2. Why do you think the author put in extremely short passages, like the quote from Richard III?

3. Why do you think the author included both stories, along with actual historical accounts of gambling?

4. Are any of these stories familiar to you? does it change the story to look at it through the lens of specifically gambling?

5. What is the attraction of the suicide club? What makes people so eager to risk their lives in the deadly game?

6. On page 17 - The Suicide Club - a quote from Malthus reads: "You can see how it combines the excitement of a gaming-table, a duel, and a Roman amphitheater. The Pagans did well enough; I cordially admire the refinement of their minds; but it has been reserved for a Christian country to attain this extreme, this quintessence, this absolute of poignancy." What does he mean by this?