A round stick, about a foot long, is placed behind nine small ivory balls. Any person may roll. He takes his stand at one corner of the table and rolls the balls across the table to the pocket diagonally opposite him. At least one ball must go into the pocket and one must be left out, or they must be rolled over again. The number of balls left outside the pocket, odd or even, decides whether the inside or the outside bets win; and after the banker has deducted his ten per cent, the players who have backed the winning side get their money.
MONTE BANK.
The money staked by the banker is piled upon the table, so that all players may see what is to be won. The banker takes a Spanish pack of forty cards, shuffles them, and offers them to the players to be cut. Holding the pack face down, the banker draws two cards from the bottom and places them on the table, face up, for the “bottom layout.” He then draws two cards from the top of the pack for the “top layout.”
The players can bet on either layout, and after all the bets are placed the pack is turned face up. The card that shows is called the “gate.” If it is of the same suit as either of the cards in the top layout, the banker pays all bets on that layout. If there is a card of the same suit as the gate in the bottom layout, the banker pays that also. If there is no card of the same suit as the gate in either of the layouts, the banker wins from that layout; so that he may win or lose from either or both on the same gate.
The pack is then turned face down, the gate is drawn off and thrown aside and two fresh layouts are made, as before and the bets placed before the new gate is shown. This is continued until the pack is exhausted.
THREE-CARD MONTE.
This is a purely gambling game, chiefly useful for separating fools from their money. The dealer takes three cards, slightly bent lengthwise, so as to be more easily picked up by the ends. One of these is shown, and the players are told to watch it. After a few skilful passes, the three cards come to rest on the layout, and the players are asked to bet that they can pick out the card shown.
If the dealer will lay two to one, it is a fair gamble; but if he lays even money only, the player is betting two to one against himself. There are endless ways of pretending to mark the shown card, so that it may be known by the back; but the dealer or his confederate always knows that this is done, and the mark is shifted during the passes.