The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1903-08-12
TOURIST LAMBS FLEEeEl.
Gamblers are Reaping a Harvest
On Lake Erie, Huron and

On Lake Erie, Huron and
Superior.
A special dispatch from Toronto
tells this story
Gambling on the passenger vessels
OF the Great Lakes has reached big
proportions in recent years during
the. tourist season. Now it is at its
height, since. traffic is very heavy.
Ganadians are inclined to attribute
the increasing vice to the Americans
who have oyerrun Canada in recent
years. They and the tourists from
the States are. held responsible for
the gambling on the packet vessels of
Ontario, Erie, Huron and Superior.
Ths card games are much in evil
dence on the passenger vessels plying
between Canadian ports on Huron and
superior.
While there is not the glamor
around the lake vessels and their card
games that surrounded the old lower
Mississippi boats, money is plentiful
among the lake card players, and
some big pots' are raked in by the
fortunate gamblers. Poker is almost
the inYariable rule. From the West
has come the custom of paying with
two decks, using the joker as fifth
ace, and to fill fushes and straights.
This facilitates cheating to an alarming
degree. It also makes the game fast
er.
The cheats usually work in pairs,
and If there are but six. in the game,
which. is the rule, it becomes mere
chiid's play for experts to clean out
the gamesters who are not wise. 1t
there are six in the game, the two
cheaters do not resort to the run up
of hands, such, for instance, as
shutting up three of a kind so chat
they will fall to a certain player, and
the cheat will at the same time get
three aces or a small flush. They use
the old count down. It is simple,
and has been worked by cheats wherev-
er the great American game has been
played.
The cheaters sit opposite each other.
That leaves two plays between them.
The cards are cut to the left, where two
decks are used. Thas brings each
cheater into position where he cuts the
deck his partner has shuMed. In
shutting the cheats see to it with their
dexterity that set of three Of a kind
is left in the. deck Immediately under
the first thirty cards to come off. This
is especially easy where six are play
ing and The six hands are dealt around.
The pot for all are jaekpots) is open
ed, and no player stays.
Even where several draw cards it is
matter of simple calculation to leave
the deck, after being shufhed. with a
set of three of kind under the top
80. Then when the man to the right
of the cheat picks up che deck, after
being shufaed, and it is passed to the
cheat on the left to cut, he makes a
false cut, and the innocent dealer
hands the cards out, according to the
way thsy have been counted down.
The crooked play comes when the
pot is opened. The cheat tc the left
Of the dealer knows when he draws
cards q set of three Of a kind must
come to him. The ra1e is to, when
possible, count down three face cards.
Therefore, if the cheat has pair Of
any kind he Immediately raises the
opener, knowing he must come out
with full. If he has not pair he
holds up two face cards, or even one,
in the hope that he may come out
with four of a kind. But these games
are pretty fast, and three of a kind al
ways in the hole, as the term is,
makes cleanup for the crooks. I'm
less man knows what it as he can
not, of course, appreciate for minute
what is going on.
The best one of the ordinary players
in these boat games can get is the
worst of it, but they get wise very
slowly and seldom come over the same
route twice. Most Of these card sharps
are Americans, but the young English
men and other tourists are anxious to
be initiated inso the mysteries of draw
poker and they are not hard losers.
Only when tie cheats get desperate
and cold deck some man for a large
amount does trouble follow. The cheat
understands this point and seldom re-
sorts to it. 1t is the rule they OBJ
serve never to beat big hand for a
producer. but to give him run for
his money.