THE SALOON IN CHICAGO 449
the city 140 billiard halls. With but few exceptions these are well lighted and furnished, are comfortable, and have a sem- blance of elegance that surpasses at least the homes of the majority of their patrons. Beer is served from the bar of an adjoining saloon, or from a back room. The price of the game ordinarily includes a glass of beer. The statement current that in gambling lies the secret of the fascination for billiards led me to give especial attention to this phase. Observation and inquiry not only fail to substantiate this statement, but reveal the fact that gambling at billiards (other than the price of the game, which is a matter of courtesy, such as treating) is very scarce. In explanation of this the following reasons may be given : The professional gambler only plays those games in which cards and dice and other devices, enabling cheating and
sleight of hand, are used. The statement of Mr.
, a pioneer of professional gambling, a man who has
thrice circled the globe in pursuit of his profession, is this : "Professional gamblers won't touch billiards; it's too honest a game." The average billiard hall, then, is a place where men, especially young men, gather, chiefly because of their love for the game and partly for the sake of companionship. Beer and gambling are sometimes secondary, and sometimes left out entirely. Besides these, there are the two extremes, places where nothing but soft drinks are sold and places where gambling is rife. The former are scarce, and only to be found in residence districts and in the two local-option districts Hyde Park and
Englewood. The latter are still more scarce, Academy
of Billiards being chief. Passing back of the bar, brilliant with lights and flashing with mirrors, we enter a room, an amphi- theater, seating about three hundred people. In the center is the billiard-table, at which the professionals play the different kinds of billiards. A sign on the walls reads, "No gambling allowed," while the floor manager is loudly calling for bets. When the stakes on either side are equal, the game is played ; those having bet on the winner receive back from the general fund their sum doubled, less 10 percent., the commission charged by the house. The reason for the sign is now apparent.
