Cubone - The Gambling Historian!

All through the history of gambling there have been people born so clever that they never lose. people like William Jagger who in the late 1800s,studied the wheel in his local casino. he discovered to his amazement that after many spins it showed a definate advantage within a run of 12 months he won a fortune, first glimse I had of an advantage of a advantage taker was in the early 1950, when a family friend who happened to be Billy Hill, that wasnt his real name it was Tom Garrett, it was a coincident that he was operating on British Racecourses the same time as William Hill, the worlds biggest off course bookmaker, and of there was also Billy Hill a crafty cockney.who came to fame when taking it out of Jack Spot, with a knife, I was at Stratford one day and mentioned Garrett. when the Racecourse owner who also owned Uttoxeter, stated that he had a painting of the Uttoxeter course with a big picture of Billy Hill, he was not best pleased when I explained that the William Hill who he was getting mixed up with, never bet outside at this course,
Tom Garrett was a one off, he called every one “my old Cock Sparrow” imaculate in dress with a 3 caret diamond on his pinkey, and one of similar size, in his Tie.
I was in the Feathers Hotel, with my father at Ludlow and was asked to go to Toms room, as we were giving him a lift to the course, he was ready but had about £200 on the table and he seemed to be shuffling it into some order,
He beckoned me over and told me to watch what he was doing.
He was looking at every note and placing the number on the note, in order taking the last diget of evens on the top. and if the last number was odd, on the bottom..
Why are you doing that I queried.?
This is a trick that I do from time to time, he explained, If I want a gamble with someone, I put my hand in my pocket and fetch out a note that is even, number, as the last in sequence.
I then call out last number, ODDS or evens, do you know that when I do it, it is 4/1 on that there called will repeat what I call out first, so odds louder than evens would stimulate the caller into repeating odds. as no one ever calls Evens first, after a while the punter will try a reversal it is then that he changes the number in his pocket.
When I told my dad what I had seen I was told to ignore him he is an advantage taker like card counters, he has a million tricks up his sleeve,
I was shocked over the next few years I was told new tricks that he had come up with, he would sit in a bar, and if there was some loud, individual who wanted a bet, he would bet him a £1 that he didnt know any song word perfect, one mistake they lose,
After a few drinks every one loves a sing song but very few no all the correct words, i have seen people gather round to beat him. I have also seen people play darts, with him, and he would demand to space out the distance ,he believed that by placing even a very good dart player 2 ft closer to the board, it would take them a considerable time to rejust.and by them he would win as he always played at the shorter distance.in his home.
This is the person that I once saw, play a game of Table Tennis with a Scotsman, for £10,00 having watched him, playing a few games with his friend.,
Garrett then challenged him, the best of 3 games. and he would use a frying pan that he had borrowed from the Hotel kitchen.
The noise every time he played a shot was hilarious, and quite a large crowd congregated to watch the outcome.
In any game he played he won, the reason was clear, he had balanced the true odd against him losing.
When he once played a game of golf against a newbie he had already handicapped him self. and knew within a shot or two what score he would get, just using a hockey stick. there was no way he was going to over shoot or go out of bounds he just played within his tested guide lines, he could knock the ball 60 yards dead straight and his opponent was all over the place.
When I read a book about Amarillo Slim Preston,I was surprised that this great card player did the very same tricks when he was bored playing Evil Knevel in a game of Golf using a Hammer, Snooker using a broom handle. and never lost it was those who thought he was just having a bit of fun were wrong it was deadly serious “Slim” had thought out the true odds and bet accordingly. he knew were the edge was.
Later when I was a regular casino. guest, I was fascinated that there always seemed certain players who seemed to win. every game they played.it was some time when my father told me he was a counter, I had no idea what a card counter did,
When did these people gain such a skill. it appeared that the jewish wiz kid Jess Marcum, caused Havok in the Las Vagas casino.s right under the noes,s of the Maffia. now that takes some guts. cool as a cucumber, he never panicked even when taken into the Kitchen, by the heavy bomb.his game was Black Jack, and he could control his stake to gaurantee himself a 3% profit on a very large stake Jess Ira Marcovitch, became a genius,
Why did he win so much money, simple he was,not a blabber mouth he had discovered a massive edge and kept it to himself. for many years.
Other great card counters, have ruled for a period, followed by teams, of players, linked to ingenius contraptions, telling them when and how to bet.
Stu Unger could play cards, alright, winning the Poker, World Championship 3 times, but when playing other card games like Black Jack he loved to tell his apponents what cards were left not very clever that.not for someone with a massive edge.but it appeared Stu got bored very easily.
But was Jess the first card counter, certainly not it has been reported that in the Battle of the Somme,WW1.
A canadian private, won every penny, that was placed on a blanket in front if him, over days of play., unfortunatly although he told many of his close friends what he did, and how he did it, they do not appear to have brought the knoledge back after the war. and most of there letters finished up in the Mud.
When Tom Garrett died at the ripe age of 86 he left my Brother a packet of playing cards they were not anything special. just an old worn out pack, I used to play with them from time to time with the kids, it was whilst picking them up from the floor on a request from my wife to be more tidy. I could not but notice that there appeared to be a slight indentation of the cards in the middle and a dip at the top edge, I had never noticed this imperfection before after looking closer and shuffling the pack, I could see that they had been shaved not very much however the high number cards were slightly in at the middle so when cutting the full pack it was odds on that you would draw a high number and if cutting the pack at the top it would draw a low number that was the first time I saw a Pack of Shavers. But all gamblers would love an honest edge it is a very powerful thing that a gambler dreams of finding a system known only to himself that wins every day, the best known winner, was Charles Wells, fat bald with a vulgar accent, he was born in Hertfordshire, at an early age he was a con man, and it wasnt long before he set up a buisiness, selling patients. non of them worked but he obviously had the gift of the gab, running from his creditors, he went to France and with the money he had accumalated, he started to play in the casino,s Roulette.room.
He certainly had a gamblers brain plowing it on when in a lucky run and pulling in when out of form, from 1 minute after opening to 5 minites after closing he would play.in the Casino.
No 5 was his lucky number and when he felt like it he would pepper the number with all the sections arround it, betting to the Casinos Limits. on every section of the bet. more than once he broke the bank for a spell he could do no wrong. at one period the bank had to close, placing a black carpet on the table as Broken the publicity for Wells and the Casino was amazing.
On the streets women would ask to touch his sleeve, so some luck coul rub off,the publicity brought a rush on the casino with people pushing and shoving to get a place to watch him play,
They would even just ask the croupier to place there chips in the same numbers as Wells, clogging the wheel up.
Like all good stories it had to come to an end, no one has ever found out how he lasted so long. and won so much money over a period of play.
Once the luck changed he ran back to England and was prosecuted for False Pretence. from the many patients that he had sold, all worthless.
There was a sigh when the Judge gave Wells 8 years, and many people today still wonder what he had that allowed him so much luck.
Even today the song that was writen in his honour, is still sung at parties and functions. and goes like this.
“Ive Just got here through Paris, from Sunny Southern Shores,
To Montie Carlo I went,
Just to raise my winters rent,
Dame fortune smiled upon me she,d never done before,
And Ive now such louds of money, Im a gent, Yes Ive now such louds of money im a gent.
As I walk along the Bios Boolong. with an independant air You can here the girls declare.
He must be a millionare, you can hear the sigh and wish to die, you can see them wink the other eye.
At the man who broke the bank at Montie Carlo.

Thats what gambling is all about every one would love to just gamble and Win. and will never believe that it cant be done because you will always find one person here and there who disproves those who say every Gambler dies Broke.

Good Luck to all Gamblers.

Cubone