The Tiger
A list of employees running the "cheating" game Faro in London in 1731
FAROHISTORY
San Francisco Examiner 07/07/1871
The Tiger
Faro in 1731 - a list of all time gaming house officers.
The general belief that Faro is a modern form of gambling, peculiar to this country is altogether a mistake. Faro can boast an antiquity whence would confer respectability on any less degraded pursuit. 200 years ago it was the fashionable vice of the youngbloods of English metropolis, and soon assumed the infamous character at the public tables of London which it has at this day in New York.
The following list of officers established in the most notorious gambling houses is extracted from the Daily Journal published in London on January 9th, 1731 and has been an exact counterpart in the list of officials employed at present in the gambling House of New York:
1. A commissioner, always a proprietor, who looks in of a night in the weeks account is audited by him and two other proprietors.
2. A director, superintends the room.
3. An operator who deals with cards at a cheating game called Faro.
4. Two crownees , who watched the cards and gather the money from the bank.
5. Two puffs, who have money given to them to decoy others to play.
6. A clerk, who is the check up on the pus to see that they sink none of the money given them to play with7
. A squib is a puff of lower rank, Who serves at half pay salary while he is learning to deal.
8. A flasher, to swear how often the bank has been script.
9. I've done are, who goes about to recover money lost at play
10. a waiter, to fill out wine, to snuff candles and attend the gaming room
11. an attorney, a new gate solicitor
12. A captain, who is to fight any gentleman who is peevish for losing his money.
13. In usher, who likes gentlemen up and down stairs, and guess word to the porter.
14. A Porter, who is generally a soldier of the foot guards.
15. An orderly man, who walks up and down the outside of the door to give notice to the Porter and alarm the house at the approach of the council
16. . A runner, who is to get intelligence of the justices meeting
17. Linkboys, coachman, chairman, or others who bring intelligence from the justices meeting or of the councils being out at half a Guinea reward.
18. Common bail, affidavit men, bravados, Assassin's, cum multis aliis.