Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-12-09
THE GAME OF CHE-FA.
It Is Similar to the American Game Of
Policy Playing.

From the Hawaiian Star.
1t Is a curious thing that here. in a COM
munity where the Chinese gambling game
of che-fa has fiourished for many years.
comparatively few outside Of those who
are devotees at the shrine Of the goddess
of chance have even the faintest idea of
how the game Is played. Che-fa Is very
simple game, indeed, and in its very sim
plicity lies the difficulty which the authort-
ties here, as elsewhere. find in suppression
II needs no apparatus or layout" as do
roulette, faro and other games of chance.
It does not even need q pack of cards or
supply of chips.
Simply judged as a gambling game and
conceding for the moment that 1t is played
on the square. che-fa has Its allurements.
for IL Is on that basis game In which
every player has an equal chance and the
bank simply collects percentage of the
money staked. Unfortunately for the play
ers, however, there Is not the slightest rea-
son for doubling that the game, as ordi-
narily conducted. Is as crooked as the ira
characters on che-fa ticket each repre-
senting some familiar object. The lion tiger.
moon, mouth. silver money, gold money,
box centipede. dog. rat are among these,
but many of the characters represent things
which are not generally discussed in polite
society.
A person who wishes to play the game
seeks an agent and gives him what sum he
wishes. from cents up, at the same time
indicating what character he chooses. This
character fs marked or on the agents ticket
and the fortune seeker receives q slip ac-
knowIedHing his bet or stake. Should the
particular character prove at the drawing
to be the winning number. the lucky player
wins thirty times the amount of his stake.
Thus. II he stakes cents he wins 81 go or
II he plunses heavily with, say, q dollar. he
wins $50. But he does not get all that he
wins. There l. the agent to be Considered
and he collects 10 per cent of the amount
of the winning, so that the man who won
$50 would receive only SGT from the hands
Of the agent.
It 10 one of the odd traits in the Chinssa
character that made che-fa 80 popular with
them. They are devoted believers In dreams.
II o Chfnaman dreams OF rat for In
stance, he win lose no time in seeking a
che-fa agent and backing the rat to win,
and no number of recurrent losses seems
to upset the Chinese faith In the heaven
sent Sign for SUCCESS. OF course. Il 10 ap-
parent that II O man played on every one
Of the thirty-fIve characters he would In
ell probability win. but his win would be a
loss. for he would receive only thirty times
the amount Of the single bet on the winning
character, less the agents commission Of
10 per cent. Such ID the game Of chs-fa.
Barring only the dream portion Of it. Il
docs not seem to poGsess any particular al
lurementa, and to some people even the
chance Of betting that their dreams win
come true does not seem attractive. Pos
sibly the average American does not have
the same Kind Of Dreams 9. % the mild
ined from casual glimpse at . Chinese
meal and reflection OF the possibilities Of
what even simple Welsh rabbit can ae-
compiish