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select _douze dernier_; the division in which No。 29 occurs;
you also obtain a treble stake; namely; your own and two more
which the bank pays you; your florin or your five…pound note
benign fact!metamorphosed into three。 But; woe to the wight
who should have ventured on the number 〃eight;〃 on the red
colour (compartment with a crimson lozenge); on 〃even;〃 and on
〃not past the Rubicon;〃 for twenty…nine does not comply with
any one of these conditions。 He loses; and his money is coolly
swept away from him by the croupier's rake。 With reference to
the last chances I enumerated in the last paragraph; I should
mention that the number _EIGHT_ would lie in the second column
there being three columns;and in the first dozen numbers。
‘There are more chances; or rather subdivisions of chances; to
entice the player to back the 〃numbers;〃 for these the stations
of the ball are as capricious as womankind; and it is; of course;
extremely rare that a player will fix upon the particular number
that happens to turn up。 But he may place a piece of money _a
cheval_; or astride; on the line which divides two numbers; in
which case (either of the numbers turning up) he receives
sixteen times his stake。 He may place it on the cross lines
that divide four numbers; and; if either of the four wins; he
will receive eight times the amount of his stake。 A word as to
_Zero_。 Zero is designated by the compartment close to the
wheel's diameter; and zero; or blank; will turn up; on an
average; about once in seventy times。 If you have placed money
in zero; and the ball seeks that haven; you will receive thirty…
three times your stake。'
The twin or elder brother of _Roulette_; played at Hombourg;
_Rouge et Noir_; or _Trente et Quarante_; is thus described by Mr
Sala:
‘There is the ordinary green…cloth covered table; with its
brilliant down…coming lights。 In the centre sits the banker;
gold and silver in piles and _rouleaux_; and bank…notes before
him。 On either hand; the croupier; as before; now wielding the
rakes and plying them to bring in the money; now balancing them;
now shouldering them; as soldiers do their muskets; half…pay
officers their canes; and dandies their silk umbrellas。 The
banker's cards are; as throughout all the Rhenish gaming…places;
of French design; the same that were invented; or; at least;
first used in Europe; for crazy Charles the Simple。 These
cards are placed on an inclined plane of marble; called a
_talon_。
‘The dealer first takes six packs of cards; shuffles them; and
distributes them in various parcels to the various punters or
players round the table; to shuffle and mix。 He then finally
shuffles them; and takes and places the end cards into various
parts of the three hundred and twelve cards; until he meets with
a _court card_; which he must place upright at the end。 This
done; he presents the pack to one of the players to cut; who
places the pictured card where the _dealer_ separates the pack;
and that part of the pack beyond the pictured card he places at
the end nearest him; leaving the pictured card at the bottom of
the pack。
‘The dealer then takes a certain number of cards; about as many
as would form a pack; and; looking at the first card; to know its
colour; puts it on the table with its face downwards。 He then
takes two cards; one red and the other black; and sets them back
to back。 These cards are turned; and displayed conspicuously; as
often as the colour varies; for the information of the company。
‘The gamblers having staked their money on either of the colours;
the dealer asks; 〃_Votre jeu est…il fait?_〃 〃Is your game
made?〃 or; 〃_Votre jeu est…il piet?_〃 〃Is your game
ready?〃 or; 〃_Le jeu est pret; Messieurs_;〃 〃The game is
ready; gentlemen。〃 He then deals the first card with its face
upwards; saying 〃_Noir;_' and continues dealing until the cards
turned exceed thirty points or pips in number; which number he
must mention; as 〃_Trente…et…un_;〃 or 〃_Trente…six_;〃 as the
case may be。
‘As the aces reckon but for one; no card after thirty can make up
forty; the dealer; therefore; does not declare the _tens_ after
_thirty…one_; or upwards; but merely the units; as one; two;
three; if the number of points dealt for _Noir_ are thirty…five
he says 〃_Cinq_。〃
‘Another parcel is then dealt for _rouge_; or _red_; and with
equal deliberation and solemnity; and if the players stake beyond
the colour that comes to _thirty…one_ or nearest to it; he wins;
which happy eventuality is announced by the dealer crying
〃_Rouge gagne_;〃 〃Red wins;〃 or 〃_Rouge perd_;〃 〃Red
loses。〃 These two parcels; one for each colour; make a _coup_。
The same number of parcels being dealt for each colour; the
dealer says; 〃_Apres_;〃 〃After。〃 This is a 〃doublet;〃
called in the amiable French tongue; 〃_un refait_;〃 by which
neither party wins; unless both colours come to _thirty…
one_; which the dealer announces by saying; 〃_Un refait Trente…
et…un_; and he wins half the stakes posted on both colours。 He;
however; does not take the money; but removes it to the middle
line; and the players may change the _venue_ of their stakes if
they please。 This is called the first 〃prison;〃 or _la
premiere prison_; and; if they win their next event; they draw
the entire stake。 In case of another 〃_refait_;〃 the money is
removed into the third line; which is called the second prison。
So you see that there are wheels within wheels; and Lord
Chancellor King's dictum; that walls can be built higher; but
there should be no prison within a prison; is sometimes reversed。
When this happens the dealer wins all。
‘The cards are sometimes cut for which colour shall be dealt
first; but; in general; the first parcel is for _black_; and the
second for _red_。 The odds against a 〃_refait_〃 turning up are
usually reckoned as 63 to 1。 The bankers; however; acknowledge
that they expect it twice in three deals; and there are generally
from twenty…nine to thirty…two coups in each deal。 The odds in
favour of winning several times are about the same as in the
game of Pharaon; and are as delusive。 ‘He who goes to Hombourg
and expects to see any melodramatic manifestation of rage;
disappointment; and despair in the losing players; reckons
without his host。 Winners or losers seldom speak above a
whisper; and the only sound that is heard above the suppressed
buzz of conversation; the muffled jingle of the money on the
green cloth; the 〃sweep〃 of the croupiers' rakes; and the
ticking of the very ornate French clocks on the mantel…pieces; is
the impassibly metallic voice of the banker; as he proclaims his
〃_Rouge perd_;〃 or 〃_Couleur gagne_。〃 People are too genteel
at Hombourg…von…der…Hohe to scream; to yell; to fall into
fainting fits; or go into convulsions; because they have lost
four or five thousand francs or so in a single coup。
‘I have heard of one gentleman; indeed; who; after a ruinous