Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1911-07-29

And the dupe does not win with any
regularity. In fact, it is rarity that
| he does win. The men who have
| made the study of gambling the work
of their lives do not intend that he
shall win, and for them to grow old
in the service and allow the havoc
to win from them would be against
all rules of the game.
Contrary to the general opinion,
the man on the opposite side of the
table, who deals the gambling games
to the chumps, are not happy with
their winnings, and as a class are
the most unhappy and dissatisfied
people in the world. The care and
worry they have to put forth in a
game TO win make them unnaturally
suspicious of every one, and dis
gruntled, narrow minded and pessi-
mistic. All of the novelty of the game
has passed, and the work of winning
is the hardest part of the play. All
the thrills, common to the novice,
and all of the excitement is gone,
there being no chance of losing, and
when they sit in a game they know
they will win. 1t is a question of
how long the money of the innocent
one will last, and the time of the
play.
All of the pleasant features Of
the game are lost. There is no re-
taxation, no social pleasure and no
uncertainty of chance. The profess
sional gambler enters into the game
with as much enthusiasm as he
would into digging a ditch.
And it is for this reason that
many of the wise gamblers, those
who have made considerable fortunes
in cards, take flyers in the games of
others, and they lose as the dupes
do on their games. Many cases are
known of big town gamblers bucking
the markets, and after a short play
there they are cleaned out. They do
not understand, and the cards are
marked on them in that game as they
mark the cards in theirs.
81 have made considerable sums of
money in my game of cards, poker.
and for the uncertainty Of chance
have come cleaned out. I do not
mean that / will lose in small games
which / have been winning, but in
other sorts of games, big games, of
which 1 know nothing of the in
side"
1.-The net results OF gambling are
not worth the profit. To sum up
the gamblers assets and liabilities,
he forfelts the respect and compan-
ionship of decent people and gradI-
ally loses his own self-respect: he is
il search of prey; he must
stifie the finer senses in order to
smile at people and rob them at tbs /
same time; his i'll gotten money does I
not stick.
And the sucker, while he is not 1
so bad off as the gambler, is liable TO
morally, and finally he is
bound to be loser. Many happy .
homes and many promising young
men have gone wrong over the gam /
bling tables. The desire to replace '
the money they have taken from F.
their employer, with their winnings,
is so strong that before long they are
in so bad there is no chance for /
them.
while the man conducting the
game knows there is no chance OF /
he unsophisticated winning. still
In gambling one never knows who
his opponent is, because a shark may
enter into a game as a chump, and 1
make the winnings. Cases are diff Il
ferent from other gambling games in /.
this respect II
MY experience has taught me that I
few poker games are on the square, II
he desire to win being so strong
and human nature so weak, conse-
luently there is always some one in
4 game willing to take advantage of
he other players. i
81 am free 10 say that at least once
n the life of every man who has
sat around q card table. at which
here is a desire to cheat, and il
hey do not yield. IL is for sufficient
'eason that they do not know how.
Persons who have played poker for
money will bear with me when ] say
hat every player has passed a time
when he would give anything IN the
world to tell the cards in his oppon-
.nt's hand.
"One OF the cheating methods OF
he amateur. who is unable 10 cheat
IS he would. is TO forget to put IN his
inte. Another is 20 wait until his
Inc to open or pass is passed and
he others have thrown their hands
nto the deck. and then to apprise
hem Of the fact that he has open
rs, and win the antes. put into the