Evening star., 1943-11-15

plain. But they shrugged me OF.
"You can't catch them at it," they
would say, "but know I was cheated
I can't tell you how I know, but
I just do" Now, when women give
you that routine. they have the
grace to call their guessing "femi-
nine intuition"-which is supposed
to be an improvement on telepathy
and frequency modulation.
Me, I've given the whole subject
as much thought as I am capable
of watch your propositions, JuniorD
and finally decided to appeal to
an expert, since gambling is some.
thing from which know frcm moth.
ing of. (Junior! have to speak
to you again :. }
Newspaperman, Himself.
You see, when I was young and
charming, I was a newspaper re-
porter in Chicago in the bad old days
when newspaper Offices looked like
the Front Page and the reporters
talked like Ben Hecht-in fact, the
best one Of them was. (Was, Junior7
Parse that sentenceD
was innocent and dewy and my
pink cheeks were fuzzy like a peach,
and the local room was full Of
wicked old habitues and sons Of
habitues who would lure me into
poker games in which consistently
lost those pitifully few dollars was
supposed to send home to my dear
old mother down In the country.
Since the boys began to count on
this weekly addition to their salaries
one even married the girl on the
strength of it-and I was falling
behind in my sleep, I worked out a
compromise which pleased every
body. Came the night Of the weekly
poker game, folded my small con-
tribution in an envelope, slipped It
under the door, and went home to
bed-and slept with that clear
conscience that only could come
from the realization of having
brought little happiness into the
lives Of my fellowmen-the dogs!
All this came back to me when I
appealed to Nick the Greek, who
confessed that the secret Of sue
cess in professional gambling Is not
what you think. Most people think
professional gamblers have to cheat
to win, but that's not true. They
don't even have to play cards any
better than you do. All they need
to~do is one thing-sleep all day."
And then Nick the Greek went
on to say that most amateurs think
they're better than they really are,
while professionals have made a
career Of knowing just what they
can do and what they can't do.
And one Of the things they've
learned Is that no man can work
hard all day in a business and then
sit up all night playing poker and
hope to be as wide awake at !
O'Clock in the morning as the man
who sleeps all day and doesn't get
up until evening.
That's what professional gam
blers do" says Nick. They crawl
out OF bed fully rested, just about
the time the businessman is stag
gering out of his Office, punch drunk
from arguments and conferences,
The gambler bathes and shaveG
puts on fresh linen, eats leisurely
and well, plays with the Children
pets the dog, kisses his wife, snd
goes out hunting for a businessma6
who is falling on his face but won1
admit it."
Nick says, From there on all the
gambler has to do Is sit In and
play-not even cleverly or brilliantly,
just competently-just play aAd wait
until that important hand comes
around at or or 3 in the morn.
ing, and you should have your
keenest wits about you, but you
haven't.
You're exhausted. You nod q
little-and that's the split second
the professional has been waiting
TOR all night. He doesn't have to
cheat. He doesn't even have to bs
any better player. All he needs Is
to be rested when you're tired, to
be wide awake when you're half
asleep. And that's when he gets
YOU"
But I like my system better. 7
don't even have to dt up all night
and get tired to lose my money.