The other chance, the Couleur and Inverse, is decided by the colour of the first card turned up. If the colour of this card corresponds with the colour of the winning row, then Couleur wins; if it is of the opposite colour, then Inverse wins. Thus suppose the top or Black row of cards amounts to 35, and the first card in this row is a Black card, and the Red row amounts to 36, then Black and Couleur would win; had the first card in the Black row been a Red card, then Inverse would have won, being of the opposite colour to the winning row (Black).
The players wishing to back any particular chance place their stakes on that portion of the table reserved for Black, Red, Couleur, or Inverse, as shown in the illustration (Fig. 3). There are two chefs-de-parties employed to supervise the game, and four croupiers to receive the losing stakes and pay the winning ones, one of the croupiers also being the tailleur, or dealer of the cards. The tailleur calls the game by saying, "Messieurs, faites vos jeux," when the players stake on the different chances. He then says, "Les jeux sont fait. Rien ne va plus," after which no further stakes may be made. He then deals out the cards, and when both rows are complete he calls the result thus, "Deux, six, Rouge perds et Couleur gagne," or "Rouge perds et Couleur," as the case may be, meaning that the point of Black is 32 and that of Red 36, so that Black and the colour win; or Black wins and the colour loses. It should be noted that the "tailleur" never mentions the words "Black" or "Inverse," but always says that Red wins or Red loses, and that the colour wins or the colour loses. On the conclusion
of each coup both rows of cards are swept into a small basket called the "talon," which is let into the centre of the table, and the game begins again. When the six packs of cards are exhausted, the "tailleur" says, "Monsieur, les cartes passent," when all the cards are collected out of the talons, re-shuffled and cut, and a fresh deal is started.
All four chances—Red, Black, Couleur, and Inverse—are of course even chances, and are paid as such by the Bank; but should the total (or point) of both rows of cards be exactly 31 each, the same procedure occurs as upon the appearance of the zero at Roulette—that is to say, the stakes are put en prison; then another deal is made, and those stakes which are on the winning chances are allowed to be withdrawn by the players. Or, as at Roulette, the stakes, at the players' option, may be halved with the Banker in the first instance.
Saving 31, all other identical points made by the Red and Black cause that deal to be null and void, the player being at liberty to remove his stake or otherwise, as he chooses. The condition of affairs (both rows coming to 31 each) which corresponds to the Roulette zero is called a "Refait," and is announced, as are all other identities of the points, by the word "après." Thus suppose the Black row counts up to 38, and the Red row to the same figure, the tailleur announces "Huit, huit après." If it happens to be a Refait, he says, "Un, un après," and the stakes are put into prison.
The Refait is said to occur once in 38 deals on the average; and if this were true, the Bank would have a slightly less advantage at Trente et Quarante than it has at Roulette. To arrive at the mathematical odds in favour of the Bank would involve an exceedingly
complicated calculation, and it is doubtful if they have ever been exactly computed. At a glance it would seem that the odds against both rows being 31 each is 81 to 1; there being 10 possible points for each row, the chances against any named point appearing would seem to be 9 to 1, in which case, of course, the chances against both points being identical would be 9 × 9, or 81 to 1. But as the point of 31 can be formed in 10 ways—for the last card may be of any value, while the point of 32 can only be formed in 9 ways—for now the last card cannot be an ace; and to form a point of 33 the last card can be neither an ace nor a deuce, and so on with every point up to 40, which can only be formed in one way—viz. when the last card is a 10—it is obvious that 31 is the easiest possible point to arrive at, and the exact chances against its formation have, as far as the writer's information goes, never been calculated.[[111]]
In actual play, however, the punter may insure against the Refait by paying a premium of 1 per cent. on his stake (at a minimum cost of five francs); thus it is safe to assume that for all practical purposes the percentage in favour of the Bank is exactly 2 percent.[[112]] Thus it would seem that once in 38 is an underestimate of the appearance of a Refait.