It must not be forgotten, however, that at his trial later Wells denied this, stating that all he had made was L7,000 at four consecutive sittings.

He made the statement that, even so, he had been a loser in the end.
"The reader may take his choice of the two statements, but among frequenters of the rooms at Monte Carlo it is generally considered impossible to amass large winnings without risking large stakes.

Even then the chances are 1,000 to 1 in favor of the bank.

Yet occasionally there are winnings running into four or five figures, and to human beings the possibility of chance constitutes an irresistible fascination.
"Only a few years ago a young American was credited with having risen from the tables $75,000 richer than when first he had sat down.

It was his first visit to Monte Carlo and he had not come with any system to break the bank or with any 'get-rich-quick' idea.