The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-11-08
GAMBLING WITH SOLITAIRE.
Chicago Daft Now Over a Game That
Seems Easy, but Is Not.

seems Easy, but Is Not.
From the New York Sun.
They've got a new game out in
Chicago and the sporting element has
gone daft over it," said man who r as
just got back from the Middle West.
There is one establishment out there
that is doing a Monte Carlo business
at it and, although II is away ahead
of the game, there is no let up in the
number of men who are willing to take
a long chance to carry off big bundle
of coin.
It's a gamble in solitaire that the
Chicagoans are going against. and it's
the hardest game to beat and the cas-
lest to get interested in, that / ever
met. The solitaire is of that familiar
variety in which you take thirteen
cards off the deck. and try to build
up the four suits in sequence beginning
with the ace, taking every third card
in succession from the pack.
You buy pack of cards, paying s52
for the deck. Then you sit down In the
room where the game is conducted and
with an attache of the house standing
back of you and looking over your
shoulder to see that you don't work
any queer business, you proceed to play
solitaire.
IF you win the game the house pays
you $1,000. If you can't beat 1t the
house pays you SIS for each spot on the
top cards of the row that you are sup.
posed to build from aces up. You'd bt
surprised to see how few spots mos
of the players muster after they have
| skinned their deck of all the plays pos
sable
81 watched many game during my
short stay in Chicago, and | did moi
see the game beaten once, although
have seen players who, after giving III
the game as hopeless, counted the
spots on the top cards in the upper
row and demanded as high as 1896
which was instantly forthcoming.
saw winnings Of $50, S65 and there
abouts in plenty but the poor fellows
that could not muster more than six
or seven spots were too numerous 10
mention.
Three times in one evening saw
one sport buy pack, pay his little $52
and not be able to scare .up a single
ace for that upper row. That fellow
might have been excused If he had
jumped into the lake. but he didn't.
az guess I'll stick to poker and faro
bank was all we heard out Of him as
he left.
II haven't played cards much OF late
4
was knocking around town and didn't
care to take in any of the theaters. I
watched the game two nights and |
became deeply interested in 1t.
"The more / watched the more
tempted | was to buy deck. IL
seemed to me that I could beat that
game. That 1000 to So was odds worth
playing.
When I watched game after game.
some of the players getting back more
than their $50, it seemed a cineh that
/ couldn't lose much. had two or
three decks of cards along with me,
and the first night after 1 had gone
TO my room in the hotel where l stop
ped, ! got out a pack and played the
game several times.
AS Is usually the case when you're
playing for fun. I came out several
hundred dollars ahead of the game
after playing q dozen hands. / won
out on the first three hands. You see
/ wanted to try IL on the dog, so to
speak.
THE next night I was in the room
again watching the purchasers of the
decks of cards trying to beat out that
$1,000 offer. / was dead next q the
fact that although had won out when
there was nothing to play for, / might
get an awful dump the very first time
| took toss at the game with my
hard-earned $50 paid in, but decided
that If didn't try I'd be sore after
leaving Chicago, and at last I bought a
deck.
II walked over to a table with my
man Friday of the house at my back
and shuffied the cards carefully and
thoroughly. After stripping of the thir.
teen cards and laying them down, to
my delight and surprise three of the
next four cards 1 stripped Off were
aces.
But this was too good, and after
running through the cards dozen
times or so had to give it up. There
were no more plays in sight
ION my upper row of cards all I
could show up was the three Of hearts.
the ace Of diamonds and the ace Of
spades. Twenty-Five dollars. / had
lost $27.
THAT made me sore and l was on
the point of buying another deck when
l concluded that $50 In the pocket was
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