THE GAMBLE
If man backs horses, plays cards or dice,
Or bets on an ivory ball,
He knows the rules, and he reckons the price—
Be it one half-crown, or his all.
(And it isn’t sense, and it isn’t pluck,
To double the stakes when you’re out of luck!)
If he plays—with his life for a limit—here,
It’s an even-money game: