Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1905-06-25
GAMBLING SYSTEMS.
WHY THEY WILL NEVER BREAK THE
BANK AT MONTE CARLO.

Truly "hopc springs eternal in the
human brcastw How many inventors
have gone TO Monte Carlo with infaili-
bic systems 1t Is impossible, to say,
but probably they are to be numbered
by millions, and not one Of them has
returned the victor. 1t is the ambi-
ton doubtless OF every visitor to the
fascinating tables of Monte Carlo to
break the bank" Any player with I'm
extraordinary run OF good luck and the
nerve to press 1t is liable to break the
bank" as the expression Is commonly
understood, but no ono will ever "brcul1
the bank" ut Monte Carlo in the true
sense Of the phrase.
At the famous gaming rooms there
is not one. but many tables ut which
players may stake. Each table starts
play for the day with Il capital of 1O0,-
600 francs. and when that sum is OK
hausted the bank at that particular ia
bic is broken, and play is suspended
until Il fresh bank of 100000 francs is
brought by the attendunts-a matter Of
II minute or two.
But to break the bank IN the true
sense would be to exhaust the entire
capital of the casino. and that will
never happen. for three simple reasons.
The first is That the bank lays unfair
odds to the player This I will illus
tratc MS simply as possible
AT roulette. the most popular form OF
gambling. there are thirty-scvcn num-
bers-- from l to 30 inclusive apd 0, or
zero. 1t Is plain that the fair odds
against player correctly picking one
Of these thirty-scven numbers are 30
TO /. But tile bank only lays 50 to /.
Hence the bank has always, roughly
speaking IL 3 per cent advantage over
the player. TO put II another way, IL
II player backs the same number thir-
ty-scvcn times he ought, according TO
the fair odds, to come out exactly
square. but at Monte Carlo he cannot
do so. lie must lose point.
This advantage Of the bank applies
to all the other chances besides the
numbers on which the player may
stake.
Take, for example, the SO called
"evcn" chance Of red or black. or the
thirty seven numbers eighteen are red.
eighteen black the thirtysevcnth, zero,
lnvinG nominally no color
II Is obvious that If II player backs
red there urc nineteen chances (eight-
cen blacks and zcro) against his being
correct. The fair odds are nineteen TO
eighteen against him, but the bank
only lays even money.
The advantage to the bank does not
end here. for when zero turns up the
bank takes all stakes except those OH
zero and the even money chances. The
latter arc put asIdc-"en prise" Is the
technical term.
IL OH the next turn of the wheel the
player OIL these even chances wins his
stake Is Released. and he may pick it
| up. but lie wins nothing.
To win he must stake ngain, md
thus when zero turns UP 1t Is Mt least
two to one against player OH an
even money" chance.
The second reason why the bank
must always win In the long run Is the
existence of tho maximum"
The maximum $4,000 francs, or f24O
Is the highest amount player Gun win
on any one chance. II n player with
unlimited resources could go on play
Ing double or quits" with the casino
Indefinitely he would eventually break
the bank in the full sense Of the term
But you cannot play double or quits"
with NJ. Blanc for long.
Starting with the minimum stake al
lowed-viz. s frnncs-and doubling
your stakes each time. your eleventh
stake. surprising you to win or lose
consccutlvely. would be over 5000
francs, and you could double 10 longer
In other words. you would have come
to point ut which you could not on
one turn Of the wheel either double
your winnings or recoup all your losses
All systems are designed to nullify
tho effects Of zero and the maximum.
If one could be certain that zero would
turn up. as 1t ought to turn up, once in
every thirtyscvcn turns, It could DO
provided against, and the casino, even
with the help Of the maximum, would
be In bad way.
But no such certainty Is possible,
and therefore every system splits on
this rock. And so with the maximum.
IciiiupS uic uloSE lutuI systems OF MI
are those based upon the theory TINT
II red has come mp Il certain number
Of times running black will follow. To
Illustrate the folly Of this theory, take
the following example: If you toss n
penny in the air 1000 times and 1t
comes heads 900 times 1t is Of course
only even money on its being tails the
next time.
The third reason. If, indeed. another
be needed, why the bnnk must always
win is that the human and fplliblc play
er is always playing against an III
fnllible machine.