Omaha daily bee., 1916-02-06
BOOKIES GETTING TRIMMED
Followers Of the Ponies Have Been
Making Killings on Long
Shots This Year.
SUGGEST ALL IS NOT WELL
Rr rRANK Q. MENKE.

NEW YORK. Feb. 5.-Those who have
played the ponies this winter. both at the
tracks and in the landlords. are said "a
have made such huge killings that
many Of the "bookies" are on the verge
OF bankruptcy.
From Now orleans. Havana and Juare7
come gleeful gurglings from the Assem-
blage-and fearful groans from the book
makers Day after day the hoi polloi
has been picking winners--short odds and
long odds. There have been but rare
few days when the 'bookies" have
emerged victorious from their clash with
the gambling public.
In New York. Chicago and other big
cities where handbook men used TO do a
prosperous business. II Ii almost impos-
sible to get down a bet. The 'layers''
no longer are hunting customers. they
have been wslioped almost to the limit
OF their financial endurance. They take
bets--bat almost under protest. And they
won't take big ones. In the other-and
better for them-days the handbook men
accepted offerings up to $500 and siOO0
on race. Now some OF them limit the
bet TO so. while the brayest refuse any
thing over SO.
Bookies ExpInin.
why is the public making such XIII
inEs'? Well. there are two reasons
ascribed for II by the "layers' The main
one IL that there is no even matching Of
horses In most OF the races. The cards,
say the bookies. are made up OF six vr
seven goats and one real horse.
"A i0-year-old kid could pick nine win.
ners out OF ten In those races" said ona
handbook person who has been walloped
numerically WHAT'S the use OF a
bookie taking bets when the only chance
for him 20 win il for the favorite "a
drop dead-or for the race to be fixed?
I'm not making any specific charges
OF crookedness. but things don't iooS
right 20 me. dozen times during abe
last month some long shots have won the
race-and / was swamped with beN on
that long shot No one can tell me thnt
a chronic gambler will bet on long shots
consistently unless he has some Inside
dope-and has It straight
Pick seven Long shots.
There is certain bunch OF fellows
I've been doing business with for a long
time. They were favorite players. ove1
a years stretch they wouldn't play Ions
shot once in twenty starts. Yet during
the last month those fellows have played
eight long shots-and won seven. What's
the answer"
whether any race-fixlnR IL being don,
IL something we do not know as a fact
but we do know that very often the tly
has boon passed around New York twin
ty-four hours before a race TO bet on
certain long shot. And. within our mem
, ory ten out OF thirteen OF those tips hav,
made good-have returned from 81 % 81
for every dollar wagered.
From New Orleans have come stories
OF fabulous champs. ono story tell
OF youth who wandered out TO the tract
with $40 shortly after the meeting opene.
and ran II up 10 si7s before nigstfall
Tho next day no cleared 800, and sine
then has pyramided his $40 to somethinI
over $4,000.
Tommy Burns. old-time prizeslghter I
said to have won an amount far into tn
Thousands. while dozen other race tracl
regulars are far ahead OF the game.
cuba's Bsokies nit.
| INV poohihhheFs operating IN H0Van,
are said TO have been hit so hard Nla
they have shortened the odds TO figure
ridiculously low. Despite lnis they stii
are losing. The same condition exists n
Juarez. where the IN Paso race trac
audience Is said to DO reaping solde
harvest.
"All that Is necessary for one TO max
cleanup In Havana is to watch IN
horses for day or two"ia race trac
gent told u.s. THAT gives you line Of
the horses. They are running fairly tru
TO form. The really good horses dow
there can be counted on your hands
When one Of those good ones gets into
race with lot OF mules, there is only on
way to bet. You do it-and you win"
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