Casino games have come a long way since street-style gambling, evolving to offer modernized gameplay experience. From roulette to poker, casinos boast a longstanding legacy of innovation and growth.
Charles Fey invented the first slot machine in 1887. This mechanized gambling and made winnings easier to track.
Slot machines
Slot machines have quickly become one of the world’s favorite casino games, thanks to their ease of play and no complex calculations required for success. Not only can they be fun, but their odds of yielding big jackpots make them highly desirable pastimes. But what led them to become so widespread in society?
Charles Fey invented the first slot machines in 1887. His invention quickly found widespread adoption throughout saloons across America; not offering cash payouts but instead awarding drinks, cigars and food depending on how a hand was displayed.
Today’s slot machines use digital technology and feature multiple reels containing printed symbols. Players use a handle to move these reels, with images along a pay line determining how much money is won. Weighted machines may increase near misses between symbols to increase top payout but could result in more dead or false spins.
Blackjack
Blackjack has long been one of the most beloved casino games, and for good reason. Its history is long and winding; having survived various eras and cultures alike, its popularity continues to soar with patrons of online casinos in particular.
Blackjack’s roots can be traced back to the 16th-century French game vingt-un, which became immensely popular under Louis XV’s mistress and popular in Spain (known as Ventiuna). Miguel de Cervantes even mentioned it briefly in Riconete and Cortadillo though its popularity didn’t catch on until much later.
At first, blackjack took some time to evolve into the beloved card game we know and enjoy today. From its origins in France colonists to reaching America where rule changes made it 21 – its name later being altered when casinos started offering special bonuses to those holding two black Jacks (Jack of Spades or Clubs) with an Ace combined, eventually it would eventually evolve into blackjack we know today.
Poker
Poker is a card game involving betting and bluffing to achieve victory, and has experienced incredible growth since its introduction into casinos worldwide. Not only is it played among friends at home, but Hollywood has featured this renowned card game in multiple movies as well.
Though its exact origin remains elusive, poker may have evolved out of several earlier vying games like poque (or pochen) from 17th-century France and primo from 16th-century Spain; English-speaking settlers in New Orleans later adopted these versions for use within their culture.
The early form of poker consisted of 20 cards (A-K-Q-J-10-J-J) evenly divided among four players and distributed randomly. Its rules were very similar to today’s, except a royal flush was an unbeatable hand and became immensely popular on Mississippi River riverboat crews before quickly spreading across frontier saloons and then eventually across America.
Roulette
Roulette has long been one of the most beloved casino games, and with good reason. It is straightforward and provides plenty of excitement. In addition, online casinos make this enjoyable pastime convenient enough to be played right from home!
Roulette’s origins lie in 17th century France. Blaise Pascal’s search for an infinitely repeating machine may have inspired him to create roulette, combining gaming wheel with Italian game Biribi for maximum excitement and pleasure.
Players place bets by placing chips on a betting mat before the croupier spins the wheel and rolls the ball, with bettors winning when their number appears in its orbit. Odds of success depend on both numbers on the roulette wheel as well as payout amounts; bettors should consider both when placing bets.
Over the years, players have attempted to overcome the house advantage using various systems and strategies. Unfortunately, these methods often rely on the gambler’s fallacy – the belief that past results are any indicator of future outcomes (for instance thinking if 10 spins of roulette were red, it will definitely turn red on 11th spin). Unfortunately, these attempts usually lead to so much money lost that funds run out or limit is reached before these systems even take effect.