Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1922-02-27
NEED BRAINS AND NERVE
TO SERVE AS CROUP|ER|
Mon Who Preside Over Cam
bling Tables at Monte Carlo
Arc Carefully Trained.

Amid tho restless. eager throng
which haunts Riviera gambling
room there Ia invariably one indi-
vidual who sits complacontly. watch
ing with inscrutable expression the
Joys of those who win snd the sor-
rows OF those wAo lose. That man ls
the croupier-outwardl the passion
less soul alive.
A prospective croupier begins his
training at the age OF eighteen, but
for long time he makes no profess
sional appearance In public. The pupils
attend at the Casino every morning,
when the building is closed TO the gem
eral public. and there they are school
ed by the head croupier. They ere
taught TO make rapid calculations, and
TO WELD the racquet or palette.
Even when the pupil hns won the
approval OF the teacher he Is Obliged
to attend school every morning with
sll other croupiers In order 10 practice
the art Of handling these two instru-
ments.
The art OF handling tho racquet
the long rake-1ike instrument used on
the roulette and petits chevaux tables
to place or draw in money thrown on
the suiiares-and the manipulation OF
the pailette-the trowel-like piece Of
wood with which cards and "cbips'
are lifted in the baccorat roorns-is
not learned in a day. a man may be-
come fairly proficient after q month
or two, but even then he requires
daily practice in order 20 keep up 70
tho mark.
When the pupil is considered fairly
reliable he is introduced into the
rooms in order 20 get some idea oi
the atmosphere Of the place from the
point Of view Of tho croupier.
A gambling crowd is different frou
any other collection Of human beings
The croupier must study its psychol
= ogy and make himself familiar with
8 the types that haunt the tsbles-th'
: parasites of society, as we'll az tn
gambling "fend" and the wanderfni
holiday-maker who gsrbles out o
curiosity or n mere desire for pleas
urable sensation. Afterwar6s he Il
given charge Of a table and HIS ca
|. reer has begun.
Croupiers are ~ two kinds-th
croupier who presides in the bsccara
, rooms and the croupier who SITS II
!, judgment over petits chevaux or rou
lette. Petits chevaux croupiers hev
4 IN many ways an entirely distino
Il trade TO learn. although there ar
! many who can act az croupiers fo
petlts chevaux. roulette and baccara
n They must be men of steel nerve
Il and clear heads. They must have a
4 the tact Of. diplomats TO combat or ar
: pease the clairnsof those who dispui
n bets And what il even more importan
k they must WELD their racqusts wit
D dexterity and nimbleness, for n
d wheel never stops, and no sooner
10 a. number called than the table rnui
e. be cleared ready for the next spin.
.s The baccarat croupier has doub
10 duty 10 perform-he must lift II
= cards and Jetons with the applewoc
n palette from player TO player. and ;
l. the same time deduct the cagnotte-
Is the FIVE per cent proportion which q
W Casino and State take OF all Tnors
he placed on the table. The skill OF the
he men IL amazing. They will calcuia
lie the amount to be deducted in a trio
seeming to work Ike automatic Al
e. when the hand is played, with 4
d. slightest jerk they viii draw half
In dozen cards one on top Of the 9th
ed - s.or, +be,, into tba rar-ovv al
eh of the metal urn by an almost impe
ceptible turn OF the wrist