Semi-weekly herald., 1909-03-08
ONE SYSTEM THAT REALLY BEAT
MONTE CARLO.


%
It amuses the management of Monte
Carlo to read the stories that get
into circulation about the success OF
certain schemes to beat the game.
Half the stories involve the supposi-
tion that 1t would be possible for
stranger In the course of stroll
through the Casino to pick out weak
spots which had escaped the atten-
tion of the management for years.
A man who has long been associated
with the control of the Casino once
told the writer that he did not be.
lieye there was single thing CON
nected with gambling systems that
had not been thoroughly discussed by
the directors and If in the. slightest
degree dangerous provided against, re-
gardness of trouble and expense.
There certainly was no system with
which they were not familiar and of
only one system were they at all
afraid Even that danger they had
reduced to a minimum.
The system player Is always well
come at the tables. He is there to
stay with his limited capital and he
is not going to quit until he has lost
all he has. Even then he will not
acknowledge his system at fault. He
blames 1t all to want of capital.
The man mostly to be feared at the
tables is the man who slaps his money
down anywhere and everywhere re-
gardless of the odds against him OF
the previous results of coups. Every
now and then one of these men comes
along with a lucky streak and all the
| management can do is to use his sue
cess as an advertisement.
As concrete example of the way
that apparently insignificant details
are attended TO the man already re
| ferred to told the writer the following
story:
| Many years ago a rather attractive
| looking Engllshman was spending 4
few weeks at Nice and frequently ran
over to the Casino at Monte Carlo. Al
| first he seemed TO have no inclination
to play. although he watched the for
tunes of the others with apparently in
| terest.
| He was a well set up fellow, prob
ably over 30, with the typical English
blue eyes. blond mustache and the
healthy tan OF the skin which be
trays life spent chiefly out of doors
| He was always dressed in blue
serge suit with a sack coat and al
Alpine hat and had the air of an off
Ger on leave or a yachtsman ashore.
No one escapes attention at Monte
Carlo, and the Englishmans continued
presence at the tables without playing
combined with the fact that he remain
ed sometimes in the same spot fol
hours led TO his being carefully watch
| ed.
After the first week he seemed tt
have developed some theory or othei
which he was apparently testing b,
making notes, hut so far from being a:
serious about It as most inventors o
systems are 1t seemed rather to anus,
him or to strike him as passing co
incidence.
After watching the wheel for al
hour or so he would take his notes t.
some quiet place in the grounds ant
study them over at his leisure. An!
attempt to approach him or to get into
conversation with him on the subjec
led to the notes being hastily thrus
into his pocket, as If he were ashamed
of them. All attempts TO get any o
these memoranda failed.
Apparently satisfied that there wa
something in his theory. the English
man eventually began to play, but Il
was observed that he did not make
bet until he had been at the table
making notes for several coups. In
two respects his method was peculiar
He always bet on single numbers and
always exactly the same amount, ,00C
froncs. or about $500.
Another popularity about his meth
cd was that the moment the croupier
who ran the wheel was relieved he
would stop playing and would not set.
tie down again until the new man had
made several rolls. He would play
for about four hours every day, but
absolutely without excitement or even
exhilaration.
The gamble seemed to have about
as much interest for him as game
of billiards. He was always smiling
and pleasant, very polite TO every one
who spoke to him. but absolutely mum
as TO his system and apparently alb.
sorbed in the memoranda he was con
tinually making in little pocketbook
that be held in his hand.
What these little memoranda might
mean no one was able even to guess
BY looking over his shoulder It could
be seen that they were not figures but
were some sort of signs arranged In
eight vertical columns. Close obser.
vation revealed the fact that after
the ball fell and he made his note he