The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1908-07-06
TRAINING CROUPIERS
THE WAY THE EXPERTS AT MONTE
CARLO ARE MADE.

Picked Men Undergo . Rigid Course
of Instruction Until They Are Mold
ed Into the Right Form to Preside
Over the Gaming Tables.
The stereotyped words ring out In
but slightly varying tones from tho
throats of those immaculate black
coated functionaries. Indeed the most
sensational coup of the season would,
we believe, be powerless to move any
of these suave officials into betraying
even a momentary CLEAN of interest In
the mere mortals he thus adjures to
plank down their ready"
The casual frequenter of the sale de
jeu pays but little heed to these things
indeed takes them as matter Of
course-nevertheless the croupier 10
made" not born" though he may
have Unborn qualifications. He Is a
creature of selection, and, given a can
! didate of seeming promise, there fol-
low months of training and trial-aye,
little temptations which shall test his
honesty-before the three chiefs who
watch him and consider all his points
decide upon his actual election, and be
| is carefully nodded into the right
| FORM" that Of the quiet, courteous yet
ever alert gentleman, whose well kept
hand spins the marble ball and throws
the coins SO dextrously across the
green cloth.
1t may be interesting to those who
do not already know to hear that no
more than thirty-six men can go up at
time for election. Thirty -six-the
number which exactly corresponds
With the numerals on the board-and
of these, again, only the very fittest
are chosen for final training and ap-
pointments.
The making Of the croupler' takes
place during the dead season-that is.
from about August till the end of De-
cember. by which time 1t Is calculated
a smart man may be considered fit to
try his PAGES in public. The training Is
indeed no play, but consists OF regular
attendance at the classes of the "ecole
des croupiers'' for six hours a day. the
exact time being from to IL in the
forenoon and from 2 to 5 In the after
noon. Before admittance TO the
school" however, a medical examina,
ton has to be undergone as well as ex'
aminations In viva voce arithmetic and
tests put with regard to correct and
| fluent French and refinement of &C
/ cent. Yet would all these avail a mar
nothing should his antecedents and
character not bear the strictest and
; most searching scrutiny. During this
time of probation coins Of the value Of
| those they will have to handle at tn,
, tables are not used. notes being repre-
sented by squares of paper Of much
| the same size and texture and thu
louis dor being ''understudied" by ont
franc pieces, while the smallest stalk
permissible. the clumsy FIVE fran
piece, remains the same.
AS we have. however, already oh
served, tests of honesty are at time
resorted to In order to make sure c
the mans qualities in this respect. Ye
in order not to strain this point to-
highly the management pays the Pre-
bationer a sum of $50 francs a mont
salary during his period of training
. The daily lessons" consist naturall
enough principally in the requirement
of a nice manipulation of the ball an
the rake, in quick head reckoning
: and in dextrously pitching the coin
across so that they seem to fall in a
; orderly golden row. each separate an
J distinct
A distinction is made between cand
dates for the trente-et-quarante table
and those devoted TO the more easil
; grasped game of roulette. The me
serving the former are, as may hav
struck any observant visitor. Of a dis
tinctly better class. a higher menti
: | caliber. Their salaries, too. are propo
) | tionately higher, ranging from 400 I
600 francs a month. while the chef
draws 725 and the inspectors and sui
| directors from 7J0 10 1000 a montl
. | with a bonus also at the end of III
} season and the comforting prospect {
2 a pension when old age or sicknes
: | comes along to lay them on the shell
! | That these men are also well worth
goes without saying.
A lesser grade Of intelligence is r
quired at the rouge-et-noir board, y
? here, too. the salaries are such as man
a civil service clerk might well envy
earned, too, IN a lovely climate ar
bearing in mind that, given fair heat
and a steady devotion TO Guty, the a
q pointment may be considered good f
all the mans working life-leadiI
also to the-.,tnata pension In reccgr