Anthony M. Rud

“ Whereas perhaps one-third of the men assembled might be called gentlemen by stretching the term, the remainder were the calloused, hard young rowdies of the neighborhood—the same nonworking element that has thrown the clean games of billiard and pool in disrepute all over the country by the mere fact of its continued loafing in these havens of refuge. ”

“ One of the main reasons that I hated the game of craps was because there was always so much opportunity for crooked work in handling the bones.
Our car did not stop in the street, but drew up in an alley near a billiard parlor. The back room, shut off by swinging doors, concealed the tables, of which there were three in full operation. They were not “house” games; that is, while the proprietor took a certain toll for each person during an hour of play, the dice were not managed by him. The game was open, and Hoffman and I had no difficulty horning in. ”

“ The money you lose will not come out of that: therefore it means nothing to you. Simply obey instructions.”
“Very well!” I replied. “Tell me how much you want me to lose, what the game is, and I'll do it.”
“I think they shoot craps out here.”
“That's why I have a tuxedo on, eh?” I asked ironically. “Of all the games of chance I care the least for craps. It always has struck me as a game for guttersnipes.”
Hoffman smiled. “Never mind that part. They'll be 'passing' for perhaps five dollars, which is a fairly steep game for Milwaukee Avenue. You lose thirty or forty.” ”