Here it is, described under it's other name of "Policy"
"The game itself is probably the simplest form of
gambling
yet invented. If you want to play all you do is select three
digits - say
547- and bet anything from a penny (though the lowest total
bet must be a
dime) to $100.00. The winning number is based on a
complicated formula
geared to the money bet that day at the nearest race track.
The pay-off is
huge - 600 to 1.
Even bets on a single number - called "single action" - pay
off 8 to 1.
You specify where a number wil turn up in the winning
combination. Seven,
say , to come in last, as in 547.
The reason why the game is so widely played are the vast
odds and the
ease with which you can play a number. All you have to do is
push the
elevator button; nine times out of ten the elevator operator
is your local
runner. Buy a pound of butter and play a number. There are
few stores in
Harlem which do not take numbers. Walk downstairs for a
breath of air - the
kid on the steps will take your number to the runner who
makes his stand at
the corner."
From Horan, _The Mob's Man_ , 1959.
James
>
James Michael Rogers
jetan@ionet.net
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