Nevertheless a most remarkable fact is on record. In 1813, a Mr Ogden betted 1000 guineas to ONE guinea, that calling seven as the main, the caster would not throw that number ten times successively. Wonderful to relate! the caster threw seven nine times following. Thereupon Mr Ogden offered him 470 guineas to be off the bet--which he refused. The caster took the box again and threw nine,--and so Mr Ogden won his guinea!(56) In this case there seems to have been no suspicion whatever of unfair dice being used. (56) Seymour Harcourt, The Gaming Calendar. 3. 'In a game of chance, the oftener the same combination has occurred in succession, the nearer we are to the certainty that it will not recur at the next cast or turn up. This is the most elementary of the theories on probabilities; it is termed the MATURITY OF THE CHANCES.' 'Hence,' according to this great authority, 'a player must come to the table not only "in luck," but he must not risk his money excepting at the instant prescribed by the rules of the maturity of the chances.' Founded on this theory we have the following precepts for gamesters:-- 1. 'For gaming, prefer Roulette, because it presents several ways of staking your money(57)--which permits the study of several. (57) 'Pair, impair, passe, manque, and the 38 numbers of the Roulette, besides the different combinations of POSITION' and 'maturities' together. 2. 'A player should approach the gaming table perfectly calm and cool--just as a merchant or tradesman in treaty about any affair. If he gets into a passion, it is all over with prudence, all over with good luck--for the demon of bad luck invariably pursues a passionate player. 3. 'Every man who finds a pleasure in playing runs the risk of losing. 4. 'A prudent player, before undertaking anything, should put himself to the test to discover if he is "in vein"--in luck. In all doubt, you should abstain.'