Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1905-04-08
GAMBLING SYSTEMS.
WHY THEY WILL NEVER BREAK THE
BANK At MONTE CARLO.

The Percentage Is Always Against
the Player, and the Maximum Limit
Nulhhes the Only sure scheme,
That of Progressive Betting.
Truly hope springs eternal in the
human breast-' How many inventors
have gone to Monte Carlo with infaIli-
bic systems Il is impossible TO say.
but probably they are TO be numbered
by millions. and not one OF them has
returned the victor Il is the ambi-
ton doubtless OF every visitor 10 the
fascinating tables OF Monte Carlo 10
break the bank" Any player with an
extraordinary run OF good luck and the
nerve 10 press Il IS liable 10 break the
bank" as the expression is commonly
understood. but no one will ever break
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 capital OF 100
600 francs. and when that sum is ex-
hausted the bank at that particular Ia
bic is broken. and play is suspended
brought 10y the attendants matter OF
minute or two.
But 10 break the bank IN the true
sense would be 10 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 20 the player. This / viii illus
trate as simply as possible.
.f..sa.
gambling. there are thirty-seven num-
bers-from 1 10 SO inclusive and o. or
zero. IL is plain that the fair odds
against a player correctly picking one
OF these thirty numbers are 30
20 l. But the bank only lays p TO /.
Hence the bank has always. roughly
speaking. 3 per cent advantage over
the player. To put IL another way. n
q player backs the same number thir-
ty-seven times he ought. according TO
the fair odds. 10 come out exactly
square. but az Monte Carlo lac cannot
10 SO. He must lose point
This advantage OF the bank applies
20 al the other chances besides the
numbers on which the player may
stake
Take. for example. the SO called
even" chance OF red or black or the
thirty-sevcn numbers eighteen are rel.
eighteen black. the thirty zero.
having nominally no color.
II j. obvious that II player backs
sed there are nineteen chances teight-
cen blacks and zero against his being
correct The fair odds are nineteen 10
eighteen against him. but the bank /
only lays even money
The advantage 20 the bank does not I
end here Tor 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.
II Oh the next turn OF the wheel tie +
player on these even chunccs wins his
stake Is released. and he may pick it
up. but he wins nothing.
To win be must stake again. and /
thus when zero turns up IL is at least |
two 90 one against a player on an /
'even money" chance.
The second reason why the bank /
must always win in the long run is the /
existence OF the maximum
The maximum ,GO0O francs. or f24m |
IS the highest amount player can win /
on any one chance. II a player with !
unlimited resources could 20 ON play
Ing double or quits" with the casino
Ldchnitely he would eventually b~eak
The bank in the full sense % 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, suppcsing YOU To win or lose
consecutively. would be over 5000 I
francs, and YOU could double no longer.
In otner words. you would have come
10 point at which YOU could not on
one turn or the wheel either double
your winnings or recoup all your losses.
All systems are designed to nulIify
the effects OF zero and the maximum.
III one could be certain that zero would
turn up. as II ought 10 turn up. once in
every thirty-seven turns, IL could be
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
Perhaps the most fatal systems OF all
are those based upon the theory that
III red has come up a certain number
or times running black Will follow. To ,
illustrate the folly OF this theory. take ,
the following example: II you toss a
penny in the air 1000 times and II /
comes heads 800 times IL is OF course
only even money on it's being tails the ,
next time.
The third reason. IT, indeed. another Z
be needed, why the bank must always .
win is that the human and faliible play :
er Is always playing against an in 1
fallible machine.
The slightest mistake in calculation.
The least inattention. aDG the system 4
breaks down. And 10 err IS human. IN
So Monte Carlo fiourishes and always :
VIII flourish so long as the law allows q
Il 20 e1ist--Pearson's Weekly.
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