New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1900-02-18

district 9 W '"'i
Inc game OF policy is nothing more than bet
ing on three numbers out of seventv-eight II
is supposed that twice a dav tbaso r,,rotors oro
put into box, from which certair n,,,obors
are drawn by a blind girl and n record made
OF the order in which they are drawn A ,roun
Oh Ohree NUMBERS is called a gig" a group of
WV IL sauoie' and II the numbers on which
the policy player has staked his het come ont
In the order in which he has taken tbaro no
gets large returns for his wager rhere arc
supposed TO be two lotteries the Kentucky and
the state me drawings take place at Coving-
'0n anu beAihetoh' and the results are tele-
graphed to the various policy shops. A gig in
one lottery pays two hundred for one and if
placed in both 1T has chance to draw one
hundred for one. The morning drawing is Sim
posed to take place at noon and the afternoon
drawing at D O'clock but the returns are not
made public until about two hours after the
books are closed, and that is the anxious time
with the poor, deluded players, who guided by
dreams, fortune teers, superstitious signs and
the sayings of expert dream interpreters have
placed their sadly needed money on gigs of
various composition.
HOW IT Is PLAYED
The policy writer gives the player receipt
for his money, except a small slip which
the gig is recorded. along with some signs by
which the policy player knows how much he
stands to win A duplicate of this slip is kept
by the writer and a triplicate is sent to the
hacker This last precaution is taken, many
people believe, in order to guide the hand Of the
blind girl" when she draws the numbers
In order to gain idea of the players
chances, it is we'll to know that the rs numbers
will make 76,016 gigs; % numbers will make
1900 gigs. The morning drawings are for 10
numbers, which will make go gigs; and at these
drawings even if the game is carried on fairly
the player has go chances out of 76O76.
All gamblers are superstitious but there is
probably no game in which dreams and signs
play such a prominent part as in policy Among
the popular gigs f. II, A." is one of the most
celebrated, because it is played by all negro
players and on dreams about washing, darkies
railroads, boats. trucks and wagons. The dead
gig is 80 10, 90 because it is suggested by
dreams Of death and because it has been dead
has not been drawn in five years.
THE RENT" DREAM
| In the tenement house district the rent gig
! 81 67, 49, is always popular, and when 90
| is added and the four numbers are taken it
stands for landlord also It's wonderful how
many people have dreams about rent said the
writer, and especially around the first of the
month. To dream of q hearse means 4, Al, "A,
/ and a coffin calls for Z, Al, "a. Inc Qead anu
alive gig for a dream about a being dead
who is alive is o. AZ, 81 Cattle is 6, H. &c
horse, 4, G, 90; pig, 4, so TO- dog 4, 80 80
cat, = TO- o. birds, - H. % fish, =, II, u,
! and 50 1 could give you list that would fill a
! book.
These dream heads divided in a smaller
| and more direct way, and while q, II, % may
be for birds generally, there are other numbers
! for the various species. and the same is true
of FISH. Players console themselves when they
fail to hit the game 10y saying that they selected
! the wrong gig.
with the policy player everything has a
meaning in numbers and from the time he arises
| in the morning until he goes to bed at night
everything is watched for policy tip. The
longer they play the more superstitious they be-
come and men and women finally become daft
on the subject
! The policy fend is not confined 10 the tene-
ment house district, but he may be found IN
large numbers in the business district of the
| city Shops doing a large business are run in
the shadow of the Stock Exchange, and hun
dreds of people who occupy positions of trust IN
commercial houses know that police dream
means IL. L. 60" or 10. 16, 40; that muir
/ Ger" means 80 H. DID, or -, 13, %, and that
! a robbery dream means III, Il, 60 10, 16,
40"
The sures: customers Of the policy shop are
the men and who made a hit. said