GAMBLING SUPERSTITIONS. 367 



lucky for him. He is as likely to make a lucky hit 

 when in a rage as in the calmest mood. 



It is easy to see how superstitions such as these take 

 their origin. We can understand that since one who 

 has been very unlucky in games of pure chance, is not 

 antecedently likely to continue equally unlucky, a 

 superstitious observance is not unlikely to be followed 

 by a seeming change of luck. When this happens the 

 coincidence is noted and remembered ; but failures are 

 readily forgotten. Again, if the fortunes of a passionate 

 player be recorded by dispassionate bystanders, he will 

 not appear to be pursued by worse luck than his neigh- 

 bours ; but he will be disposed to regard himself as the 

 victim of unusual ill-fortune. He may perhaps register 

 a vow to keep his temper in future ; and then his luck 

 may seem to him to improve, even though a careful 

 record of his gains and losses would show no change 

 whatever in his fortunes. 



But it may not seem quite so easy to explain those 

 undoubted runs of luck, by which players c in the vein ' 

 (as supposed) have broken gaming-banks, and have 

 enabled those who have followed their fortunes to 

 achieve temporary success. The history of the noto- 

 rious Garcia, and of others who like him have been for 

 awhile the favourites of fortune, will occur at once to 

 many of my readers, and will appear to afford con- 

 vincing proof of the theory that the luck of such game- 

 sters has had a real influence on the fortunes of the 

 game. The following narrative gives an accurate and 

 graphic picture of the way in which these ' bank- 



