The herald., 1897-02-07
A Good Poker Hand Entices the
Players On
CHANCES LIE WITH THE BOX
And Are Sometimes Enlarged by Delhi.
crate Trickery
Bucking the Tiger by lnstallments q Losing
Game
The Machine Piends on the Increase, Pending
Decision Of the Higher Court
as to the Legality Of
the Box

When the late Arthur Orton, once a
butcher in Australia and more recently
a. barkeeper in New York, was on trial
In London some twenty odd years ago
for personating Sir Robert Tichborne
Bart, a memorandum book was intro
duce7 in court to show by the impostor's S
own handwriting that his education had
been sadly neglected in his youth, and
that therefore he could not possibly be
the real Sir Robert, who by the way,
had not himself profited to any great ex-
tent by the schooling he had received at
Eton. In this memorandum book Ar
thur Orton has jotted down some of the
wise and philosophical thoughts which
had occurred to him while perspiring In
the Australian bush, and some of these
bright ideas, no doubt, thereafter led
him to lay claim to the vast wealth of
the Tichborne family.
Among the gobs of wisdom which the
Wrapping butcher had collected in this
tell-tale memorandum book were the
following deep sentiments, written in the
English as she was wrote" by the de-
brains and some people has money, and
them that has brains and no money gets
it from them that has money and no
brains" That is just the idea that ac-
tuated the geniuses who invented nickel
in-the-slot machines. They had large
craniums filled to overf1owing with gray
matter, and good-sized hands to grab
what there is in sight, but they had no
money, so to say, and that Is supplied
by those whose cerebellum Is like dry
gourd, but whose pockets bulge out with
lawful coin of the United States. These
press the button and the nickel-in-the-
slot machine men do the rest.
Not so long ago the police made an ac-
tive war upon such devises. and it re-
suited in the machines, being removed
from the counters and bars upon which
they had stood openly and place
behind screens and in convenient
corners where customers could still buck
against the laws of chance. The nickel
in-the-slot machines might entirely have
gone out of existence were it not that
one case in which an appeal to the higher
court was taken, in a measure tied up the
hands of the police department, and
until a decision is handed down the
nickel scoop-nets will remain in evil
dence in cigar stores and saloons.
All nickelin-the- slot machines are
not of deadly character. 1t is only those
which promise large returns for small
outlay in the event of success-in short
those who give opening to the gratifica-
tion of the gambling craze that are dan
gerous. The machine which weighs you.
tells you your fortune and throws in a
musical selection into the bragain; the
one that shows you the fat women's
race and the adventures Of Mickey's dog
catching a rat; those are innocuous
After a fellow knows his weight before
taking drink and hitting the free lunch
counter, it is barely possible that he may
try the weighing machine over again to
see how much he is ahead of the game.
but beyond such extravaganza he will
not go. And after a man has seen the
fat women racing, fat women who race
have no further charms for him. So
that on these rackets it may safely be
assumed that rounder will not go
broke.
But the little box which contains fifty
cards out of a full deck, that revolve
on pressing a spring, is the money
maker. That is the invention which gets
away with the coin of them that has
money and no brains" For the informa-
llOu Ol THOSE WHO uIllk at nome on tNe
sly or don't drink anything stronger
than Adams pale ale. and for those who
buy their cigars, it is necessary to eX-
plain that If the cards after being whirl-
ed around, show a good poker hand, the
chap who does the successful manipula-
ton is rewarded with cigars or tickets
calling for drinks, according to the value
of his hand and upon basis scheduled
above the box. A royal flush is the
highest, pair of kings the lowest. When
these boxes first went into operation
the man who was so lucky as to strike
q royal flush would be rewarded with
as many as $50 cigars or drinks But that
did not last long. Those owning the
boxes considered such a quantity far
too large, although 1t is certain that
during the time that the poker machines
have been in existence here not dozen
royal flushes have been recorded. Con-
sequently royal fushes were soon quoted
at 100 cigars; and ere long fifty became
the limit. and with other conditions the
reduction was proportionate.
When fellow starts out to play the
nickel-in-the-slot racket he never knows
when to stop. Many also pause when
their wallet is exhausted And win or
lose, it is just the same. If a man wins
he asks everybody that is near to have
a drink or cigar, so that in the end
he quits without either tickets or money,
and if he loses he keeps converting quar-
ters into nickels to get even at least,
until when he is done he is done to
turn, and must walk home, if his friend
can't loan him car fare.
1t is the great fashion for those who
have the nickel in the slot machines to
proclaim that their boxes are losers to-
day (and today is every day) all the
way from S. 10 SIS. but the machines
are never removed for being unfruitful
devices, and in some houses there are
as many as three to help the proprietor
to go into insolvency right quick. if
his word might be believed. As a matter
of fact the rules of chance, applied 70
the boxes, and the schedule of prizes
precludes that, even when honestly run
the proprietor can, in the long run
be otherwise than large beneficiary
by their use.
First class places would not stoop
to such low trickery as to remove az
ace or other high card from the box
preventing thereby a possibility of fours
of kind or other winning comhina-
tions, but it is very possible that there
hOXqs in nj har n hi iicJ,