Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-07-02
NEW GAME IN CHINATOWN.
It is Played With Top and Has Put
Fan Tan Out of Favor.

| From the New York Sun.
Chinatown is in the clutches of a new
gambling game which has already backed
| fan tan off the board and threatens the
| popularity of the Mott street version Of
| poker. 1t is peh bin and for action it Is as
rapid as anything in New York. 1t has
been played in the big Chinatowns of the
Pacific coast since the first Of the year,
and recently some one brought a layout
to New Yorks little yellow spot. The pro-
fessional gamblers in the quarter are still
holding to fan tan and faro and poker, at
which the bank is sure to win in the end.
Peh bin gives the player too many chances
to win to maKe~It popular with the profess
sion.
There are plenty of wealthy merchants,
however, who are willing to bank for a
game among friends. Peh bin has become
as much the thing for Chinese social enter
tainments was bridge on 9TH avenue
year or so ago.
The distinguishing feature of peh bin is
a sort of top on the eight faces of which
are inscribed eight Chinese characters. The
colors are alternately red and white. The
heads of the characters point alternately
upward and downward, which arranges all
the red characters in one position and the
white ones in just the opposite. The eight
characters on the top are painted In eight
squares on oblong sheet of paper or
canvas. There are two lines of squares,
each color occupying one-half the layout
sheet Where the vertical lines intersect
the horizontal middle line three circles are
drawn. One is red, one white and the
center one half and half being known as
the mixed hole (sam chan khang). There
are endless possibilities and combinations
in the betting. When a Chinaman first ex-
plains these to an American the system
seems hopelessly complicated But little
play, especially if there has been stin
CTR jOhf tha
A player may stake his money on as
many characters as he chooses, straight
bet paying six for one. Then there is the
simple combination of placing bets on the
vertical or horizontal line which divides
two spaces. Should the top show either
of the two characters the banker pays
81 so for every dollar wagered. Betting the
holes circles is an even money PROPOSE
ton. A red hole stake wins If red figure
shows up on the top, and Is lost If the white
shows A mixed hole bet wins If any one
of the four middle characters shows. and Is
lost if the end characters appear. Elk
tremely cautious players can stake on the
part of the circumference which cuts off
any of the angle points of the squares. If
the figure on which the stake stands turns
up the banker pays three and half to one.
If another figure of the same color shows
the bet Is quit"
Another rule permits the player to stake
on any character jointly with two other
characters. The character on which the
wager is placed is considered the principal
bet and pays $3.50 for each dollar risked.
If either of the two joint characters shows,
the player gets ninety cents for each dollar.
There are other combination bets which
can hardly be explained without diagram.
They furnish an endless opportunity for
the student of averages and chances. The
operation of the game Is most simple. The
banker spins the top in little tray, and
before it stops spinning claps a cover on
the tray When the bets have been placed
the cover Is taken off, and glance shows
the winning character. With half dozen
Cinnamon about the board calling their va
rous combination bets the game is noisy
enough to make an American forget the
little gambling sense he ever had. The
Chinese do not seem to mind the confusion,
and the banker never makes a mistake.