Casino Trivia

–The game of poker is derived from the French poque, a 20-card game descended from the German pochen (“to brag”). However, in modern-day France, the game is known simply as “poker” or “poker en ligne” (“online poker”).

–Painter C.M. “Cash” Coolidge (1844-1934) is best known for his “Dogs Playing Poker” series. But he also invented the well-known boardwalk standees with head-shaped holes cut out, ensuring his legacy to fans of dogs, poker, kitsch art and tourist-traps worldwide.

–The legendary “Dead Man’s Hand” (held by Wild Bill Hickok at the time of his 1876 murder) consisted of two aces (clubs and spades) and two eights (again, clubs and spades). The suit of the fifth card, still in dispute, was either the jack or the queen of diamonds.

–Writer John D. MacDonald’s fictional Florida sleuth Travis McGee (featured in 21 novels from 1964-1984) lives on a houseboat called (what else?) the “Busted Flush.”

–In almost every casino in the United States, chips worth $2.50 are available. Strangely, they are typically only used in one game, blackjack.

–According to Kenny Rogers’ immortal ballad “The Gambler,” “the best that you can hope for is to die in your sleep.” Eek! Let’s hope that the recent advent of online betting can offer a less bleak worldview.

–The annual World Series of Poker was hosted by Binion’s Horseshoe from 1970 to 2005, when the longtime family-owned business was bought by the MTR Gaming Group. The Horseshoe, purchased in 1951 by Benny Binion, who immediately installed indoor carpeting– a radical innovation at the time. The Horseshoe quickly became known for other attractions besides being the first Las Vegas casino to feature indoor carpeting– like a display of $1 million in $10,000 bills.

–There wasn’t always a handy online casino. The first automated slot machines were invented in the 1880s. Extremely popular in San Francisco, the reels featured cards instead of the fruit that we now recognize. The first electronic gambling machines (featuring blackjack) premiered in 1964 in Nevada.