Post by Rhonda on Jun 27, 2008 2:25:08 GMT -5
]RANDOM TIDBITS
Coin-operated gaming devices in the late 1800s included
games with large revolving wheels divided into color
segments. Players wagered on which color the wheel would
stop. They're considered the forerunners of modern slot
machines, even though they didn't have reels. The first
recognizably modern three-reel slot was the Liberty Bell,
invented by Charles Fey in San Francisco in 1899. The
machine was so popular that for many years all slot
machines were referred to as bell machines.
***
The bar symbol used on modern slot machines is derived
from a Bell Fruit Gum logo. The gum was dispensed in slots
designed by Herbert Mills in Chicago in 1910, and other
fruit symbols on slots were derived from the gum flavors.
***
Among the most popular early slots were poker games,
although the machines did not usually pay out coins.
Payoffs had to come from the operator. After the intro-
duction of the Liberty Bell, poker-based slots waned in
popularity, until the invention of video poker in the 1970s.
***
The game of 21 got its common nickname, blackjack, from a
practice in illegal casinos in the early 1900s. Some
casinos paid a bonus if a two-card 21 was made up of an
ace and jack of spades. Others paid bonuses if an ace of
spades was accompanied by a jack of either clubs or spades.
The black jack was the key to the bonus, and became the
name of the game.
***
Horizontal gaming wheels, such as those used in roulette,
were invented in England in 1720 for a game called roly-
poly. Roly-poly was similar to roulette, except there were
no numbers on the wheel. There were alternating white
spaces and black spaces, along with a "bar black" space
and a "bar white" space. The "bar" spaces were the
equivalents of zero and double-zero -- if the ball landed
in either space, bets on black or white lost. Roly-poly
was banned in England in 1745, but the horizontal wheel
traveled well. By 1796, modern roulette was being played
in France.
***
The kings in decks of playing cards represent real leaders
and conquerors from history, although not all had the title
of king. The deck we use today is based on cards designed
in 15th-century France. The king of spades represents the
Biblical King David, the king of clubs represents Alexander
the Great, the king of hearts represents Charlemagne and
the king of diamonds represents Julius Caesar. [/font][/b]
Coin-operated gaming devices in the late 1800s included
games with large revolving wheels divided into color
segments. Players wagered on which color the wheel would
stop. They're considered the forerunners of modern slot
machines, even though they didn't have reels. The first
recognizably modern three-reel slot was the Liberty Bell,
invented by Charles Fey in San Francisco in 1899. The
machine was so popular that for many years all slot
machines were referred to as bell machines.
***
The bar symbol used on modern slot machines is derived
from a Bell Fruit Gum logo. The gum was dispensed in slots
designed by Herbert Mills in Chicago in 1910, and other
fruit symbols on slots were derived from the gum flavors.
***
Among the most popular early slots were poker games,
although the machines did not usually pay out coins.
Payoffs had to come from the operator. After the intro-
duction of the Liberty Bell, poker-based slots waned in
popularity, until the invention of video poker in the 1970s.
***
The game of 21 got its common nickname, blackjack, from a
practice in illegal casinos in the early 1900s. Some
casinos paid a bonus if a two-card 21 was made up of an
ace and jack of spades. Others paid bonuses if an ace of
spades was accompanied by a jack of either clubs or spades.
The black jack was the key to the bonus, and became the
name of the game.
***
Horizontal gaming wheels, such as those used in roulette,
were invented in England in 1720 for a game called roly-
poly. Roly-poly was similar to roulette, except there were
no numbers on the wheel. There were alternating white
spaces and black spaces, along with a "bar black" space
and a "bar white" space. The "bar" spaces were the
equivalents of zero and double-zero -- if the ball landed
in either space, bets on black or white lost. Roly-poly
was banned in England in 1745, but the horizontal wheel
traveled well. By 1796, modern roulette was being played
in France.
***
The kings in decks of playing cards represent real leaders
and conquerors from history, although not all had the title
of king. The deck we use today is based on cards designed
in 15th-century France. The king of spades represents the
Biblical King David, the king of clubs represents Alexander
the Great, the king of hearts represents Charlemagne and
the king of diamonds represents Julius Caesar. [/font][/b]