Soldiers in ancient Greece invented a game using a shield, which was spun on the top of a spear. They marked sections on the shield and placed bets on where the shield would stop. The Romans played similar games, using spinning chariot wheels. These evolved into the popular fairground wheel of fortune, the forerunner of today’s casino game of big wheel six. Read the rest of this entry »
Paper was invented in China and it is likely that playing cards also originate from that ancient empire. Domino cards, which are the earliest recorded type of playing cards, represented the scores thrown by a pair of dice, much like today’s domino tiles.
Modern playing cards have evolved from ancient Chinese money cards, which comprised four suits (coins, strings of coins, myriads of strings, and tens of myriads of strings), each of which depicted various quantities of money. Read the rest of this entry »
In 1899, Charles Fey of San Francisco devised the Liberty Bell, the forerunner of modern slot machines. The coin-operated one-armed bandits, as they became known, had a basic design of three spinning wheels marked with symbols. In 1905, the Mills Novelty Company of Chicago stole a machine and copied the design and soon afterward, other companies began producing similar products. Read the rest of this entry »
Some of the first casinos in America were established during the early 1800s in New Orleans, along the Mississippi River. Although, at that time, there were no casinos on the riverboats themselves, informal gambling was a popular way for travellers to pass the journey. Professional gamblers, called sharps, would target wealthy passengers and relieve them of their money. Gambling moved westward with the expansion of the railroads and flourished during the time of the California gold rush and the Nevada silver era. Read the rest of this entry »
Studies have shown that today’s casino players are typically graduates in white-collar jobs with a higher than average income, who gamble to win money. A survey carried out by Roper Starch Worldwide Inc. of New York found that, for three out of four casino visitors, their prime motive is to win, while 57 per cent go for entertainment and recreation. Australians are the western world’s biggest gamblers, spending over $2000 a year per head of population. A close second are Americans at $1800 per head of population. Read the rest of this entry »
The main gaming halls are lavishly decorated, often to a theme, but the focal points are the green or blue baize-covered tables, which are printed with betting layouts. Seating for players is provided around the tables, which are arranged in groups, called pits. Read the rest of this entry »
Casino operators spend vast sums of money on lavish décor to attract customers. The most flamboyant concepts and designs are found in Las Vegas and other popular holiday resorts around the world. European casinos, especially those in cities, are often less ornate.
Once inside the casino, the interiors are carefully designed to keep players there. Windows and clocks are absent, to make the passing of time less noticeable. Waiters bring refreshments directly to the gaming tables so there is no need to stop gambling if you are hungry or thirsty. Read the rest of this entry »
Instead of playing with money, gamblers use coloured plastic or metal discs, called chips. This enables the games to run quickly and smoothly, as the chips can be piled up into stacks and easily counted. Players can purchase chips at the cash point (in any currency), or on the gaming tables (in the local currency). Read the rest of this entry »
All casino personnel wear uniforms, to easily identify their position. These are often a variation on evening wear, with the men wearing bow ties and waistcoats, and the women in long dresses. Inspectors, pit bosses and managers are traditionally dressed in formal suits or tuxedos. General managers usually wear business (dress) suits. In resort casinos, which often have a strong décor theme, uniforms tend to be less formal and frequently reflect the overall design concept. Read the rest of this entry »
Players are expected to abide by a number of conventions in order to facilitate the smooth running of the games. These can be summed up as follows:
Although all dealers are trained to be friendly and welcoming, they must also pay attention to the game and be alert for cheats. If you try to engage a dealer in casual conversation he or she may ignore you, as distracting dealers is a trick frequently used by cheats. If you need assistance, the best person to approach is one of the floor managers, as their duties include socializing with players. If you have a query about a game, ask the dealer to call an inspector. Read the rest of this entry »
American roulette, which is played with two zeros, is derived from the original French version, played with only one zero. Casinos particularly like the American version because it is cheaper to run than French roulette and only needs one dealer to operate the game. American roulette is also more profitable as the bets come flooding in at a faster rate. Read the rest of this entry »
Players have a wide range of bets to choose from. The highest paying bet is to predict which number the ball will land in. Since there are 33 numbers on the wheel, this is also the most risky type of bet. The bets with the least risk (and the lowest return) are the even chances: bets on whether the ball will land on red or black, or on an odd or even, high or low number.
Although the betting layout looks complicated, placing bets is quite simple. To bet on individual numbers the chip is placed directly on top of the number. For two adjacent numbers on the layout, placing a chip on the middle of the line that divides them makes the bet. A bet on red or black, high or low, even or odd is made by placing a chip in the corresponding box on the betting layout. Read the rest of this entry »
Before starting to play roulette, players first need to buy table chips. These can be purchased with money, cash chips or, in some casinos, with a personal cheque (check). Although bets may be placed using cash chips or money, it is advisable to always take a colour so that your bets are not confused with another player’s bets.
The value of the colour chips will be marked on the table. The chips are stacked in piles of 20. Each set of colour comprises 200 chips. To prove that there are 20 chips in each stack, the dealer will cut the chips down into four piles of five chips and spread out one of the piles. The dealer will push the chips across the table and leave them in front of you. Read the rest of this entry »
French roulette, the predecessor of the American version, is mostly played in European casinos and is dealt in French. Although the equipment and language used differs, it is in principle the same game as American roulette, although it is played more slowly.
French roulette is played on a table roughly twice the size of that used for American roulette. The betting layout differs, the numbers are arranged in a random order and there is only one zero. Each table has two dealers and a chef de table (inspector) who are seated around the wheel. The dealers move the chips around using a long stick, called a rake. Players bet by throwing their chips to roughly the correct place and the dealers then line them up using the rake. Read the rest of this entry »
Slot machines (slots) are by far the easiest and most popular casino games to play because they require no skill on the part of the players. They also offer potentially huge returns for a small investment. There is an almost infinite variety of machines, with new designs constantly being developed. Most mimic traditional fruit machines, with basic symbols on spinning drums, but instead of the original three drums many now incorporate five drums, or payout lines, making it harder for players to win. Each coin played brings a new line into play, so it makes sense to play the maximum number of lines per spin. Mechanical systems, which used rotating drums and were activated by pulling a lever, have given way to push-button operated microprocessor-controlled machines with payouts controlled by computer chips, but there is no changing the popularity of the slots. Read the rest of this entry »
Apart from roulette, there are other casino games that are played using spinning wheels. These echo the original fairground wheel of fortune that is the forerunner of today’s mechanical games. They are all games of chance, relying more on luck than on skill.
Boule is found mostly in French and Swiss casinos. Like roulette, players bet where a ball will land on a spinning wheel. Instead of being divided into sections, the boule wheel has a series of indentations which are marked with four sets of the numbers one to nine. The ball used is much larger than that on roulette. Bets include single numbers (en plein), the colours red and black, high and low numbers, and even and odd numbers. Read the rest of this entry »
Payouts are calculated according to the value of the player’s hand when compared with the dealer’s hand. If a player has blackjack and beats the dealer, the odds paid are 3 to 2. A win pays even money. A stand off results in the original stake being returned.
If a player has taken insurance (see next) against the dealer making blackjack, the insurance bet will be paid out at 2 to 1 if this occurs. Read the rest of this entry »
After making their initial bets by placing chips in the boxes marked on the table, the players are dealt two cards face up. The dealer also receives two cards, only one of which is revealed (the up card). The dealer’s other card (the hole card) remains face down.
After assessing the value of their hand, players can choose from several options — depending on the value of their own hand and the dealer’s up card — to enable them to beat the dealer without going over 21.
Options for play: Some of the actions a player can take are shown in the illustration above. Read the rest of this entry »
Blackjack, which is based on the card game 21 or pontoon, is one of the most popular table games due to the fact that players do not have to rely on luck alone. Instead, it is the way they play that determines whether they win or lose. Computer simulations that have calculated the best strategies for winning demonstrate that it is possible to overcome the casino’s advantage. To achieve this means memorizing the best action to take, depending on the cards that are dealt, but players who master the skill have a realistic chance of winning. Read the rest of this entry »
Another technique for reducing the house advantage is card counting, which gives players a chance of beating the casino. The house advantage on blackjack is given as an average (normally 5.6 per cent) because frequent random card shuffling means that the house advantage constantly changes throughout a game.
There are times in a game when the player has an advantage. This arises if more high cards (those with a face value of ten) remain in the shoe than low value cards. When this occurs the dealer is at a disadvantage, due to the rules that determine when he or she must take further cards. Players can stand on any score but the dealer must hit (take another card) on 16 or lower. Read the rest of this entry »
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