Deceptions used in Various Games. Craps. watch the banker at the time when he wants a large number, he will throw the dice much harder than at other times. The manner of throwing makes a vast difference in the turning up of dice. When men, at any of these games, say they have no advantage, they are telling the vilest falsehoods; for no gambler ever plays a game when the chances are equal. The odds are always in his favor; for when a gambler goes to a heavy expense to procure himself the necessary implements to gamble with, it is always his intention to pay himself by fraud. Who will inspect the games of craps and faro, and still say that gamblers are an honest set of men? Who will suppose that, if gamblers depended solely on their luck, they would always succeed in ruining every man who will persevere in playing with them? Men, too, who know more of the science of the game, and whose judgments are superior, are often beaten out of all they possess by the gambler. This happens to them because they play scientifically, and scorn all cheats, or else are unacquainted with any. Are gamblers more deserving of the favors of Providence than other men, that they should always win the money of those who play with them? It cannot be so; and I know that it is not so; but they succeed only by using the vilest deceptions, from beginning to end. And the man who will venture to patronize them in any degree, will be sure to be the loser by so doing. All classes of people in New Orleans have abundant reason to cry, Down with the monster! Ask many of the merchants what has resulted to them in consequence of their clerks being decoyed to the craps table. Ask the wives of hundreds how their husbands have come home from such places of robbery. In short, numerous Deceptions used in Various Games. Billiards. are the sufferings in every class from this source, except the keepers themselves, who revel and riot in the lowest depths of dissipation on their ill-gotten wealth. BILLIARDS. There are few games in use of a more deceptive character than this. It may be so managed that cheating to almost any extent may be carried on by it. Gamblers, in playing this game, will generally so contrive it, as just barely to beat the man they are playing with, so as to make him believe that there is but very little difference in their playing; and still the man will suppose that the sportsman is playing the very best that he can. The one who gets beaten thus slightly, has, perhaps, an acquaintance who is a little better player than himself. Him he will bring to play against the gambler, who will, as in the other case, just beat him a little, and perhaps make him believe that he barely succeeded in doing so by some lucky accident, which he will begin to explain. But he is deceiving; for his practical knowledge of the game is such, that he will always beat all ordinary players, but he will never beat them badly; that is, he will at each game come out but a few points ahead. This is done in order to keep the others in good spirits, and in hopes that they shall, every next game, succeed in beating him. But they may play month after month, and aspire to beat this man, but all in vain; and after being some months in a place, his new acquaintances will have so high an opinion of his playing, that they will set him up as their Deceptions used in Various Games. - Cock-Fighting. champion. And when they come to have so exalted an opinion of his playing, he is then ready for another secret manœuvre. A man will make his appearance, and pretend to be something of a player, and some of those who so much admired the other's playing, will offer to bet that their champion can beat him, and very probably many bets will be made on their playing. And when they come to a trial of skill, the new-comer beats the other about every game, and between the two they win all the money that they can get bet on their playing; and, contrary to all suspicion, this new-comer will turn out to have been a secret partner of the other; and things were from the first so arranged between them for the express purpose of making what they would call a grand raise, and then both of them decamp after they can get no more bets on their playing. These men most generally have partners, with the aid of whom they are continually putting such cheats in practice. The game of ten-pins is almost as deceptive in the hands of a gambler; and all persons who are not willing to be the victims and dupes of these men, should refrain from all these games, for they are exceedingly apt to bring upon their heads the most ruinous consequences in the end. COCK-FIGHTING. This is a kind of sport that is too contemptible to be countenanced in any civilized or Christian country; and yet there are many, who pass for respectable citizens, who give it their sanction, either by being present, or by Deceptions used in Various Games.- - Cock-Fighting. an actual participation in it. But I must think that a taste for this contemptible and cruel sport is an acquired one; that, bad as the human heart naturally is, it would revolt at such wanton conduct, if it were not urged on, by the force of habit, to contract a fondness for it. There are many persons who engage in this amusement, who, did they seriously reflect for a moment upon its pernicious consequences, would be very far from allowing themselves even to visit a cockpit. Did they properly consider the material that composes this assemblage generally, to be found at such places, they would not only fear, but would be seriously ashamed to be caught among them. Who are the people that commonly attend, or are the keepers of cockpits? The keepers are lowbred bullies and villains, in general, of the most degraded class; such are the men that you encourage and support, by condescending to resort to such sinks of iniquity and cruelty. Next comes number 1, a gentleman gambler while he has a plenty of money; but in proportion as his funds leave him, his dignity leaves him also; he sinks lower and lower, until number 4 catches him. And having got thus low in the "sliding scale" of moral degradation, he is generally called a rough gambler-one that plays at dray-pin lieu, &c. In this classification, number 3 includes the fighters, or bullies, profane swearers, and good liquor drinkers. The number 4 gentleman stands by with his sharp knife and dray-pin, but will not drink any liquor while he is out on duty; neither will he do any of number 1's fighting, but if there is any stealing to be done, he is ready to bear a hand. Number 2 is one of those little, close, narrow-contracted faro dealers; one of that swindling, penurious class, who, when he plays, Deceptions used in Various Games. - Cock-Fighting. must have five hundred chances for him to one against him, and then he wants a number 3 on each side, or he is afraid to attempt any thing that would be advantageous to him. And when he gets money, he seldom pays it for going into cockpits or theatres; and when he goes to the race-track, he prefers to walk, though it be seven miles; and when he gets there, he would crawl under or climb over the fence, or do any thing sooner than pay 25 cents for entrance. This class, the gentry who go to cockpits need never fear, as they are but seldom, if ever, found there. But numbers 1, 3, and 4, are there; and an honest man, who is among them, is constantly exposed. For instance, if by any means you should happen to do any thing that number 1 may construe into an insult, he will give the wink to number 3, and down he knocks you, when you are very politely helped up by number 4, and by the time you have regained your erect position, you will discover that your pocket-book is missing, and so will one of number 4's partners; but no one can tell you the name of number 4, as that is the very last thing that he tells. Any one who has had experience on this subject, will certainly agree with me that this is a true picture of the kind of company of which cockpits are generally composed; and this ought, surely, to be sufficient to satisfy any youth, or any person whatever, that the cockpit is no place for him, without its being necessary that he should call and see for himself. It certainly cannot be necessary for a reasonable man to take a dose of poison to satisfy him that it is poison. And when it is. considered that a man is generally judged of by the company he keeps, all, and especially the young, who have any regard for their reputation, cannot be too careful to |