Assuming a player had been working a _Labouchere_ on this run in the usual
manner, on Black with a capital of 500 units, he would have had to retire
after the 27th coup through lack of capital; and assuming him to have been
playing with a 20-franc unit, he would have had to retire from Roulette on
the 28th coup, and from Trente et Quarante after a few more coups if the
bad sequence continued, no matter how large his capital had been.
It has been stated that the Bank beats the system player only on account of
its limit. This is not quite true; it has also one more great advantage
over the player, and this is the fact of its being a machine, while the
punter is human; and although a player will stake his all to retrieve his
previous losses, he will not--nature will not allow him to--risk his
winnings to win still more.
This is a psychological fact that cannot be explained. It must be to the
knowledge of most people who have visited Monte Carlo, that a player will
stake as much as 500 francs to retrieve a loss of a single 5-franc piece.
Yet the same player, having turned a 5-franc piece into as little as 50
francs, will refuse to adventure another stake, and retire from the
gaming-table. When the player is having his bad run, the Bank cannot help
playing their winnings to the maximum stake--they _must_ do so; but the
player on his good run is not compelled to play up his winnings, and really
cannot be expected to do so. Theoretically {474} he should, and I firmly
believe there is a lot of money awaiting the player who has the patience to
wait for such a run--which must come to him, equally as it must and does,
we know, come to the Bank--and then play on and on until he is prohibited
by the Bank from staking any higher. To play a system upside-down, or in
reverse order, requires great patience and equanimity, until the favourable
run occurs, when indomitable pluck and perseverance are the necessary
qualifications.
The writer feels bound to take the reader into his confidence so far as to
acknowledge that he himself has never had such pluck, but has always
retired on winning between 200 and 300 units. But he has always watched the
future run of the table, and on no less than five occasions would have
reached the maximum stake and won over 1000 units. He has, however, always
had the patience, and lost his _petit coup_ time after time with perfect
equanimity, and only wishes he had had the other qualifications as well.
Referring for one moment to the assumed fact No. 2 on which this method is
based--that a player more often than not is in deep water before bringing
off his _grand coup_; which he must be, owing to the losses being so
disproportionate in magnitude to the gains--it might be a good plan to
discover what the average highest loss of a system player is before the
system shows a profit, and then to play the same system in reverse or
upside-down order, making this figure the _grand coup_. Playing in this
manner, a visitor will have a cheap and enjoyable visit to Monte Carlo, and
may be assured of one of the most exciting little periods of his career
when this favourable run of luck does come his way. {475}
One final word of advice to all system players. Play on the chance that is
most convenient to your seat at the table. It is as likely to win as any
other. Never get flurried with your system or calculations. It is not at
all necessary to stake on every coup. You are just as likely to win if you
postpone staking until the day after to-morrow, as if you stake on the very
next spin of the Wheel--the Rooms are open for twelve hours per diem, which
should allow ample time for the number of coups you wish to play.
There may or not be such a thing as "luck." There can, however, be no harm
in giving its existence the benefit of the doubt. If on some particular
occasions you find you cannot do right, _assume_ you are out of luck, and
stop playing. Do not consider either that you owe a grudge to the Bank
because you have lost, or that it is absolutely necessary to retrieve your
fortune then and there! Postpone playing until the following day, or week,
or year, when you may be in _good luck_, and can easily recoup yourself.
Always bear the clever gambler's great maxim well in mind: "Cut your
losses--play up your gains!"
The writer's only object has been to try and explain how the games of
chance are played at Monte Carlo, and to point out that the player is at a
disadvantage on each occasion that he stakes, though that disadvantage may
be increased or reduced by bad or good staking. It now remains for the
reader to decide whether the pleasure he derives from gambling is likely to
recompense him for his probable losses.
Printed by BALLANTYNE, HANSON & CO.
Edinburgh & London
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