Slot Machines Are Over A Century Old
Slot machines have been around, and popular, since the late 19th century. The complex mechanised devices of the first slot machines were sheer genius, invented in a time before electricity by inventors such as Charles Augustus Fey, in 1894.
It was only many decades later, during the 1970s and 80s, with the invention of television and computers, that the first “video” slots machines that we a familiar with today were first produced.
Slot Machines Once Dispense Fruit-Flavoured Chewing Gum
There is a very particular reason that slots machines traditionally have fruit symbols on their wheels. This is because, before dispensing actual money, some of the earliest slots machines actually dispensed fruit-flavoured chewing gum, and also tokens that were used to exchange for drinks and cigars, etc, much like the system used in the pachinko parlours in Japan.
The Roulette Wheel Is Heavier Than It Looks
The standard roulette wheel at casinos weighs approximately 60 kg, and if you think that the croupiers effortlessly spin it with their amazing strength, you would be wrong. A gentle push is all that’s needed, and then a special mechanism within the table takes over and does the rest.
The heaviness of the wheel, together with the very finely engineered and tuned fittings and mechanisms of the table, are to insure that it is completely sturdy and free of the slightest wobbles or permutations. Such faults could effectively cause predictable patterns to emerge and allow players to cheat.
The Longest Poker Game Lasted Eight Years
Most poker players have had long games on occasion, and in poker tournaments, games can potentially go on for days, or even months. So, it goes without saying that a certain amount of patience and endurance is required in the game.
In 1881, however, in the basement of a theatre in Arizona, the longest poker game in history is said to have commenced, and then played over a span of eight years, five months, and three days!
It was also, incredibly, said to have been played non-stop, with breaks only for eating sleeping, and with around $10,000,000 changing hands over its length, an insane amount of money for the time.
Though it’s all very possible in theory, many understandably doubt certain aspects of its truth. There are, however, verifiable records that a large tournament did actually take place at the theatre at the time.
Card Counting In Blackjack Isn’t Illegal
Over time, card-counting in the game of blackjack has gained a somewhat over-rated and glamorous perception in the public eye.
This has largely been thanks to movie and popular fiction, and while there certainly have been instances where it has been used to cheat, the truth is that card-counting itself has never been considered “cheating” but rather a form of advantage play.
Though the various methods can be fairly complex in ways, one also doesn’t need to be a genius to understand and use them.
Casinos do however frown upon it its use, and reserve the right to ban you if you are caught.