The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1907-03-07
RUSSIANS AS GAMBLERS.
They Are Said to Play For Higher
Stakes Than Any Other People.

Stakes Than Any Other People.
1t was recently reported in a Rus
sian newspaper that the Car had
cashiered young officer OF the I'm
perlal Guards for having played cards
for such high stakes that lie won SO.-
600 rubles (G10000) in rather less
than an hour. his adversaries being
two famous gamblers. Doubtless biS
Imperial Majesty considered that such
reckless young man could not be
reliable guardian of his person. and
very probably also he thought 1t Il
fitting opportunity to put veto on
what constitutes one of the worst
vices of the Russian aristlcracy.
But if his Majesty imagine that this
express rate of gambling constituted
record he was very much mistaken.
says London Tit Bits. for 1t fell far
below many feats which gamblers
have accomplished
II. Justh, Hungarian nobleman OF
great wealth, holds the worlds rec
ord for winning fortunes at cards. and
he has on three or four occasions ex-
ceeded the rate of 10000 an hour.
, A few years back, for instance. M.
! Justh, whose name Is almost syn
onym for luck among his acquaint-
ances, won trife less than G 100000
during an hour and a halfs play at
the National Casino at Budapest and
this was at rate exceeding e100
minute. OF this immense fortune
Count Michael Karoly lost more than
half, the other portion being won
from two other players.
On another occasion the same lucky
gambler, whose honorable play is, by
the way, absolutely beyond suspicion.
sat down to the card table and lost
| nearly $4,000 without winning a
cent; but at that point the game
turned In his favor so completely that
he rose from the table some Gl4,000
richer than when he had started play.
Thus in an evening he lost ES.000
and won G22.000.
Russians are perhaps the greatest
| gamblers of this generation. 1t was
another Russian nobleman, Count
Potocki, who startled Europe q few
years ago by losing G160,0V0 in sim
| gle evening at cards-the largest
amount, 1t is believed, ever lost at
card table by a single individual and
the whole of this great fortune was
won from the Count by two gentlemen
In a little less than four hours.
The game played was baccarat, and
the scene of this remarkable contest
was the Jockey Club at Vienna, which
has witnessed the ruin of some of the
richest and most reckless gamblers CT
modern times, for Austrians rank
only second to Russians in the love
of gambling. To this club go ,ne
most daring card players of the
wealthy aristocracy of Europe, at
tracted by the high play which is the
rule there. 1t is said that on the par
ticular OCCASION when Count Potockl
lost G160,000 he was only concluding
series of games which had already
cost him 900 before he sat down
on the eventful evening. OF the
i 1900 900 he lost, H. Won Szemere. q
Hungarian deputy, won 100000,
Prince Braganza winning the balance
of 100000.
Extremely high play has, happily,
gone out Of fashion in London, and
even the opportunities afforded by the
popularity of bridge have not effected
revival of gambling on the scale
which was common enough when
Whites club was the scene Of so
many games of cards on which for
tunes hung. But occasionally even
nowadays very large sums Of money
are lost and won in the card rooms
Of London's great clubs and man
sions; and 1t Is but little while ago
that certain young gentleman lost
Ga 1000 in an evening at bridge, play
ing with ladies'; while 1t Is reported
that a young guardsman sent in his
papers some weeks ago at the sugges-
tion Of the war Office. because it had
become known to his commanding
Officer that he had lost G1l,000 at a
well known club where high play Is
not TIE rule.