Los Angeles herald., 1906-10-10

same whether the public backs red only
or red and black simultaneously, or
makes any other bets.
Doesn't IL matter, then, how any one
bets? Sir Hiram Maxim tells a story
of husband and wife who divided
their spare cash equally and agreed to
bet In level stakes at different ends OF
the same tables. They found after
ward that one had backed red continu-
ously and the other black, the net re-
suit of their operations being small
loss to zero. They couldn't win but
neither could they lose except to zero,
which appears seldom and takes only
half stake. Thus they were sure OF n
long bout Of wagering before theic
money was exhausted. If they intended
to stake a great many times they were
foredoomed to lose all, whether they
staked on red only or on red and black
simultaneously. The public cannot win
by backing red, for its wagers are so
numerous that blacks appearance Will
be nearly the same as those of red,
while zero will make up for any def
cheney; but the Individual who bets
seldom may obtain an excess Of red
over black, and should keep open this
chance of winning. Hence the occa-
sional bettor may ignore zero and re-
fait, for they occur but seldom.
Fortunes are ready waiting for those
who can prophesy the future with any
approach to certainty. A great many
think themselves prophets. This belief
in oneself and ones judgment PRODUCES
the systems which bring the gambler to
the rooms day after day. If there were
no systems there would be so little
gambling that it would not pay to keen
the saloons open
Systems Fascinate Players
A system is defined by these investi-
gators as nothing but a mental connec-
tion applied to number of isolated
events. The gambler has control over
the number and value of his stakes,
but as these are subject to chance no
method of varying Them has any effect
on the likelihood of winning or losing.
Therefore, so long as opposite chances
are not backed simultaneously, no sys-
TEN is either good or bad. "This con-
clusion is so abhorrent to human ma
ture that in practice it is disregarded
by all who bet; and scarcely any writer
subscribes to 1t even in theory. That
a system merely is an idea, that it's in
fUence merely is nothing, except in so
far as it increases or decreases the
sum exposed to chance-is altogether
too repulsive view. Nobody follows
1t in practice 1t is difficult to find one
who consistently supports 1t in theory.
Nevertheless, 1t is the only true view."
All systems rest upon the belief that
at roulette the past affects the future.
If red has appeared, expect black, and
so forth. But we cannot estimate what
forces are applied to the wheel and
ball, and have no reason whatever for
supposing that past appearance of
red can be an important item in these
forces, or that it has any influence
whatever. Even If we did know this
the knowledge would be useless, for we
should have to take into account all
past chance events, which obviously is
impossible.
1t often is said that the individual is
at a disadvantage, because his wealth
Is less than that of the bank. This is
not true. An individual richer than the
bank would lose all his wealth if he
went on betting. His wealth would
enable him to last longer than a poor
man, but the result would be the same
In both cases. A rich man betting
seldom has no advantage over a poor
man. Ten men with a reserve of one
are as strong as ten men with a re-
serve of thousand, if the reserves
are not brought to the fighting lines,
Or, If the fight is to a finish, and the
enemy kills on an average Of one in
every seventy-four shots with no loss
to himself, ten men with their reserve
of a thousand will all be killed as
surely in the long run as ten men with
the reserve Of one.
To the bank it is immaterial how the
gamblers bet, provided they bet Often
and provided the aggregate amount on
the board does not vary to an excessive
degree. The bank desires no advantage
from its absence of nerves or the
Of ifa II c1ffaT-z
disadvantages from the fact that the
gambler may choose the moment for
the wager, may bet or abstain, as he
pleas ses. Such considerations are of no
value whatsoever The bank merely
provides gamblers with the opportunity
of testing their powers Of prophecy
The money of those who guess wrongly
is used to pay those who guess COR