The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-08-26

|
little white buttons. quadrangular piece
| of board about ten by twelve inches,
| the sides being numbered, l., II, Ill.
| w, in Chinese; a short tapering stick
about the size of chop stick, only twice
as long. and a small bowl.
| fan tan game in Chinatown general
| ly belongs to a syndicate which Is Ike
| a labor union, and to which az the play
erss carry their grievances for adjudica-
ton.
The dealer takes handful of but
tons from a box in front of him and
I places them underneath the bowl. being
careful not to let the players get look.
as they might estimate the number OF
buttons and reduce the dealers chance
Of winning. Then the crowd bets, plac-
ing the various amounts of money on
and about the numerals on the board.
After all bets have been made the dealer
tits the bowl and rakes out four but
tons. This he does until the number Is
reduced so that with one more rake he
will bring all the remaining buttons to
4 view. AS the remaining buttons may
be four, three, two or one, of course,
there Is the speculation.
Whatever number remains at the last
rake" that number wins and the play
er who has placed his money on that
number wins 3 for l, less seven per cent.
| which is called sol or water" and
goes to the bank. SO, if a player bets
81 straight and wins he gets s2.7s net
If player desires to play combinations
he places mis- bet between the two num-
bers he wants to play, then. II either
comes, he wins 81 less seven cents.
Sometimes the money Is placed On a
number and 'coppered" a la faro; that
: / is, the player places his money Chang
) How he puts 81 ON the III to win
) against the to lose. Then he can only
t win II the III comes out and lose only
when the shows. If the II or " should
appear he gets another run for his
money.
The crouper or banker, pays off all
bets and takes In all the money lost.
2 which Is considerably more than that
r paid out.
e Whether 1t Is a superstition or not the
, Chinese do not care to have the Chris
, tian daily with their gambling games.
They seem to cherish belief that the
Christian is q natural hoodoo and they
will not let him play.
The stakes In Chinese gambling games
: are good United States minted money.
9 The Chinese have a system of money
but they don't use 1t in gambling.
| Tsz ia. or the riddle game, is wholly
a game OF chance and does not find great
: favor with the more enlightened China
!, men for reason of its absurdity. Yet
ed by Cinnamon in Honolulu, and their
e daily revenue is said to foot up to over
five hundred dollars.
There are two drawings daily. one In
. the forenoon and the other in the after
: noon. There are thirty-six chances in
" the game which composes the riddle, and
S each player has one guess The banker
" or manager sometimes draws the outline
: of a person. animal, bird fish on d
: big sheet of paper. Then various mum.
bers are given to different points of out.
. line Each number represents chance
!, in the game.
When this outline has been completed
= the managers OF the game give cut q
e sentence something like this: 1.-THE blacf
d night is filled with strange noises" The
If game is now ready and agents are sen
out to collect guesses as to the mean
: ing of the line. The letters In the LINT
: hold the secret of the riddle. They ma,
: stand for make. monkey. box. money
! spider. fine woman. shark, heart, bird
: dead body. etc. The winning word Il
sealed up In box which Is opened at
J. stated hour.
e Any amount OF money is taken In tn,
e betting and the winning guess pays 3
70 for l. The black night might meal
y dead body" and the strange noises
d any one of a number of animals. 1t L
all purely guesswork, but persons play
3 ing the game are very careful to OBJ
e serve the dreams they have the nigh
d before
v If a person sees q spider or the bod,
o of a drowned person In a dream, he o
y she will surely guess on che IA the fol
g lowing day. The Tsz Fa Chong or Rid
V die Game Union controls the games Il
IS Chinatown. The games agents pla.
e money for outsiders and are allowed tel
,e per cent for bringing in the bets. If the.
,e win the winner also gives them ten pc
II cent but they don't make much none
= in this way.
The Chinese love for gambling Is S
/ keen as to be absolutely Unsuitable. an
, Chinaman will perform almost any ser
If vice for the sake OF securing enough I
'e indulge in a little gambling. When ar
Ie rested they are as rule very subn1is
IT sive. The japanese on the other han
n resist arrest until the last and II Is oftel
found necessary to use the club on then
4 before they can be overcome.