Killer by Unknown

Author:Unknown
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2017-06-16T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 9

BIG DEAL

Some people make their living by playing gin and poker. They are what you would call cardsharks. Unfortunately, I am what you would call a card tuna. If I had to depend on my cardplaying for a living I would be staying in an unheated tent outside Taos, New Mexico. All the money I’ve ever made from cards comes from running games. I learned a long time ago that the only thing that beats a full house is a nice apartment.

Running a card game is an easy way to make an income. Games are inexpensive to set up, easy to run and they bring in some big bucks. All you need is an apartment, the cooperation of the doorman if there is one, two or three or four tables, a couple of dealers for each table, girls to act as waitresses, some food and drink, permission of the local organization, the cards and the customers. You are then in business.

The apartment is easy to find. It can be any place at all, but if you plan on keeping the game running more than a night or two you’d better make sure the walls are thick or you are going to have neighbor problems. And neighbor problems mean police problems.

The doorman will cooperate because he understands people like to play cards, because he’s probably a nice guy, and because I’m giving him $50 for the night.

The dealers work two to each table, a half hour on, a half hour off. I pay them $50 a night, but they also get a tip from each pot, and every one of them can take home as much as $300 if they hustle.

Every hour we take four dollars off each table for the girls, plus every time she brings something to a player he is expected to tip her. If a girl works from nine at night to six the next morning she could make as much as $150, which is better than most of the players do. The food is on the house when I run a game. How much can beer and sandwiches cost me?

The big nut is the organization. Even in a card game I’m beholden because they probably financed part of the operation and gave me the police contacts to make sure my players wouldn’t be bothered. For this they get 50 percent of my earnings, which may sound like a lot. But you do well to treat the mob kindly. Let’s say, for example, that you close the game down and six months later decide to get into something else. You can be pretty sure they’ll be right there with the money. Or if you need a favor they’re right there. The local organization usually has the necessary politicians under control. You don’t have to waste your time shopping for contacts.

Your normal price for running the show is five percent of every pot. A good dealer might run between eight and ten pots per hour, and each pot is somewhere between $150 and $200.

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