History of Roulette

[Finesse]

The first form of roulette was devised in 18th century France. The roulette wheel is believed to be a fusion of the English wheel games Roly-Poly, Ace of Hearts, and E&O, and the Italian board games of Hoca and Biribi, and then the name roulette from an already existing French board game of that title. The game has been played in its current form since as early as 1796 in Paris. The earliest description of the roulette game in its current form is found in a French novel "La Roulette, ou le Jour" by Jaques Lablee, which describes a roulette wheel in the Palais Royal in Paris in 1796. The book was published in 1801. An even earlier reference to a game of this name was published in regulations for French Quebec in 1758, which banned the games of "dice, hoca, faro, and roulette." (ref. Roulette Wheel Study, Ron Shelley, 1986.)[1]

In 1842, fellow Frenchmen François and Louis Blanc added the "0" to the roulette wheel in order to achieve a house advantage. In the early 1800s, roulette was brought into the U.S. where, to further increase house odds, a second zero, "00", was introduced. In some forms of early American roulette wheels as shown in the 1886 Hoyle gambling books, there were numbers 1 through 28, plus a single zero, a double zero, and an American Eagle. The payout on any of the numbers including the zeros and the eagle was 27 to 1. In the 1800s, roulette spread all over both Europe and the U.S., becoming one of the most famous and most popular casino games. Some call roulette the "King of Casino Games", probably because it was associated with the glamour of the casinos in Monte Carlo. (François Blanc actually established the first casinos there.)

A legend tells François Blanc supposedly bargained with the devil to obtain the secrets of roulette. The legend is based on the fact that the sum of all the numbers on the roulette wheel (from 1 to 36) is 666, which is the "Number of the Beast."


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roulette


Interesting.

[Rhody]

That's interesting...

Now tell us, where do craps come from?

[That's where this was going eventually. Might as well cut to the chase.]

[Finesse]

Craps (previously known as crabs[1]) is a casino dice game. Craps is a simplification of the Old English game hazard. Its origins are complex and may date to the Crusades, later being influenced by French gamblers. What was to become the modern American version of the game was brought to New Orleans by Bernard Xavier Philippe de Marigny de Mandeville, scion of wealthy Louisiana landowners and a gambler and politician.[1] The game, first known as crapaud reportedly owes its modern popularity from its being spread through the African-American community [2].

In craps, players wager money against the casino on the outcome of one roll, or of a series of rolls of two dice. Craps can also be played in less formal settings and is said to be popular among soldiers. In such situations side bets are more frequent, with one or several participants covering or "fading" bets against the dice.



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Craps

According to Wiki Craps wasn't actually called craps until it filtered through the african-american community.

I like the odds better in craps than I do on roulette.

Roulette is easier though.

[Finesse]

As far as craps dating back to the crusades, in the bible it states that the roman soldiers played dice as Jesus died and hung on the cross.

As a matter of fact, when I played a roman soldier in my old churchs' easter play, they insisted on us playing dice as we waited.

Of course, this is all dependent on whether or not you believe what is written in the bible.

[Archaeopteryx]

A legend tells François Blanc supposedly bargained with the devil to obtain the secrets of roulette. The legend is based on the fact that the sum of all the numbers on the roulette wheel (from 1 to 36) is 666, which is the "Number of the Beast."

You're forgetting to add in the "0"

As far as craps dating back to the crusades, in the bible it states that the roman soldiers played dice as Jesus died and hung on the cross.

This was due in large part because the gameboy had yet to be invented.