The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1900-03-17
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THE ORACULAR THIRTY-SIN
WORDS OF CHE Fla.

WORDS OF CHE Fla.
In the first place il is bank game,
that is, the players do not play against
each other as in whist or chess, but
all play against the bank. The APP
pliances of the game are simple IN the
extreme, practically nothing. There Is
set of thirty-siX words Whlch every
che ia player knows by heart, and IL
he doesn't he can readily find some one
who can tell him. There are two draw
ings: that is, two determinations OIL
winnings, at noon and at hVe o CLOCK
The noon drawing having been made
let it be assumed, and the winnings
paid over, the banker arranges Tor the
) o'clock drawing. First he announces
the amount of his capital, say 500,
very important detail as Will appear.
Then he selects his winning word, keep
ing his selection a secret to hlmselt,
but writing it out carefully and seal
it in an envelope, and placing the
envelope whore it cannot be tempered
with Then he distributes slips OF paper
among his patrons and agents, on each
of which slips is written a legend or
proverb or as it is called, riddle
| a sentence expressing some idea cog
nate to or indicating some attribute OF
quality suggested by the winning Woru
This is supposed to be some gulde 70
the player in choosing the WORD ne
wishes to play. He informs the banker
or one of the latter's agents OF tnt
word and gives him the amount o.
money he wishes to venture, ten cents
or a dollar, or any sum, always o.
course limiting the amount in proper
tion to the announced capital or th'
bank. For each player, the word Sc
lected with the amount OF money De
on il is written on a slip OF paper am
nr hnX
time for the drawing comes, the seale'
envelope containing the winning Wor'
is brought out into full view OF IN
nlavers. or as many of them as choos
TO be present The slips in the urn ar
then sorted out, the winning word inc
pile, the rest in another ana the 'aI'e
are destroyed. The seal " the enVtI
ope is then broken and the winning WI
announced. The winners are then pa
their winnings at the rate of thirty Il
one-S1. so for every five cents bet. Bl
/ If the winnings should amount ~ lac
\ than the total received in the drawin
, plus the amount of the announced cal
iuaI, only this latter amount would
paid, and it would be ratably divlde
among the winners. Ihat 49, IL u
= winnings at the rate of thirty 10 OF
should amount to $3.50, and the amour
received by the bank should be only y
this $50 plus the capital of $lOO 81
in all, would be divided among the pla
ers.
A very large proportion of che
playing is done through agents OF q
bank, possibly following out the Cr
nese tendency to do everything throu
middle-men, and possibly, IN ia
where the game is contraband TO I'm
the number who know the BANK
and where the bank is located.
agent receives a commission from [
In hank of five per cent on what ne Drln
to it, and from the players ten per ce
of their winnings, when they win.
Thus, there is only one word out
thirty-six that can win, and the panF
paws thirty for one, the advantage
III favor of the bank is sixteen and tN
II thirds per cent. This is reduced
~ eleven and tWo-thirds per cent by
five per cent commission the PAM
nays. on the other hand the play
who plays through an agent redu'
his winnings by ten per cent a
counting his original investment rea
gets only twenty-siX for one.
THE winning word of the noon dra
ing cannot be the winning word OF
+. o'clock drawing so that in the lat
the players chances of winning
. slightly increased; that is, he mas
chance in thirty-five, instead or
chance in thirty-slx
The thirty-siX che ia words IN the
der in which they are printed in |
reese characters above, reading II
right to left, are Centipede, 70
marked, Dead, Left Breast, FIJI
Moon. Pig, Lion, Cow, Dragon, /
1Iorsehead, Knife, Mouth, Rat,
Opium, Cat, Silver Money LepT
allv Harlot, Pigeon, Monkey Sea, Co
ght Right Ear, Nun, Fire, Chicken,
,an- Well, Shrimp, Gold Money, Sp
Duld Blndman, Goat.
seth1 homogeneous as this collection
aid: words seems, each has place becs
Id of some original significance, tho
me. what the significance is belongs to
. , SO domain of curious learning rather
ny to the domain of gambling. T
II In Significance is of much the same cl
heir acter as the names of the pieces
to chess, king, queen, knight castle,
land Cd and pawn. Some of them hay
tell lderaldic significance, some III
Significance in the Confucian sys
lg IN though of course this has long ago
lost.
The legend or riddle put forth by
banker as a guide to the player
AZ perhaps the most subtle device
Zee could be imagined to lead on, to 10
the players. In one drawing where
T. word spider was the winning word
IN riddle put forth by the banker,
"a young woman with beau
face" The association of ideas OF
with the winning word is through
)any idea Of the proyerbial deceitfulne
beauty and the deeeitfulness o.