to have me know that
"That was my first experience that
now of with brace faro bank, and while
ny friend may have been wrong there was
ertainly lot Of circumstantial evidence
} bear him out.
Vo11oxxy owns