Evening star., 1901-12-07
The Strong Hold'It Has Among All
Glasses Of Players,
GAME OF MOST OF TIE Open CLUBS
Winnings Average Up Better Than
at Roulette.
SCENES ABOUT THE TABLE
Special Correspondence of The Evening Star.


so; the special reason given for 1t seems
plausible and the impression of the look
| er-on beholding, in turn, bankers of un-
doubted honor and punters of unblemished
| inexperience win out, confirms it. Yet only
| Yesterday afternoon, at the most respect
able-or least ACKNOWLEDGMENT club of
Paris l was witness to strained situa-
ton. ri.
A sport of particular reputation, hay
ing lust lost first bank opened another.
| Shuttle those cards. ordered a punter.
| The croupier, scooping the cards from the
| big bowl set in the table where they were
| lying pell-mell, had spread them at large
| in front of him. turned over the faced ones
with lightning deXterity and massed them
| together neatly. On demand he handed
them to the unsatsied punter. The latter,
| whether by awkwardness or design, let the
| big pack break in the middle, so that the
cards spilled again, face up, face down
Then, cooly returning the faced ones, he
| messed those cards about as if he were
| stirring buckwheat- batter.
The croupier handed them to the next
| man, and the next, and the next! By this
| time the banker had left the table, and sat-
! with an offended air, arms folded waiting,
| in a nearby armchair. If you will believe
| it. that pack went the round of the table,
| every one of the twelve seated punters Civ
| ing it a more less thorough mixing.
| subscriber.
"Um-m-m," he answered, rolling his
| neck evasively. Perhaps the first man
| wanted to be sure and the others followed
| him for various reasons, perhaps even to
protest by reductio ad absurdum, against
| such wasting of time" Later on, in the
street, he added: The game is square
| just now; but it is important to keep it
| square. Perhaps some of them thought
| the croupier had queer way, after turning
| down the faced cards, of Tipping them into
| the pack, here and there. Some croupiers
| cannot help trying to do such things, even
| when the game is square"
But it certainly was square?"
"Oh, yes, and the proof is that the banker
| lost"
/ interrupted. him by smiling incredu-
lousy.
Don't Ask for Proofs.
''Well, would it have been any proof of
fairness if the banker had won?' he in
quired. In a crooked game the banker
may lose-in order that friends of the house
may win Or the banker may win-because
he win be dealing for the house. Or either
may happen by conspiracy, and the house
know nothing of it. 'WeIl, the banker may
lose and the banker may win, in the same
way, when the game is square. Don't ask,
for proofs in baccarat.'
This man, to my certain knowledge,
makes his day every day, week in, week
out, at this and another baccarat table.
His expenses are $40 a day. His working
capital is $500, something which permits
him to buy fifty mother-of-pearl chips cf
the value of SO each. He plays one at
time, never progressing" If he wins his
| first bet-somethingz he has an even chance
to do-he quits baccarat for the day. He
! has won his $40. If he loses the first bet he
goes on, playing only indicated" coups
| with extreme coolnesS and caution, taking
| a walk around the rooms, If need be, to
tranquilize his mind and wait for a better
| run. AS his bets are all flat bets of ten
| dollars each. his one object is to go on till
| the pendulum swings back and he has his
one chip ahead-when he will quit; and as
| his bets always fiat never increasing,
he stand "ecart'' of forty-nine
against him, thing he declares never hap
| pens. Sooner or later things even them
selves up in a game as baccarat almost
uniquely is, wherein the punter at least has
no percentage worth speaking of against
him. He asks no more. with fifty chips
| 1t would be strange that | could not win
one," he argues; and his own experience
satisfies him that he argues correctly. OF
course, to prove the system good he will
have to win one ten dollar chip fifty times
before he loses his original fifty chips in
bad run. Yet the proposition is not absurd,
for whole school of mathematics will
| prove to you that in baccarat things do
even themselves up with more obvious
promptness than at roulette.
Universal Confidence.
1t would be hard, otherwise to account
| coups. Baccarat is played by dealing two
| cards to one side of the table, two to the
| other and two to the dealer. The object is
| to add up eight or nine, nine by preference,
| or to come the nearest to nne under nine.
| The cards count their pip value, all picture
| cards counting ten. If the right-hand side
| of the table gets eight and a picture
| caro-, the punter having the hand shows
| the two cards face up and calls out his win
nlng point, 'elght,'' When the banker
| two cards that add eight or nine-say, six
ana two, or nine and a picture card-he
calls out his winning point, eight or
nine. If the bankers point is six, and
one players is five, the banker being near
est to nine, wins. Or vice versa. Only the
unit diglts count, thirteen being called out
% three' sixteen six and SO on; Either
player or the banker, being satisfied with
the first two cards, may ask for third, to
complete the point And whether or not
and when to ask for the third card consti-
tutes the great problem of the game. In
one combination the dispute is never-end-
ing, whether to draw at five stand"
Here is something you will see any after
noon noon; MI is seated next to Mr.. B.
beng his turn to hold the hand" and de-
c1de-for ail-whether to stand" or
draw. Next time the banker hands the
two cards to Mr.. B. (Or rather the
croupier does it for him, on the end of a
long paddle). The banker wins again. and
as b shows his hand the growl of indig-
nallon rises even ffercer than before. Why?
Simply because BIT, having five, drew, got
SIX which made him eleven, or one-and
| lost.
Cool About 1t.
The other afternoon l stood by young
fellow who has just finished one years
military service, the son Of highly honor
able conservative old Partisan banker-not
| OF baccarat. The young man is about as
perfect an example of the well-balanced
| reasonable, cool-headed baccarat microbe
as can be found, despite his comparatively
tender age. eg. $50
i never come with more than thirty
francs In my pocket he is proud of say
ing. Perhaps it is partly to show his in
dependence, his lack Of that false shame
that feels abliged to "splurge," and his
QUANTITIES of 'malin, - or knowing one'
sometimes / go to the cashier with two
tWo-franc pieces and two ffty-centime
pieces and ask for one five-franc chip Then
| | wait until banker has won four times
hand running and put down my dollar 1t
is one or the indicated" coups; and the be-
| lief that the banker will lose the fifth time
is SO universal that you will see the table
instantly pile up beyond the banks capital
when 1t is due. Another is the coup de
%I,4