You can place bets always, everywhere and on everything... If you bet, it means you are playing “out of interest”, and “interest” can be different. Money, services (of various types), sports, things, food and even life! Everything can be at stake - it depends on the passion and, it seems to me, the mental development of the players...

Casino "SIZO"

In the pre-trial detention center we played as best we could. In each cell there was only what the prisoners brought with them, and most often they did not bring anything, and therefore they had to make board games themselves, the main thing was to have bread and salt!

Cubes, backgammon chips, chess pieces - all this was made from bread mixed with salt, which, when frozen, became hard like plastic. By the way, the rosary beads in the pre-trial detention center were also made of bread. If they wished, the prisoners could also make cards - this is not a difficult, but rather long process. Usually they limited themselves to cubes, chess, backgammon and “... louse” (an exciting game with a rather rude name, of which I could only leave the second part). They played poker and a thousand with dice. In general, if you wanted, you could entertain yourself by spending time and effort.

True, the prisoners did not always want to exert themselves, since the guards took away all the homemade games, citing the fact that they were consumer goods. Often, after the prisoners’ games were once again taken away, they lost all desire to do anything - it was useless anyway - and amused themselves with tic-tac-toe and naval battle. They can also be played “out of interest”, which makes these children's games interesting and exciting.

Quite often, prisoners had nothing to bet on, or they were simply afraid of losing the material assets they had acquired with such difficulty, and therefore played for “sporting interest.” It looked very simple: they agreed on the exercises they would play, specified how long they needed to be done, and started placing bets. It got to the point that the loser had to do 1,500 push-ups during the day (the convicts are passionate, and it is often difficult for them to stop).

Despite the seemingly frivolous bets, they must be given away, otherwise you can be branded a “sham.”

"Bullshit" for a gentleman

“Fuflyzhnik”, or “bullshit”, and “spanked” are two very strong insults in prison and zone.

A “bummer” is a person who does not give up losing. And a “spanker” is someone who “slaps” with his tongue and is absolutely not responsible for his words. Both of them actually denote weak, dishonest people who should not be taken seriously or listened to.

They always tried to pay off gambling debts, since “bullshit” is a rather serious problem. With the right approach to business, a well-spoken tongue and the desire of a person who has not repaid his gambling debt, it was possible to make a “horse” (servant).

That is, simple push-ups or squats not completed on time could result in a problem. It is unlikely that they would be punished in any way for them, but they could put pressure on the psyche. Or, in a bad situation, the reputation of a person as a “bullshit” could follow him throughout life, and he would be treated accordingly.

Although there have been very serious cases. I was told about this when I was still traveling through the stages. It happened in one of the pre-trial detention centers, in the “convict cell” for strict prisoners (a cell in which convicts with two or more prisoners sit, who have already received sentences and are waiting to be sent to the zone). They filmed a program about this incident, it was so wild.

There were three prisoners in the cell. Two with long sentences (more than ten years) received for murders; I don’t remember what the third was imprisoned for. There’s not much to do in the cell, especially for people who don’t like to read. They received almost no letters: they write very little to the strict prisoners, unlike the first prisoners (prisoners who went to prison for the first time) - relatives and acquaintances are gradually becoming disillusioned with the “jamb sufferers” and with each new term they support them less and less. Men who often end up in the zone are left with one mother, already aged, who tries to feed herself and her unlucky son with her small pension.

So, these three, having nothing to do, played backgammon all day. Then, for greater interest and excitement, they began to place bets.

There is always someone playing better and someone worse, and the good player gradually wins everything. And the bad one, in the hope of winning back and without much thought, puts the last bet. Moreover, in the zone they like to use the classic scheme for suckers, which is used by scammers: lose a little - increase the bets - win everything. Everyone knows this scheme by heart, but many are still being carried out.

As a result, the third had nothing left but his own life, which he bet and lost.

I don’t know why the winner needed this life, but he began to demand that the debt be repaid. The loser had to write a suicide note: supposedly he committed suicide, so that suspicion would not fall on the neighbors. Naturally, he was in no hurry with the note. The three of them sat in a closed cell, so the loser was constantly put under pressure on his psyche and, in principle, he was doomed.

I don't remember if he wrote a suicide note, but one night he was strangled with a sheet. The winner choked, the second held. Then they tried to imitate suicide by tying one end of the sheet to the top of the bunk.

The murder was solved. The winner, who strangled, was sentenced to death, his neighbor, who helped “collect the debt,” was sentenced to life imprisonment, and the third of the players, who lost his life, was killed.

The only question that torments me to this day: why did three fools ruin their lives? Because of what principles?

My game, my game...

In the summer, local areas (areas allocated for each sector, fenced off) were filled with prisoners playing backgammon, chess and dominoes. Some spent whole days playing the game. Many played not “out of interest”, but solely for the pleasure of the game.

They liked to bet on sports. In our squad there was a whole betting pool for all types of competitions, but hockey, football and biathlon were especially popular. They usually bet cigarettes and money. Since they tried to do this unnoticed, but they couldn’t do it without the convict’s force (they really wanted to show that they belonged to some closed community), they discussed their bets as if secretly, but in such a way that one could guess what was being discussed. Many people knew about the betting.

Far fewer people knew that some people had homemade cards. For some reason, this particular type of game is strictly prohibited throughout the MLS system as gambling. Although some managed to place bets even in “Rock, Paper, Scissors” and, believe me, there was no less excitement there than in poker.

Tournaments in chess, checkers and backgammon were periodically held in the zone. A couple of times the winners were even awarded something. Basically, prisoners participated in competitions to prove to themselves and others that they were the best in these games.

It seems to me that prisoners generally perceive life as a game. Almost all partaks (I'm talking about collage tattoos, which are most often found on the shoulder or chest) have cards, cubes or dominoes. Congratulating each other, they always wish “luck” (not just good luck, but exactly the kind that happens in the game). One of the prisoners’ favorite phrases is: “If I knew the purchase price, I would live in Sochi.” And the most important thing is force, without which you cannot win, and fortune will turn away from you. Force, because of which many ended up behind bars because they made a mistake without thinking. And the force, hoping for which, many prisoners have never learned to turn on their heads before they commit another stupidity. Many people spend their whole lives on this gaming boost, after which there is nothing left at all. Even children, if anyone has them, do not remember their fathers. Only the wish: “Happiness, luck and excitement!”, repeated like a spell at every birthday, does not allow prisoners to forget that our whole life is just a game. And you need to live it, although empty, but “beautifully.”

There are a lot of options for paying for losing at cards in captivity, ranging from money to the life of the debtor. The risk of losing is especially high for gambling newbies.

What are cards made of?

As you know, gambling is prohibited in zones and in prisons; for finding a deck of cards (“bible”), their owner can be immediately sent to a punishment cell. However, prisoners are an inventive people and have learned to make the treasured rectangles with suits from improvised materials. Any paper (newspaper, pages torn from books and magazines) is suitable for this. Using a homemade paste, the sheets are glued together, and designs of colors are applied to them using stencils. Both paste and ink are also made from what is at hand - bread, soot, soap.

There are a great many methods and “semi-finished products” for making cards, but modern tattooed players most often use factory ones, since there are plenty of opportunities to get a deck from the outside.

Both homemade and store-bought cards in prison are initially marked (marked), so it’s a piece of cake for an experienced swindler to fool a novice who has sat down to play.

What and how they get banged

In captivity they play “bora”, “seka”, “point” and other card games. The laws by which this process takes place were established in the Gulag and are still in effect. According to concepts, a thief in law must be able to play all the card games practiced in prisons and camps.

If a newcomer is offered to play “just because” or he himself has expressed such a desire, the status of a convicted person will be at stake, because this condition means that the loser is automatically reduced to a passive sodomite - a “rooster”. In captivity they play only “for fun” (“spinning”) or “without interest.” “No interest” – just to pass the time. “For fun” - the loser pays with money, cigarettes, clothes and other material assets that are used in prison. They can play for sporting interest - the one who loses does a certain number of push-ups, squats, jumps, etc.

The effect of psychological influence is important in the game: a person is drawn into this gambling process with approving comments, their self-esteem is increased, they are egged on, encouraging them to increase their bets. And when the “lost shore” player has already “taken the bait”, they “hook”. According to prison standards, it is impossible to “hustle” with those who have served less than a year. But this rule is not observed in all places of detention.

Prison forums on the Internet are full of questions like: “My husband (son, boyfriend) lost at cards, what should I do?” There is only one answer: you will have to pay for losing - gambling debt in prison and in the zone is a sacred matter. The famous art critic and philologist Dmitry Likhachev, who sat on Solovki in the 30s and wrote memoirs about it, gave an example of a variant of such retribution: a prisoner went to the industrial zone, cut off two of his fingers and brought them to the person to whom he lost - the debt was forgiven.

It happens that they play “for answer” - this is when there is a certain thing at stake, which the loser undertakes to give back after a pre-agreed time. Anyone who fails to fulfill his promise to become a “bullshit” (“pushing bullshit”, who does not keep his word), he can be “lowered” to “rooster”. Those who lose money must contribute part of the amount to the common fund.

A penniless and poor player has the opportunity to pay for a gambling loss by becoming a “horse” (slave) for the one to whom he lost, or “lowering” to a “rooster”. In this case, a kind of currency could be the execution of an order to beat or even kill a person indicated by the winner.

The situation with a loss is often used to its advantage by the operational unit of a prison or zone - it intercepts calls for help sent in one way or another to the outside world with a plea for money and, promising to solve the problem, recruits the debtor to become an informer.

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The survey is devoted to games, or rather bets, which can be divided into two categories: for money and for interest.

Games for money

Game for fun

Good day, my friends! Or maybe somewhere morning or night! But still good!

The suit of spades lay on the table! - words from a beautiful song... Just in line with the theme and for every taste - 3 Kings of all suits, but without the “heart”, and “trash” diamonds to boot! May they bring us all good luck and fortune! Although when playing 21 “Dwarf” is considered the most “finished” card, for the sake of truth I will say that this is so, because almost always, if the deck is not “charged”, the card is not assembled as it should. You can’t change anything about this, the specificity of the sum of numbers in the deck is as follows... But the “trash” is just OK, not like in life! At the “knock” there will be “Fire”!!! :-)))
But in order for 8 and 9 to always come to “Bearded”, you need to really love and know the game in general, be able to hang out and lay it out correctly and, of course, make it with soul! How?? - I’ll tell you now, maybe someone will find it interesting, or maybe it will come in handy when in our life, full of twists and turns...
Game in the camp - Holy! The "Game" caste is special! Mostly they play at 21, at “Sekou”, at “Buru” one-on-one. Less often in "Ters" it's head-on. The Rams are also there. The cards in the camp, if Zeka is on board with them, truly work wonders!
First of all, the main replenishment of the General comes from the game. The more essential things there are on “O”, the more tame the garbage and the life and way of life behind the thorns is more worthy for the prisoners.
Secondly, if you are a “Gamer” in life, then you will provide a comfortable life for yourself and your family members for the entire term. Yes, plus the fence will cost you a considerable sum for your family and friends.
Everything is played, if there was no reservation - cash in real money or by transfer to the address, cigarettes, free food and stall food, high-quality clothes from the huckster at the barracks, numbers of express payment cards for phones... If there was a reservation, then only what was agreed upon, for example, Just filter cigarettes, that's all...
Every self-respecting “Gamer” has several decks of cards for different occasions. For those especially responsible, there is a special deck - Film. Where the film from a stick is taken as a basis and covered with paper in a special way. In short, there are plenty of zehers, as in any worthwhile business. But that’s not about that now..

So how, after all, is Stos made in the zone? Now I will explain in 2 words, namely:

The “Guru” makes them in his own way, a great master! Whose hands grow from where necessary and have a gift from above for this! It’s worth adding here that both making stiras and playing them is considered a very serious violation in their area of ​​routine. After all, support for Hod Vorovsky! Hence, the consequences are real, at least there is already a Schizo, but you can also end up in SUS for 9 months...Come on, why are the godfathers telling us such a terrible thing!? When was Shpan afraid of garbage?! :-)))...
Well, let's move on.
-First you need to make a paste. For this crumb of black bread from 2-3 rations will be needed. Having broken it into small pieces, put it in a helmet and fill it with water to the top. Let it brew for about 15 minutes. Then wipe it through a rag. Bring the resulting mass to a liquid state, diluting it with a little water. The paste is ready.
Take 12 sheets of printer paper. We tear each sheet crosswise into 3 equal parts.
Next, you will need a piece of smooth glass, like window glass, about 40 by 40 cm. You need to take 1 piece of already torn paper, put it on the glass and rub it with paste. Place 1 more leaf on top of it and rub with paste. Then another leaf. You will get 1 triple glued sheet. And so all 32 parts / since in prison there are no 6-k by definition / and + 4 more for spare parts.
Next, dry everything by laying it on a loose bunk on a blanket. Then you need to put them under a press. These are 2 flat boards pressed against a cabinet, or a cabinet, or the same shelf. Leave for 5-6 hours. Then we cut the glass into equal parts. Camp standard cards 5 by 7 cm...
The preparations are ready. The “master” takes on the task of grinding down the corners and, in fact, sharpening the entire edge. As he does this, one card will go into the mix, exactly into another. And nothing else! This is done first with a piece of sharp glass, then fine-tuned with fine sandpaper. To prevent the edges from bending and becoming shaggy when inserting, they are coated with gelatin a couple of times and allowed to dry. Gelatin is an empty capsule of some antibiotic. Place it in a spoon, dilute it with a little water, and heat it over the fire until completely dissolved.
That's it, the first part of production is complete! In other words, the stos is ready. Now all that remains is to sign or stamp it. Depending on who will play and what. Many people, especially first-timers, are constantly confused by this signet. To make it easier for this category of Gaming, stos is signed freely. “Old Prisoners,” and this is understandable, respect the prison seal. It is important that the essence of the game does not change. To each his own, as they say!...
Another person will be in charge of signing the stos. Artist. The matter is not easy and very labor-intensive. But a great professional in his field will cope with this! Ideally, gel colored rods are suitable for this. Ordinary ballpoint ones are no worse.
First, the masters make stosos for the General, then for themselves and for others. Each deck takes about a week of time! How could it be otherwise, good art requires sacrifice and time! And it’s simply amazing when there is not one, but several leaders of this difficult, but very necessary, necessary and respected profession in the barracks!!! Health to you guys!!!

P.S. A deck of good cards with a free signature stands under the Marlboro block. With Zonov’s signet, it’s more. Films of excellent work, about block 3 and above... But, believe the old Arrestant, in “good hands”, where “Stos sings and spins as it should”, it brings much more huge dividends to its owner for the process of playing, I answer! :-))) Yes, and this is the popular belief among us - if you played “beautifully” perfectly, break the deck! She did her job! Order or get a new one! That's it...
Good luck to everyone and always be in the black! And don’t forget about “O”, pay attention as much as possible sincerely and with soul! The common fund is a voluntary matter...
Purely personally-I-vestic.

Card games in prison and in the zone

In prisons and camps, card games are considered something special and occupy their special place. Such card games as "Tertz", "Twenty-one (Point)", "Seka", "Rams", "Bura", "Stos" became generally recognized in the early 30s of the last century and at one time were called thieves' card games . Around the same time, the laws of the card game (not rules) began to be “written”. These laws are still in effect today. The laws of the brotherhood of thieves oblige the “thieves in law”, the one who lives by the “thieves’ laws” to know all the card games, naturally, which are played in prison and in the zone. But nevertheless, cards in the zone are strictly prohibited.

What is the essence of the laws of card games? Let's start with the fact that in prison they never play cards for nothing. And they never accordingly use the expression “let’s play just like that,” which means playing for the place that is below the back. It is customary to say this: “We play without interest or with interest.” Without interest means they are playing just to pass the time. By interest, this means that they play for tobacco products, alcohol, clothes, money, etc., there may also be a sports interest, when they play for push-ups, squats, jumping. You can also play under the answer, this is an item put up for the game, which in case of loss will be given back after a certain period, which is set before the game. If one of the prisoners played for fun and, having lost, did not give up the interest, then this prisoner is mistaken for a fuflyshnik and he has a direct road to the “goat house”, to the “cock house”, etc. If money is bet on interest, then from the card game 10 to 20 or more percent goes to the common fund, and this money can be taken both from the loser and from the money at stake.

During the game, you can simply be an observer and not play, but then under no circumstances should you allow any comments, otherwise the person who commented may be blamed for the loss.

To make cards in the zone, all available means are used. Sheets for cards are cut out of paper, which are glued together with paste, which was made from chewed and ground bread.