The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1909-06-20
BETTING ON SURE THINGS
GAM BLERS' TRICKS BASED on 4
WEAKNESS or MANKIND.
Lesser Must Pay. Authorities Hold-Oid
Devices stu In use-Don't bet
Against o Mans Own Game, the Adj
vice OF Old Gamblers Flaws In Traps.

Lesser Must Pay. Authorities Hoid--Oid
Devices still in Uee-Don't bet
Against o Mans Own Gaine the Adj
vice OF Old Gamblers Flaws In Traps.
You occasionally come across a person
Who has an idea that II 1t can be proved
that you are betting on q sure thing you
cannot collect tho bet. Some even go
90 far as to assert that you lose your
money, but they are not clear as to who
sets it. They seem to think that there
should be some sort OF punishment Tor
trying to take a mans money when he
hks no show on earth to get yours.
Sure thing gamblers r as old as the
hills, although the name IL, strictly speak
ins, a contradiction in terms, because
thS man who bets on a sure thing 10 not
= rambler. He Is either a thief or a fool,
assording to the end he bets on. But
itis the men who gamble most OF the time
-. nst on sure things when they get
the chance.
Gamblers who know the weakness oil
human nature in it's desire to bet on sure
things have at various times and in sun
dry places displayed great ingenuity
Ia devisine schemes which make II appear
70 the victim that ne Ia betting on a GER
teinty and that the man showing 'he
trick is a fool. 1t Is an axiom with the
profession that there is nothing which
will separate a man from his money so
ensily as making him think that he has
another beaten at his " game.
The shell game, in which the shell Is
Nfted and the pea IL shown under II
while the man who is working the game
ID looking the other way, and three caro-
monte, in which the corner OF tho card
Il marked, are two Of the most familiar
etamplee. and there are hundreds OF
other tricks, all played with the aid OF a
confederate. which are built up on the
sarne general plan - to make the victim
think he is betting on a sure thing when IN
reality he is certain to lose.
sure thing games must be distinguished
from those in which there is simply an
orr percentage in favor OF the
enme. A man may have some advantage
which is certain to bring him out the
winner in the long run. but II is not ny
ANY means a certainty that he will win
every bet he makes.
Gamblers have dealt their victims
three kings and held three aces against
them. only to find that the fourth king
had been drawn to the others. A gam
On a Mississippi packet had W. red
iack shippers In the pack so that he
was certain Of holding both bowers ON
every deal when the tUump was red; yet
Green tells us he lost t~hirty-hve straight
games playing against d maj who knew
nothing whatever about cheating.
History records some extraordihary
fps1ances Of persons high in the social
scale who were 30 addicted TO sure thing
betting that It resembled the eo-calleo
klsptofnania Of modern times. IL Is
related, for instance. that n ioriner
siaruuis Of Waterford was continually
OH the watch for chances 10 fleece MS
a~eauaintances by means oil g on
which he could not lose.
One of his tricks was to aus his sitting
room In the hotel to be So overheated that
one or other Of his visitors would be
sure to rush to a window To open II, upon
which the Marquis would appear to be
greatly alarmed. asserting thai ne had
been warned not TO opeil any OF the WIN
dows on that side OF the hotel because
IL would throw a certain trockery dealer
opposite into fits, in which he would prob
ABLY smash everything in his place.
ar course such a statement was received
with ~ineredulity and l.ts we're easily made
UPON the result Of the opening OF the win
dow. The result was always as the Mar
Quis had foretold. the explanation bein
that he had privately arranged the matter
With the ~shopkeeper III advance, g,
IL Appears that a certain English Lord
H., who knew the weakness OF the Marquis,
si,eceeded in beating him at his W game.
Lord II. had invited several guests Tor a
weeks shooting, among them the Mar
uuis. BY chance he observed the Marquis
one morning carefully sh 'he
SiispectinR some Interior object, Lord
n, also measured the height Of the table
IatAr in the day and found II TO be 1874
inches. He then ordered h carpenter
10 reduce the height OF the table to 20
inches exactly.
evenine and the diners were passing the
bort over the mahogany Lord II. was
Quite prepared to find the Marquis leading
the conversation around to guessing at the
dimensions OF objects and finally Offering
ID bet that he could come nearer to the
height of the table at which they were
sitting than any one else. s,
him on for 81 900 and promptly guessed
That Il was about 20 inches. The Mar
o,,is stood up, viewed the table from
nsar and far and after much humming
and having thought II was at least hall
an inch higher. His chagrin when he
found that he had lost the bet may be
III IN often raised as a nice question OF
sthics whether a person ought to BET
Srpon what he absolutely knows to be the
go. az against another's Ignorance,
An the authorities seem to have settled
ere matter Ia favor OF the mar who knows
because it is the other mans fault II M
"a him as freely as to any one else.
Some years ago suoh a bet was left tt
she decision Of a famous London sport
ins paper. A had bet B ESQ tina
shslance' was spelt with two lis Wher
a produced the dictionary A accused
him OF betting on a certainty. as b hat
looked up the authority, that was to de
typical cases OF betting OF certaintie
arise in connection with the rules o
rames. Here is q case that happened
close TO New York only last month, !
= man drove a ball out OF bounds Will
playine golf and proceeded to tee VI
mother. His adversary told him hi
must drop the second ball and could no
tee 1t up. u
arsd dollars on this point. When the,
returned to the clubhouse it developed
that the man who was right had had
dispute on the same question that morn
ing and had consulted the rules OF tn
eame hanging in the clubhouse to decid,
n. "a that he was betting on a sure thing
but the other man had to pay.
II is an old axiom with professional
gamblers that you should never be
against q mans own game. The mer