Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1905-06-24

Truly hope springs eternal in the
human breast" How many inventors
have gone to Monte Carlo with infalli-
Bile systems it 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-
tion doubtless of every visitor to the
fascinating tables of Monte Carlo to
break the bank" Any player with an
extraordinary run of good luck and the
nerve to press it is liable to break tn"
bank as the expression is commonly
understood, but no one Will ever "brcak
the bank" at Monte Carlo in the true
sense of the phrase.
At the famous gaming rooms there
Is not one, but many tables at which
players may stake Each table starts
play for the day with Il capital of 100.
900 francs, and when that sum is cN-
hauStcd the bank at that particular ia
Bile is broken. and play is suspended
until a fresh bank of 100, 600 francs is
brought by the attendnntS-A matter of
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 | will illus
trate as simply as possible.
At roulctN. the most popular form Of
gambling, there are thirty seven num-
berS-from | to 36 inclusive and o, or
zero. 1t is plain that the fair odds
against player correctly picking one
of these thirty-Sevcn numbers are 36
to l. But the bank only lays - to !.
Hence the bank has always. roughly
speaking, 3 per cent advantage over
the player. TO put it another way, if
player backs the same number thir-
ty-Seycn times he ought, according to
the fair odds, to come out exactly
square, but ut Monte Carlo he cannot
do so. He must lose point.
This advantage of the bank applies
to all the other chances besides the
numbers ON which the player may
stake
"even" chance of red or black. OF the
thirty numbers eighteen are red.
eighteen black, the thirty seventh, zero,
having nominally no color.
1t is obvious that if IL player backs
red there are nineteen chances eight
cen blacks and zero against his being
correct The fair odds are nineteen to
,i, I,y,t Ia.
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 on
zero and the even money chances. The
latter are put aSide-"en prise" is the
technical term.
If ON the next turn of the wheel the
player on these even chances wins his
stake is released, and he may pick it
up, but he wins nothing.
To win he must stake again, and
thus when zero turns up it is at least
two to one against Il player on an
"even money" chance.
The second reason why the bank
must always win in the long run is the
existence OF the 'maNlmuln.
The maximum $1,000 francs. or G24M
IS the highest amount player can win
on any one chance. If Il player with
unlimited resources could 20 on play
ing double or quits with the casino
indefinitely he would eventually break
the bank i'll 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, = francS-and doubling
your stakes each time, your eleventh
stake, SuppoSing YOU to win or lose
ConSccutivcly, would be over 5000
francs. and You could double no longer
In otncr words, You would have come
to point at which You could not on
one turn of the wheel either double
your winnings or rccoup all your losses
All systems are designed to nullify
the effects of zero and the maximum
If one could be certain that zero would
turn up, as it ought to turn up, once in
every thirty-Scvcn turns. it could be
provided against, and the casino, even
with the help of the maximum, would
be in a bad way.
But no such certainty is possible
and therefore every system splits on
this rock. And 50 with the maximum
Perhaps the most fatal systems of all
are those based upon the theory that
If red has come up a 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 il
comes heads 800 times it is of course
Tnly even money on its being tails the
EeXt time.
The third reason, if. indeed. another
be needed, why the bank must always
win is thatthe human and falliblc play
or is always playing against an in
fallible machine.
The slightest mistake in calculation
the least inattcntion. and the system
breaks down. And to err Is human.
So Monte Carlo flourShcS and always
will flourish so long as the law allows
1t to cXist.-pearson'S Weekly.
DOttie's Prayer.
please God, make Mamie Ross a