Evening star., 1900-12-08

| Another has tendency to make high num-
bers come OUT and a third will bring
the neighbors"I. e., numbers on the cylin-
der adjoining those which have just won.
All this, they say, Is done unconsciously,
without the will or power of the croup:er.
1t is simply the habit of hand that, in the
long run, produces certain results.
There are others, however. who see in the
hand OF the croupier a real occult power.
please remember" a willy old habtue was
saying only last night at Ciro's that the
pustulant cfoupier at Monte Carlo is obliged
to do two years apprenticeship before he is
allowed to turn in public. During these
two years he is obliged to practice five
hours a day at all the functions of his fu-
ture employment, as the phrase runs, IN
order to acquire-what? Habit, coolness
and sureness of hand2 1t would hardly
take that long smiles the old habitue.
NO, 1t is to acquire the ability to throw
the ball into any compartment desired.
Then followed story after story of Won
derful feats performed by indiscreet crou-
piers. One man told of something he had
seen with his own eyes. The hero was a
young crouper who, one sleepy afternoon in
the dead-SeaSon summer time. took adVan-
tage of the absence of the chef de partie to
boast to his friends of his skill. To prove
his words he began throwing the ball. lie
brought out in succession. without error,
the numbers l, 2, 3. 4, 3, 8 and before the
arrival of the boss caused him to des!st.
Here Is conspiracy not against the bank,
but against the public. Another man tolu
this story: One day. sitting at table No.
4 of the roulette, l observed the chef de
partie carefully. He was interesting. y
real Partisan, talkative, restless, busy, un-
quiet. he gave himself away to me. for l
knew the type. Several times l had al
ready observed him giving the signal to the
croupier. l think he knew l was watching
him and it increased his embarrassed bra
vado. All at once, when the dropping of
coin on the floor attracted the attention
OF the players. my chef de parte took adj
vantage Of it to give the inattentive crou-
n
zero. l saw his lips move, forming the
words. I called the attention of a friend to
the fact and begged him to play the zero
with me, but he called me visionary and
argued-something which might have been
true-that as zero had just come out the
chefs pronouncing of the word might only
be to call the croupiers attention to the
fact. During this dispute the bail began
rolling, and before l could get my money
out I heard the sacramental: 'Rien ne Va
plus! What number won? Why, zero"
Playing the hanks Game.
The natural question of every one will be
as 1t was the other evening: Then why
not go on proting by such knowledge?
You have only to play the banks game"
A syndicate was formed the spot to
do that thing. l happen to know this
fact -Four men, of whom two were Ameri-
cans, put up each $50, to be played only
when all four were present; to be played
only the banks game. e., on black
when there should be disproportonally
large amount staked on red, and so on; TO
be retired and the profits divided when the
capital should be first doubled and to be
replayed in the same manner, the bets to
increase with the capital after the first di
vision.
There was a syndicate prudentiy hedged
around with conditions. A first difficulty
presented itself the moment the four sat
down to play. They wanted to play the
banks game. 1t seemed as if every
hf,l,- ,t,,y1 Ia @nl lyNC
play exactly the same game. When ba ck
seemed to be overcharged there was rush
to red; when manGue looked fat they has
tened to punt on passe. Zero won them so
after having lost them $40. Now and again
the scheme really seemed to work. Once
odd was neglected. They bet on it and
won so. Thay made four wins on red in
hour and quarter, waiting patiently.
Twice when they put money on even
they won. 1t Is remarkable how little they
lost. To sum up the first days play they