Elextra & Jero Online Casino Guide

Posts Tagged ‘history’

As with any recreational gaming, there is always a good deal of trivia associated with such games. So it is with gambling. Gambling has a rich and intriguing history, so much so that trivia lovers will surely adore the wealth of trivia facts pertaining to gambling. Let’s take a look as some gambling trivia facts below.

Did you know all of the Kings in a standard deck of player cards actually represent real people? That’s right; the Kings are more than Kings in a deck of cards. Due to the fact that a standard deck of cards was created in France during the 15th century, the designer of the cards used historical figures to represent the Kings the deck that they designed. For example, Charlemagne is depicted as the King of Hearts, while Julius Caesar is represented by the King of Diamonds. Likewise, Alexander the Great is represented by the King of Clubs, while King David of the Bible is represented by the King of Spades.

On a similar note, the designer of the first deck of playing cards also decided to represent specific cultures with a deck of cards. Thus, the various suits of the cards represent different cultures that had major influences on the world before and during the 15th century. Therefore, the suits of spades, clubs, diamonds, and hearts represent the Middle East, Greece, the Roman Empire and the Holy Roman Empire respectively.

Alternatively, let’s take a look at the game of slots for a moment. Did you know that in certain states of America it is still illegal to use slot machines? That’s right; various states throughout the United States do not permit any form of gambling in the state. Therefore, the only way an individual can even possess a slot machine without getting in trouble for possessing it is that the machine meets certain criteria established by the law of the state. What are the criteria? The machine must be considered an antique: it must be at least 25 years old and used for display purposes only. Finally, anyone found in states that do not permit ownership of gaming devices runs the risk of getting fined and the equipment is immediately confiscated.

Finally, did you know that the act of gambling may actually predate documented history? In fact, examples of gambling appear in all civilizations as long as people have been able to write things down. Whether it existed prior to the act of writing however, is anyone’s guess.

In the early days of slot machines, the alias they went by was “One Armed Bandit”. This moniker was put on these early machines since there was a lever on the side of each machine that the player pulled to play the wager that had been deposited. The wheels in the machine whirled and if the player was lucky, three cherries line up or some other payoff and the winnings were dropped in a tray at the base of the machine. The actual date of the first slot is about 1891. The five-wheel machine displayed possible poker hands elements and if they lined up the player collected from the machine owner. This antique was built by a New York firm called Pitt and Sittman. The next slot was the Fey machine built by Charles Fey. The Liberty Bell as his machine was called was a monstrosity of cast iron, which weighed in at over 100 lbs. This was a true slot as the player deposited coins and if the pull produced a winner, paid the huge sum of fifty cents. The wheels in this machine had stars, horseshoes and playing card suits like spades or hearts. The Liberty Bell Saloon in Reno, owned by grandchildren of Fey, has the first Liberty Bell on display.

The next version also by Charles Fey had the famous fruit images and ever since, the three cherries became a symbol for slots. One of the novel machines built by Fey dispensed gum on every pull to defeat the prohibition against slots.

The selling of gum was supposed to make it a dispenser and not a gambling device.

The modern age of slots was begun when the slots went electric and then the microchip, which were really put in play to defeat the cheaters who knew how to beat the mechanical slots. The computer board machines also eliminated the lever and the one armed bandit had lost its arm. This progression into the modern age of slots started in the 1960s. Now the slots are so sophisticated and have so many bells and whistles, the early developers would be flabbergasted to see a modern progressive slot. The Internet slots are another advancement that uses a random wheel generator and computer boards instead of wheels and the other elements that are still found in the old slots. Every week or so there is a new slot brought out for the player’s entertainment.

Slot Play

Playing a modern slot takes luck for the most part and very little skill unless the slot is a Video Poker machine. The only decision a player makes on a regular slot is the coin value and how many lines to play per game. The progressive slots demand a max coin value on all lines played in order to get the massive payoffs some of these slots reward to a winning line. The progressive slots and the mega slots are set up to build a huge pot for players to shoot at and try to win. In some cases the slot is tied into a bank of slots that are actually in play in different casinos. These multi-site slots build up the progressive pot much quicker and are therefore attractive to the thousands of players who try their luck.

Single line slots are still found online and in live casinos, but they are becoming harder and harder to find. The public seems to like the multi-line slots as they get more action per game. Most players will automatically play the five-coin max in order to have a shot at the bigger payouts.

The Video Poker craze is a continuing phenomenon. The players like the decision making part of the game as well as being able to set the size of the coins and the number of lines to play per game. The payouts on these games can be rather high and the jackpots are sizeable in many of the VP slots. The games are very popular as the player gets to pick and choose the poker hand they are trying for. Many a Royal Flush is made due to the selection of the cards that were available when the game is first started. Some players will only play for the Royals and will keep any cards that are part of a Royal Flush. Others will only play parts of sure wins and hope to get the entire Royal in one fell swoop.

Solid poker players that play video poker have an advantage when first learning to play video poker as they have a better feel for the game. This advantage is quickly put to rest when the player learns that reasonable poker draws are often not the way to play if you want to take a shot at the jackpots.

Conclusions

Continuous growth of the number of variants to this poker game and the rapidly gaining popularity are high marks that Video Poker is setting in the casino world.

The early popularity has done nothing but continue over the last few years with all of the new games and wild card games that have been brought out for play. The additional bet after a winning hand has allowed the player to have even more gamble per game. Auto hold and analyzers have helped players make better drawing decisions.

Mega slots and multi-casino slot banks have helped to grow larger jackpots in less time. The size of the possible wins is attracting non-players to slots. This growth is one of the reasons that the slot providers keep adding to the game list for online casinos. The colorful games and many themes of the new slots have also helped to maintain slot game preferences. Out of all of the slot games that are now available online, there is one that will appeal to most players. The stick-em-up days of the one armed bandits has long ago been replaced by high tech games with multiple decisions to be made to come out a winner.

The biggest casino in the world!! Las Vegas can be found in the western United States and is located in the state of Nevada. Las Vegas, Spanish for ‘The Meadows’, was originally discovered in 1829 by a party of explorers led by Antonio Armijo, a Mexican trader searching for a route to Los Angeles. Before the discovery of the valley the route, Las Vegas was referred to as the ‘journey of death’. However, exploration for water revealed an abundance of springs in the valley that reduced the journey by several days.

Las Vegas remained virtually unknown until 1844, when explorer John C. Fremont, made an entry in his travel log detailing how his expedition camped at the springs. Nevertheless, it was another ten years before Las Vegas became a permanent settlement for Mormon missionaries from Salt Lake City. They built a fort to create a mail stop between Los Angeles and Salt Lake City, becoming the first non-Indian settlement to do so. It was also the Mormons’ intention to teach farming to the Paiute Indians. However, in 1857 this was abandoned when the Paiutes raided the fort and rejected their teachings.

In 1902, U.S. Senator William Clark from Montana bought the rights to the Mormon settlement, along with water rights and 2,000 acres of land. It was his intention to develop a town and he managed to construct a railroad for steam locomotives.

The town was officially founded in 1905 and incorporated in 1911 with a population of only 800. Initially strict anti-gambling laws governed the state of Nevada but this all changed in 1931 when gambling was legalized throughout the state of Nevada. That same year divorce laws were liberalized in Nevada, making Las Vegas the place to obtain a divorce after only six weeks of residency.

It was after World War II that Las Vegas began to develop its reputation of ‘Sin City’. Hotels and casinos were developed and entertainment and tourism became the valley’s largest employer. Accordingly, by the 1960s wealthy businessmen were being attracted to the city. Billionaire Kirk Kerkorian was a major player in developing the modern city; he bought the Flamingo and in 1968 opened the biggest hotel in the world, the International Hotel.

Now, a hundred years after its conception, Las Vegas is the largest city of the 20th Century with a population exceeding two million. Wonderful resorts are still being created, all bigger and more luxurious than ever. Finally, Las Vegas remains the strongest contender for the world’s major international tourist attraction.

One of the first famous gamblers in the world was John Montagu, the Earl of Sandwich. He led a scandalous private life and was addicted to gambling. In 1762, he sat for over 24 hours at a gaming table in his home, refusing to attend meals. In desperation, a servant offered the Earl a piece of salted beef as food; the Earl suggested that the beef be encased between two slices of bread so that he could eat it in his hand at the table. This is where the sandwich got its name.

One of the West’s most famous gamblers was “Doc” Holliday, who maintained a fierce reputation as a hard drinker, tough fighter and ruthless killer. He is chiefly remembered for fighting alongside Wyatt Earp at the famous gunfight at the O.K. Corral.

“Wild Bill” Hickok was another American legend, renowned throughout the world for the tall tales surrounding his violent life. He’s chiefly remembered for taming two of the most lawless towns in Kansas. Unfortunately, Hickok made many enemies and his day of judgment came at a poker table. He was shot in the back of the head by an assassin and died clutching a pair of aces and a pair of eights; ever since, this particular hand has been known as the ‘Dead Man’s’ hand for obvious reasons!

Benny Binion was born in 1904 and lived his life as a bootlegger and conman. At the age of 43, he gave up his life of crime and moved to Las Vegas, where he later opened his own casino. Binion was the gambler’s gambler, and in the 1970s he bought and marketed the World Series of Poker tournament, which has grown over time to be the biggest in the world.

Magazine owner Kerry Packer made his name through his family’s media empire, which owns 60% of all magazines in Australia. Packer became known as a high-stakes gambler when he won $26 million playing blackjack at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. However, Packer has not always been successful; he lost $16.5 million at the Crockfords casino in London, although this barely dented his $8 billion fortune.

The World Series of Poker tournament has created many famous gamblers of today. One such example is Johnny Chan, nicknamed “The Great Wall of China” after his amazing success winning the World Championships in 1987 and 1988 consecutively. He’s played in all the major games of the last two decades and is also known as a genuinely nice guy.