Explore "The Gamble" by Gilbert Frankau on Textopian. Read with annotations and highlights.
If man backs horses, plays cards or dice, / Or bets on an ivory ball, / He knows the rules, and he reckons the price -- / Be it one half-crown, or his all. / (And it isn't sense, and it isn't pluck, / To double the stakes when you're out of luck! )
If he plays -- with his life for a limit -- here, / It's an even-money game: / He can lay on the Red -- which is Conquered Fear, / Or the Black -- which is Utter Shame. / (And there isn't much choice between Reds and Blacks, / For Death throws "zero" whichever he backs.)