The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1900-07-11
POOLS SOLD
ON BIG SHIPS.
Popular Form Of Gambling on
the Atlantic Liners.
POKER STILL A FAvORITE
nenQ Remsiks Describes the Several
Methods Of Killing Time.
BETTING ON NUMBER OF MILES RUN.
ThHv Are At Times as Much as One Thou.
sand Dollars In An Auction Pool When
Prices Are Good.

New York, July 11-"The subject OF
gambling on shipboard is by no means
a new one" said globe trotter (Henry
Romeike), who landed in New York
the other day after a casual trip TO Eu-
rope. 1T has been written about. and
talked about. i suppose, ever since the
days of the famous whale. when the
sailors cast lots and the lot fell upon
Jonah. 1t is, however. serious, IL not
an important. subject for considera-
tion among people who travel on the
Atlantic steamships. for the amount of
gambling that goes on on these great
fioating hotels is much greater than
people who do not travel generally re-
alize.
s.The habit of many professional
gamblers of crossing the ocean fire.
quently for the sole purpose of joining
an the games of cards that are usually
20 be found in the smoking rooms is
well known not only to the police OF
both continents, but to the steamship
companies also. and while the police
cannCl do much TO break II up. the
steamship companies have made seri-
ous attempts TO do so, without any
very notable success. The evil was very
great some years ago. and when the
scandal arising from II grew to be ex-
cessive. these efforts were so stren-
uous that q partial reform was effect
ed and for time the card sharps were
not so often encountered. Now, how
ever, when the rush of travel is so
great as It is, Vt has become impossible
20 maintain q watch as strict as is
really necessary, and the blacklegs are
travelling again in numbers. have
made the acquaintance of some OF
them and / have seen them play. so l
know what i am talking about.
POKER is A FAvoRITE.
"Poker is always the favorite game in
The card room, though other games are
played also, and large sums are lost
and won In some Of the jack pots when
table stakes Is the rule. Only few
weeks ago a well known Wall Street
man lost 1000; but that story, / be-
oieve, has been told already.
Cards are not the only form OF
rambling which the traveller encount-
ers on shipboard. There is a game call
ed auction pool. which goes on from
day to day on every trip. or at least l
have seen IL every time / have crossed
for several years past, and yet u does
not seem to be understood by people
who haven't travelled on these steam
ers. never met any one else who
could describe IT accurately. but II Is
an interesting game, and IL Is often
played for very considerable stakes.
"The old fashioned pool that was
made up day after day, on the number
OF miles that the ship would cover In
her run. of twenty-four hours. accord
ing to the captains observations and
reckoning, was a simple thing and
easily understood. So many passengers
would each put an equal amount into a
pool and a number OF tickets equal to
the number of players would be pre-
pared and put In a hat. Say there were
thirty players. and the ship was ex-
pected TO make about three hundred
miles in the day.
ARRANGEMENTS OF TICKETS.
The tickets would be numbered from
2S6 to 3l5, inclusive. and the player
who drew the number corresponding to
the captains report of the number OF
miles actually covered, would win the
entire pool That has been played for
more wears than / can remember.
''Auction pool, however. is a more
elaborate and much more exciting
game. 1t begins exactly in the same
way. That is, there are as many tick
etc prepared as there are original con-
.trfbutors TO the pool. and they are
numbered according TO what the ships
run Ia expected TO be--say from 371 to
40 for the ships are more speedy than
they were.
After the drawing. however. and
before the hour arrives at which the
result can be known, there is an auc-
tion. Each man in the pool has drawn
tc a.,
turn to be bid upon. and IL he desires TO
keep the number he has drawn, he
must bid IL in against whatever compe-
tition there may be. And this competi-
tIon may be from outsiders or from
other members OF the original pool.
THE auctioneer first calls for bids on
number 81. Say each man has put 81
into the pool, so that there is $3.50 al
ready TO play for. No. 371 may be bid
up till somebody offers $50 for It. II
It h Knocked down at that figure 70
an outsider. he gets the ticket. the
original holder gets his s. back, and
the $45 remaining OF the bid Is divided
between the pool and the original hoi-
der. Thus the pool will contain s172.5O
and the original holder will have So. &c
proft In his pocket. over and above his
first venture. Obviously, this Is an
easy way to make money. and there Is
uotning TO compel "A man to stay in tho
game any longer: but n he retires at
this stage. and does not buy in some
other ticket. or at least try TO do so
ne may confidently expect that ne will
not be Invited to participate I'm the
game again. He won't be wanted.
HOW THE BIDDING GOES.
''Nc. 372 will he put up next. and
may be bid In bv Its original owner
for. say SIS. or this bid he retains his
0rI3Inal efnka Of 81 and ono-haif ~.