The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1905-12-14
HE Chinese and FAN- TAN
'olice Confess Inability to Sup
press the Game
\ DEALERS EXPERIENCES

IN Informcr. If Discovered, is Gener-
ally Killed and Quietly Disposed OF
The Chinaman Allows Himself
Fixed Amount for Gambling--Al-
ways Quits When He is Winner.
"From a Chinese viewpoint" says
Governor Johnson in the st. Louis
sepublic, "fan-tan isn't such a bad
ort of game. 1t Is to the Chinese
hat poker Is to the Americans. Fan
IN, however, is different from poker.
believe there is such a thing as sci
nee in a poker game. Fan-tan is a
aess.
The dealer, by the way, is re-
larkable sort of fellow. II he could
evote his energies and abilities to
ONE legitimate line Of business he
light prove a wonder. With deft
and and a keen and alert eye, the
ealer in fan-tan game watches the
lay of thirty, forty or fifty men, and
In his duty to see that the house
oesn't lose any money that belongs
n the dealers side of the table.
A long stick with a crook at the
'usiness end of It is the only device
lecessary to the employment of
an-tan dealer. On the table, when
he play begins, there are 500 or 600
rdinary buttons, such as one sees on
. coat or a shirt. They have differ
Mt sorts of buttons in China, but
ny button Will serve the purpose.
he Cinnamon In st. Louis use, as a
ule, an ordinary pearl button,
rhich Is purchased in the dry goods
ouses.
When the game begins the but
,ns are placed In an immense
Jack, and the players gather
round the table. Sometimes there
re so many players that the men
and around the table three or four
sep.
The game begun, the first bets are
I'D. The players may bet against
1e dealer or bet among themselves.
makes no difference to the dealer,
the house, by the rules Of the
anne, gets 10 per cent. on all win
ings made on the side.
As a starter the dealer throws the
1ng hooked stick into the pile of
uttons, and by his deftness extracts
our. He is supposed to take away
our buttons each time. He must be
aft and clever to do this, but there
lies the secret of the fan-tan
callers trade. If he couldn't draw
our buttons each time he wouldn't
Q good dealer. Occasionally he
Kisses and only draws three. The
zen around the table gamble their
loney, even, on the dealers chances
being accurate.
"a dollar that he doesn't draw
our" some Chinaman will shout,
ally he shouts in Chinese. Another
hinaman will cover the dollar. II
1e dealer draws four the Chinaman
iho covered the bet wins the mon
=. One can't figure any percentage
II or against the bettor in a wager
this sort. Each man takes a
nance.
Then interest in a fan-tan game
es in the result after the buttons
re drawn. Every important bet is
,ade on the finish. II the player
sts on an even result he wins, pro-
tded that at the finish there are
,ur or two buttons for the dealer to
Jaw. If he bets odd he wins in the
yent that one or three buttons re-
ain. He gets even money for these
ats.
There are other ways of betting.
or instance, the player can lay his
.oney on No. /. This means that
bets that one button will remain
4 the table after the last four are
rawn. In the event that only one
ltton remains, the men who wag-
ed their money on Nos. and
,se their bets.
If the last four buttons drawn by
10 dealer clear the board every one
no had his money on the odds
lses.
II the dealer in a fan-tan game
ere as slow as the ordinary man
light be the game would lag and be
cry uninteresting. But the dealer
orks with tremendous speed. He
IN reduce a pile of 500 or 600 but
ms within the space OF five min
tes. Drawing down the buttons
Dur at time, he goes like the
ind, the players the while keeping
p an ear-splitting conversation in
hinese that would make the specu-
ltors on the stock exchange turn
,reen with envy.
Once the pile is diminished, the
buttons are shufIled and stacked and
mother play begins.
The fan-tan operators frequently
hange their base of operations. In
ais way they outwit the police, who
Yould never discover them II II were
lot for a few Cinnamon who occa-
ionally tip the police as to the loca-
ion of the game.
The Cinnamon hate a tell-tale, es-
9ecially one Of their own race.
The Chinaman, even il playing
american games. is a better gambler
han the American. The Chinamaa,