Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-01-26


The only time this actor ever quit a
winner was when the house had done
particularly good business. and as the
morning was well advanced was anxious
to close up. Then the dealer would an
nounce the last deal and despite the
actors protestations he would be forced
to quit-a reluctant winner. The chances
are that even then he would get the OPP
portupty to play on until for lack of
funds or time he had at last to leave.
/ remember one time when he was
$500 ahead l told him We would have to
stop, as he had got about the whole bank
roll.
He cashed in his chips and then said:
Keep right on, Jack. I'll trust You.
You can pay some other time
He ran his winnings up to $1,000, but
went playing till he lost ii all.
Such men as these are pie for gam
bling houses. The percentage of chances
is always SO much in favor of the house.
anyway whether it is roulette, faro bank
or stuss, that player simply can't win
if he keeps at it in this way. The only
man who wins is the one who by
streak of luck gets a bunch of money at
the start and quits. Even he doesn't win
in the long run, for his luck will nevita
bly, bring him back to the table. and
him breaks him.
This law of average is so we'll recog-
niZed among gamblers that in the game
of ''stuss the payment of II per cent of
the players losses is a recognized fea-
ture of the game. This is called wig
gresh.'
To run even the cheapest poolroom. in
Guiding wages. rent protection and incl
dental expenses. costs 81 a week. The
expenses of higher grade house
a fo S1l WeaE
In all my experience in the underworld
/ never knew of a gambling house which
had to quit because the play went
against it. That tells the story OF the
percentage better than all the mathe-
NAUTICAL demonstrations.
And what become of the gambling
house keepers. who apparently get the
long end of the game?
One hears of the gamblers curse |
don't know what that is / do know.
however. that there is a saying among
gamblers. The man who deals. bucks,
which means when translated into Eng
lish. that the keeper of gambling house.
with all the odds in his favor, invariably
luck himself. with all the odds against
him. Instead of sticking to the safe
side and dealing, he bucks the
game himself and loses. And that is true.
Nucham. the Russian immigrant. who
introduced the game of 'stuss' into this
country and made S13o,GJ0 out of it. went
to Johannesburg and lost every cent of
1t at his own game.
Every one in the gambling business is
familiar with the pathetic figure of one
of the greatest of them all. a man now
seventy years old, who, starting as Il
.'stuss'' dealer eventually became the
proprietor of one of the most elaborate
places in the Tenderloin. He accumu-
ness. He owned his residence and
splendid country estate. He had five chill
dren, two girls and three boys.
AS they grew up the father got out of
the business i'm which he had made his
pile. He gave his children the education
his wealth warranted. The boys went
to college and the girls to high-class
girls seminaries.
Unfortunately this man couldn't resist
the gambling instinct his whole life had
fostered He specialized i'm stocks, and
with the boldness of lifelong gambler,
he plunged heavily. Within a year his
fortune was gone. his country estate was
sold to raise funds for further specula-
ton, and then his town house was sold
to pay his creditors
The details of his downward course are
uninteresting. Today his three sons. who
were unable to finish their college courses
and had to pitch in and make living.
are employees in gambling houses. one be-
ing a 'steerer'' the other two dealers.
His two daughters, married, are estrans-
ed from him, and this man, i'm his old
age. hasn't cent to his name He may
be found in the gambling district any
night. shabbily dressed, unable to drag
himself away from the scenes of his for
mer prosperity, and without the means
or strength even To attempt to retread his
former path. He is Il constant object
lesson to the gambling fraternity of their
own pet expression. The man who
deals bucks'-the real gamblers curse.
One of the saddest instances L recall or
the evils of gambling is the case of Il
former teller of the Jefferson Bank. en-
ployed at one of its East Side branches.
This man is now serving long term in
Sing Sing He was the victim of well
laid plot.
Realizing that the young man had hun
dreds of thousands of dollars passing
through his fingers every day, a group of
East Side gamblers decided To insnare
him. They opened an account at the
bank, and i'm that way got on speaking
terms with their victim. The acquaint-
anceship started i'm that way ripened into
friendship and one day they got the
young fellow To risk few dollars i'm one
OF their gambling establishments.
This was the first fatal step. Having
once tasted the flavor of a gambling life.
the bank teller developed a passion for il.
His greatest misfortune was the fact that
his earliest experience i'm gambling re-
suited favOrably. He was a consistent
winner-a fact for which the group Of
gamblers who We're plotting his ruin was,
of course, responsible.
During those first days the teller never
suffered the sad experience of most nov
ices of having to go home Saturday
night without his salary. On the con-
trary his earnings were almost doubled
every week as a result of his success at
poker and "stuss.' He began to fiatter
himself upon his skill, and such twinges
of conscience as he may have felt at
times at the dangerous course he was
steering he readily discounted with the
reflection that il would be simple mat
ter to give it all up the moment his luck
began to change.
Then the gamblers let the cards run
their natural way, and then, Of course.
the teller began to lose.
When he was about even, he didn't stop.
No one who ever gambled for the sake Of
gambling, as this young man was now
doing. was ever satisfied to break
even.'
I'D sooner lose than break even." is
every card players boast, and it is not
Just a catch phrase, but represents the
actual state of the gamblers feelings
IL flxak