_ROULETTE AND ALLIED GAMES_
Roulette, and the various modifications of the game, which have been
introduced from time to time, have all had, to a greater or less extent,
a fascination for the gambler. That roulette itself still maintains a
prominent place among the multitudinous methods of dissipating wealth to
which gamblers are addicted, can be fully vouched for by those who have
visited the gaming-tables of such a place as Monte Carlo. Despite the
efforts of civilisation, 'the man that broke the bank,' or is said to
have done so, is still prominent among us; but the bank that broke the
man is, unfortunately, much more in evidence.
The methods of play adopted by the great gaming establishments of the
world are unquestionably as fair as the nature of things will allow them
to be. No man can run an establishment of any kind without profit, and
the profits of these gaming-houses result from the apparently small
chances in favour of the bank which are universally allowed. The fact
that the _apparently_ small chances against the players as a body are
not generally recognised as being in reality great, cannot be said to be
the fault of the bankers themselves. They build palatial edifices, lay
out luxurious gardens, pay their crowds of retainers handsome salaries,
and still have profits sufficient to bring them in princely incomes, the
entire expenses of the whole being defrayed at the cost of the players,
and through the medium of those insignificant chances in the bank's
favour. It is strange that the players cannot see it, but they do not
seem to realise that it is they themselves who pay for these things; or,
if they do see it, they play with the wild hope of being among the few
fortunate ones and sharing in the plunder. Taken as a whole, it may be
estimated that the profits of these places amount to five per cent. or
over of every pound that is staked upon the tables. That is to say,
every player who places a sovereign upon the green cloth puts,
definitely and unmistakably, at least a shilling into the pockets of the
proprietors, who have, in the long run, absolutely no risk whatever.
They have merely to furnish the accessories, and the players will
provide all the rest, simply paying their money to the bank and taking
all the risk themselves. No player can gain at the expense of the bank;
if one should happen to make his fortune at play, he can only do so by
the ruin of some other player. That is the plain state of the case, and
there is no getting over it.
It is not, however, with the so-called genuine gambling concerns that we
have now to deal, but with the little hole-and-corner dens which may be
found in various parts of the world, and particularly in the two
continents of America. In such as these the roulette-table is frequently
a familiar object, and very often it is not quite such a genuine piece
of apparatus as it appears. Those who may not happen to be acquainted
with the arrangement should understand that it is an oblong table,
having a circular cavity at one end, in which the roulette revolves. The
roulette (literally 'little wheel') is simply a revolving disc
surrounded by a number of cavities into which a ball is allowed to roll.
These cavities are numbered, and those who have staked upon the number
of the particular hole into which the ball finds its way receive their
stakes back, together with an amount equivalent to the money they have
staked multiplied by the number of holes remaining vacant in the
roulette, _minus_ a certain percentage which is reserved in favour of
the bank. This is the essential principle of the game, though in reality
it is played with many complications of chances, into which it is not
necessary here to enter.
Cheating in connection with the roulette-table is accomplished by means
of a 'faked' or falsified roulette. This is arranged so that the numbers
around the periphery are not consecutive, but alternately high and low.
Indeed, this is the usual arrangement, therefore there is nothing
suspicious in that fact. The numbered divisions into one of which the
ball eventually rolls are formed by equidistant copper bands, set
radially from the centre of rotation; and, in the false roulette, the
copper partitions are so constructed as to be movable in two sets, one
moving one way, and the other in the opposite direction. Each alternate
partition belongs to the opposite set to its two immediate neighbours,
consequently the movement of the partitions alternately in opposite
directions tends to widen one set of cavities and narrow the others. If,
then, the original width of the cavities was only just sufficient to
allow the ball to drop into either of them, a very slight movement in
one direction or the other will serve to prevent the ball from falling
into any cavity of one set, whilst allowing it readily to enter either
of the other set. Before spinning the roulette, then, the man whose
place it is to do so notes the disposition of the bets. If they are
principally staked upon the high numbers, he just gives a little twist
to the centre of the roulette, in the direction which slightly closes
the high numbers and correspondingly opens the low ones. Then the high
numbers are bound to lose. Should the bets, on the other hand, be
principally upon the low numbers, the spindle is turned in the other
direction, thus closing the low numbers and opening the high ones. In
this way the bank can never lose by any possible chance. The movement
given to the alternate partitions is, of course, very slight,
one-sixteenth of an inch being ample for the purpose.
To enable the reader to better understand the principle involved in this
system of cheating, we will investigate its application to a simple
modification of the roulette which is sometimes used, and which affords
great convenience for the method of falsification we have been
considering. This is a wheel composed of a circular centre-piece, with
two flat circular plates larger in diameter than the centre or 'hub,'
one being fixed above and the other below it. Radially between these
flanges, and at equal distances apart, are fixed partitions, which thus
convert the periphery of the wheel into a number of chambers or
divisions. A (fig. 62) represents the plan of a wheel of this kind, and
B shows the same in elevation.
[Illustration: FIG. 62.]
Now, these radial partitions mentioned above are not all fixed to the
wheel in the same manner. Each alternate one is attached to the centre
or hub, and the others are fixed to the flanges or cheeks. C in the
illustration represents the latter, and D the former. The two halves of
the wheel C and D being put together, they appear to constitute a
genuine wheel such as A. It is obvious, then, that if these two halves
can be made to move just a little in opposite directions around their
common centre, each alternate division will become slightly narrower or
wider than its immediate neighbours, as the case may be. Then, if the
divisions are numbered alternately high and low, it stands to reason
that the high numbers can be closed and the low ones opened, or _vice
versa_, at will. In the illustration, E represents the wheel after the
two sections have been turned one upon the other in this way. It will be
seen that _n_ is a narrow division, and _w_ a wide one; whilst right and
left of these the divisions are alternately wide and narrow. A wheel of
this kind would be mounted upon a spindle, in the centre of a circular
depression in the table-top. After it has been set spinning, a ball is
thrown into the circular hollow, down the sloping sides of which it
rolls, and finally arrives in one of the divisions of the wheel, in this
case entering by the periphery. In order to give the thing more the
appearance of a game of skill, a wheel of this kind is sometimes mounted
at one end of a sort of bagatelle-table, and, whilst it is spinning, the
players are allowed to drive the ball into it with a cue from the far
end of the table, each player in succession taking his turn at the ball.
Needless to say, however, this plan presents no particular advantage to
the player. If he has backed a high number, and the high numbers are
closed against him, it is evident that he cannot possibly cause the ball
to enter the division he requires, do what he may.
It should also be noted that in the roulette the divisions, in addition
to being numbered alternately high and low, are also alternately
coloured red and black, and the players have the option of betting upon
either colour. That is to say, if the ball rolls into a red division,
irrespective of its number, those who have staked upon the red will
receive the value of their stakes, whilst those who have wagered upon
black will lose their money. Even in this case, however, the chances in
favour of the bank will tell in the long run, because the 'zeros,' the
numbers reserved for the bank, are neither red nor black, and if the
ball enters a zero neither red nor black will win. The alternate
arrangement of the red and black divisions will indicate, at once, that
the same device which controls the entrance of the ball into the high or
low numbers can also be made to cause either red or black to win, at the
pleasure of the bank. In that case there is not much need to trouble
about the effect of 'zero' one way or the other.
A gentleman, well known in artistic circles, has favoured me, through a
mutual friend, with the following interesting account of a swindle
perpetrated in connection with roulette here in London. He entitles it
'A True Gambling Experience'; and it is here given as nearly as possible
in his own words.
'Some time ago, a friend of mine wrote to me, asking if I would like to
go to a gamble at the rooms of a Mr. X----, who had acquired a certain
notoriety by gaining large sums at Monte Carlo. Indeed, his name was
mentioned almost daily in the London Press. I went, and the game of
roulette was played, the guests being regaled at about midnight with a
most excellent supper and "Pol Roger" _ad lib._
'The company was mixed--a few men from club-land, a well-known
money-lender, and two fair ladies. One lady was our hostess, the other
was the celebrated Baroness ----. The game was played quite fairly, the
board being one of those ordinarily used in England, with one "zero."
The stakes were limited to 20_l._ upon the even money chances.
'At the end of the evening, our host--the much-talked-of gentleman of
Monte Carlo--who had won about 1,000_l._ during the sitting, appointed
another evening, and asked me if I would mind taking the bank. I
consented, provided that I might stop when I had lost as much as I cared
to risk. This was acceded to, and I took the bank on the following week,
when I arose a loser of some 300_l._, but had such consolation as was to
be derived from partaking of a supper similar in character to the first,
everything being absolutely _en prince_. A game of baccarat followed,
and a friend of mine was fortunate enough to win some hundreds from our
host. I myself, having settled up all my losings at roulette, was a
gainer of fifty sovereigns or so. At the end of the evening, our host
excused himself from payment, on the ground that he had had a very bad
week racing, and had a very heavy settlement to make on the Monday, "I
know," he said, "you and your friend will not mind waiting until next
week, when we will have another evening." Of course we agreed to wait
until the next meeting.
'Some days after, I had a letter from Mr. X----, stating that he had
much pleasure in sending me a cheque (enclosed), and remarking that he
intended having an evening at the rooms of a friend of his, near
Charing Cross. The evening arrived, and I duly wended my way to the
address Mr. X---- had given me. I found about twenty people assembled,
among them my friend and another man I knew. I went up to the former and
asked him if Mr. X---- had paid up the money he owed him. "Oh yes," he
said, "he has paid me in those," pointing to a heap of counters in front
of him. The game had commenced when I arrived, and I noticed that the
limit of the stakes was double that of the former occasions, viz. 40_l._
upon the even money chances. I further noticed that a Frenchman (who
could not speak a word of English) was turning the wheel, and Mr. X----
was acting as "croupier." The board was not similar to that used on
former occasions.
'The game proceeded, the Frenchman rolling the ball, and Mr. X----
raking in the losing and paying out the winning stakes. Every now and
then a man would retire hard hit, whilst others were constantly
arriving. Business was brisk, a good trade was being carried on, but
nobody knew how certain the bank was of winning. A Rothschild could not
have stood against that board, as I afterwards discovered.
'Presently, one of the players got up and said, "I think that is seven
hundred I owe you, X----," and proceeded to try and write a cheque for
the amount upon a blank sheet of paper; but finding he could not write
distinctly, he called to the money-lender, who filled in the body of
the cheque, and then the half-tipsy punter signed it and left. Several
large cheques were paid to X---- upon various players taking their
departure; and I, having lost 10_l._ punting in sovereigns, wrote a
cheque for that amount. In the meantime, my friend who had been paid by
X---- some hundreds in counters, as before mentioned, had lost them all,
and had a debit of about 400_l._ against him. He was staking the maximum
each time on either red or black. Sometimes he had a maximum on one of
the other chances. The luck (?) was dead against him, and he only won
once in every three or four coups. He came into the next room with me
and had a brandy and soda. "My luck is terrible," he said, "awful! but I
am going to sit it out. The chances must average up presently." Such,
however, was not the case. He lost more and more, whilst beads of
perspiration stood upon his forehead.
'Relaxing for a moment my attention from my friend and his play, and
glancing at the roulette revolving, I noticed the ball roll into
division No. 3, red. Strange to say, however, when the roulette came to
rest, the winning number proved to be No. 26, black. Even then the
thought did not occur to me that there was anything wrong; but shortly
afterwards a similar event occurred, and _then_ I felt sure there was a
swindle somewhere. I went into the cloak-room where we had left our
outer apparel, and putting on my opera hat and cape, returned to the
scene. I pulled my hat well over my eyes and watched the board. Having a
quick eye, and being used to roulette, I soon fathomed what is possibly
the most beautiful swindle ever invented. The partitions which form the
divisions into which the ball runs were constructed in one piece and
movable, altogether apart from the numbers between which they were
situated. In pressing upon the roulette to stop its motion in the usual
manner, a sort of ratchet movement could be actuated which would turn
the whole of the divisions round, carrying the ball with them, from one
number to the next. Thus red could be turned into black, manque into
passe, or pair into impair, according to the manner in which the stakes
were placed.
'I was so completely upset by my discovery of this colossal swindle that
I unfortunately committed a _faux pas_ which enabled the gang to escape
punishment. After I was thoroughly certain of the _modus operandi_, I
looked round the room to see what help was at hand in the event of a
tussle; but, not liking the look of the crowd, I decided to obtain
assistance from the outside. Before doing so, I felt that my clear duty
was to speak to the host, who had lent his rooms to Mr. X----. I
motioned him apart, and on telling him that I wished to speak to him
privately, he took me into his bedroom. "Mr. Z----," I said, "I think it
my duty to tell you that this game is a gigantic swindle. The men who
have lost have been cheated out of their money," and I described the
process to him. "It cannot be true," said he, "I have known X---- for
years, and have been engaged in several large financial transactions
with him, and I would stake my life upon his integrity." "Well," I said,
"that may be so, but I am certain of what I say, and I shall prevent all
the payment I can. As for my cheque of 10_l._, I shall stop it at the
bank." (That cheque has never been presented from that day to this).
'I went out into the passage, leaving Z---- in his bedroom, and at that
moment the well-known Mr. ----, F.R.C.S. was admitted at the door. I
whispered to him, "Play small and watch it," and went off for a
detective. I was afterwards informed by my "sawbones" friend that play
was stopped directly I left.
'The rest of the tale is soon told. I met my unfortunate friend outside
his house, and found he had ended in losing 1,300_l._ His state was
truly pitiable, and his relief was great when I told him that he need
not pay a penny, as he had been duped.
'The next day private detectives were busy; but, unfortunately, the
mechanical board had escaped them, and Mr. X---- and his confederates
had cleared out of London.
'Would you believe it? X---- went to a well-known firm of solicitors,
and wanted to commence an action against me; but they advised him to
refrain from so doing.
'I traced many of the punters who had lost money that evening, and
stopped the payment of very much that would otherwise have found its way
into the pockets of the swindlers. The men whose interests I thus
protected never thanked me. All I contrived to do for myself was to make
many enemies. For the future I intend to leave the exposure of swindlers
to those who are accustomed to that kind of work.'
Under the general term of 'spindle-games,' a great variety of revolving
wheels and pointers is sold. In all cases the 'game' consists of betting
against the bank, upon the chances of a ball rolling into a certain
compartment, or of a pointer coming to rest opposite a certain number or
division upon a dial. Countless are the dodges and devices resorted to
with the object of controlling the chances or of removing them
altogether. Things of this kind are commonly used for the purposes of
cheating at race-meetings and horse fairs 'out west.' We have already
seen how anything in the nature of a roulette can be sophisticated so as
to give the bank every advantage, and insure certain loss to the
players; and from this we may judge that something similar is possible
in the case of a pointer or 'spear.' Indeed, the possibilities in this
direction are endless, and all sorts of brakes and such devices for
bringing the pointer to rest at a given spot have been invented. As an
example we will investigate one system, which is in all probability the
most ingenious ever devised, and which is but little known.
Some years ago, the head of a well-known firm of electricians and
experimentalists in Manchester was approached by an American, with a
view to their undertaking the manufacture of a piece of apparatus, part
of the drawings for which he submitted. The firm agreed to make what was
required, and the work was commenced. As to what the apparatus could
possibly be, or for what use it was intended, the manufacturers were
completely in ignorance. Never having had experience of anything of the
kind before, the whole thing was a mystery to them: all that they could
infer from the utterances of their customer was that it was something in
the nature of an experiment, and one which was of the greatest
importance. Expense was absolutely no object whatever; all they had to
concern themselves with was to see that the apparatus was thoroughly
well and accurately made, and in accordance with the drawings given
them.
The contrivance itself was a sort of circular table-top; but, instead of
being made of one solid thickness of wood, it was constructed in three
sections or layers. The top and bottom pieces were simply plain discs,
whilst the central one was a ring. These, being fastened together, made
a kind of shallow box, the interior of which could be reached by
removing either the top or bottom of the whole arrangement. Into this
internal circular cavity was fitted a disc of such a size that it was
capable of turning freely within the table top without rattling about.
Radially from the centre of this disc were cut about six or eight slots,
at equal distances from each other, and sufficiently large to contain
each a bar-magnet. The magnets being fixed into their respective slots,
the disc carrying them was placed into the cavity prepared for its
reception, and the outer wood-work was firmly glued together. To all
outward appearance, then, the thing became simply a table-top, made in
three thicknesses, the 'grain' of the middle thickness crossing that of
the other two; an arrangement often adopted in cabinetwork to prevent
warping. In the under side of the table-top, however, there was cut a
small slot, concentric with the outer edge. This gave access to the
movable piece within the interior, and a small stud was fixed into that
piece, projecting a little beyond the under surface, so that by its
means the inner piece could be revolved a short distance to the right or
left.
This incomprehensible scientific instrument having been completed to the
satisfaction of the American gentleman, it was taken away by him, and
the firm expected to hear nothing more of it. In this, however, they
were mistaken. A few days afterwards their customer again called upon
them, bringing with him another drawing, and requesting them to make
this second device in accordance with his instructions. The drawing
presented for the inspection of the firm this time was a representation
of a very heavy iron pointer, so constructed as to revolve upon a pivot
at its centre. Strange to say, the length of the pointer was just about
equal to the diameter of the internal disc of the table-top previously
made. The head of the firm began to 'smell a rat.' That pointer had
served to point out to him the solution of what was previously
inexplicable. Having formed his own conclusions, he openly taxed the
American with having lured him into making an apparatus for cheating.
Perfectly unabashed, the man admitted the soft impeachment, and quite
calmly and collectedly revealed the full particulars of his system, as
though it were nothing at all unusual, and quite in the ordinary way of
business.
It appeared that this innocent form of amusement was intended to be
taken 'out west,' and brought into action principally at horse-fairs.
The table-top which the firm had made was destined to be covered with
green cloth, in the centre of which a circle was marked out, its
circumference being divided into spaces coloured alternately black and
red. The number of these spaces was twice that of the magnets within the
table. Thus, by moving the stud projecting below the table-top the
magnets could be made to lie beneath either colour whilst the proprietor
_lied_ over the whole. Obviously, then, the iron pointer would always
come to rest above one of the magnets, and in this way the colour at
which it was allowed to stop could be decided by the operator. His plan
of working was simply to note which colour had the most money staked
upon it, and set his magnets so as to cause the pointer to stop at the
other. Using an apparatus of this kind, the man had already made
thousands of dollars; and he only required this improved and perfected
machine to enable him to go back and make thousands more. The Americans
are pretty generally regarded as being a smart people--but are they? In
some ways, perhaps.
All this being explained to the head of the Manchester firm, the natural
exclamation which fell from him was, 'But suppose anyone among the
bystanders happened to bring out a mariner's compass?' It appeared,
however, even in that case, that all was not lost, and that the swindler
would be equal to the occasion. Quietly putting his hand between his
coat-tails, he drew out a neat little 'Derringer,' about a foot long,
and observed, 'Wal, _sir_, I guess that compass would never git around
_my_ table. You kin bet on _that_.' That's the sort of man _he_ was.