Forgotten Games of the Old West

Forgotten Games of the Old West PDF Author: G. R Williamson
Publisher: Indian Head Publishing
ISBN:
Category : Games & Activities
Languages : en
Pages : 30

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Book Description
Faro and Monte were the most popular gambling games of the Old West. Today, most of us have no idea about Faro and Monte. Why? Whenever a gambling game is depicted in a western saloon it is Poker - whether it's television, movies, or novels we are led to believe that there were no other games, other than Poker. Why is that? Because it's easy to see a player with a full house of aces and eights is probably going to win the pot sitting on the table in front of him. We look through the blinders of our currant vision of gambling (which does not offer Faro and Monte.) What were these forgotten games, how they were played, why were they so popular, and why aren't they played in casinos today? This is the true story of Faro and Monte - readers will come to know the real story behind the games that ruled the gambling saloons of the Old West.

Forgotten Games of the Old West

Forgotten Games of the Old West PDF Author: G. R Williamson
Publisher: Indian Head Publishing
ISBN:
Category : Games & Activities
Languages : en
Pages : 30

Get Book Here

Book Description
Faro and Monte were the most popular gambling games of the Old West. Today, most of us have no idea about Faro and Monte. Why? Whenever a gambling game is depicted in a western saloon it is Poker - whether it's television, movies, or novels we are led to believe that there were no other games, other than Poker. Why is that? Because it's easy to see a player with a full house of aces and eights is probably going to win the pot sitting on the table in front of him. We look through the blinders of our currant vision of gambling (which does not offer Faro and Monte.) What were these forgotten games, how they were played, why were they so popular, and why aren't they played in casinos today? This is the true story of Faro and Monte - readers will come to know the real story behind the games that ruled the gambling saloons of the Old West.

GURPS Old West

GURPS Old West PDF Author: Ann Dupuis
Publisher: Steve Jackson Games
ISBN: 9781556344398
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 128

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Book Description


Down Darker Trails: Terrors of the Mythos in the Wild West

Down Darker Trails: Terrors of the Mythos in the Wild West PDF Author: Kevin Ross
Publisher: Chaosium
ISBN: 9781568824482
Category : Games & Activities
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Call of Cthulhu scenarios

Gambling in the Old West

Gambling in the Old West PDF Author: G. R. Williamson
Publisher: Indian Head Publishing
ISBN:
Category : Games & Activities
Languages : en
Pages : 83

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Book Description
Gambling played a major role in the lives of the men that drove the western movement of Americans across the continent during the nineteenth century. Games of chance were dear to the hearts of not only cowboys but also gold miners, plantation owners, bankers, merchants, soldiers, trappers, buffalo hunters, muleskinners, and most of the other men of the American West, even including some preachers. Wherever there were men with money there was gambling – and most of it was crooked. Whether it was rigged, fixed, double-dealt, cold-decked, braced or otherwise manipulated - very little was left to luck and skill. Though there were some gamblers who were known as "on-the-square" or "legitimate", if that word can be used when referring to the players of the day, most used some form of "advantage" to win much more often than they lost. Some were not gamblers at all but mere con men skinning suckers as fast as they could find them. With this in mind, exactly what were the casino games of chance played during the wild days of the West, what were the rules, and how were they played? Who were the major players and where did they ply their trade? How did they employ "tricks" to cheat the other players without being detected? Why did most of the games of the western frontier pass into oblivion and why are these same games not played in gambling casinos today? Though most of us think we have a fairly good running knowledge of Old West gambling, largely provided by the westerns of television and movies, this book takes a closer look at this integral facet of our history that provokes both condemnation and revelry. Whether it was a game of poker played on a blanket or a faro bet placed in an elegant saloon, it is a safe bet to say that gambling fulfilled one of the basic needs of the early frontiersman – liquor, lust, and luck. Most settlements started with a small clump of buildings (quite often little more than tents) that usually included a general mercantile store, a livery stable or wagon yard, and a saloon. Then as the settlement grew, a few more business sprung up and more often than not additional saloons crowded in to provide the major form of entertainment available to the men of that era – games of chance. Unlike today with the plethora of entertainment choices provided by television, movies, computers and other technological devices, the frontiersman had very few choices as a diversion from his everyday toils. Most often, he was reduced to reading a book, chatting with friends, or playing a game. Books were often hard to come by and any game worth playing was worth wagering. As western saloons evolved, a typical layout usually followed along these lines: an entrance foyer, the bar area with maybe a few card tables and billiards tables in the back. Traditionally, saloons were housed in a building that was longer than it was wide, with an overhanging awning covering the front entrance. Contrary to most of our movie images of saloons, they quite often did not have bat-wing doors; instead, one or more standard wooden doors with glass panels provided access from the street. Once inside the door, customers usually saw a long bar running down the right wall. The bar was usually a massive work of oak with a brass rail that provided a foot prop while standing for a drink. Here and there, a few spittoons enabled tobacco chewers to deposit their chaws before downing a shot of redeye. To the left were a few card tables and chairs strictly meant for gambling – all drinking was done standing up. When you could not manage the upright position any longer, you were told that you had had enough and go sleep it off. Over time, a class distinction developed among saloons in which there were "low dives" and "first class saloons" Gamblers were interested in the upscale saloons while conmen and sharps operated in the "skin houses" where drunks were sometimes allowed to sleep on the floor after having their pockets cleaned out. Usually the mark of a better saloon was the addition of gambling rooms to the rear or a gambling hall located in a second story above the saloon. This accommodated the serious gamblers where large amounts of cash exchanged hands over the green cloth tables. As it evolved, saloon owners offered someone, usually a noted gambler, the gambling concession - with the saloon getting a percentage of the take. The better the location, the more well-heeled the customers, and the professional expertise of an efficient gambling operation could mean sizeable profits for the owner. Besides location, reputation was everything in the saloon business. From the Mississippi River to the Barbary Coast of California one saloon tried to top the others with what they offered and who gambled there. Big name gamblers drew a crowd and this translated into bigger profits from liquor sales and gambling. Wyatt Earp, Bat Masterson, Doc Holliday, Luke Short, Ben Thompson, Swiftwater Bill Gates, Dick Clark, Rowdy Joe Lowe, and the rest of the old west's gambling superstars ran the gaming operations in most of the better saloons of the era. This book is the first volume of the Hip-Pocket History of the Old West (Series) providing a compact, concise accounts that cover odd or little-known facets of the American West. Historically accurate, but told in an easy to read format, with just a twist of humor. Informative, yet entertaining, the Hip-Pocket History series provides little nuggets without having to wade through a 400-page book of dry academic ostentatiousness.

Wyoming Lawman

Wyoming Lawman PDF Author: Victoria Bylin
Publisher: Steeple Hill
ISBN: 1426869428
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 285

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Book Description
Matrimony? Never again for deputy sheriff Matt Wiley. The only good thing from his first marriage is his daughter. His little girl might want a mother, but Matt knows that no woman should have to deal with his guilty secret, or his anger at God. He'll do his duty, serve the town of Cheyenne and keep his distance. Yet when courageous single mother Pearl Oliver comes to town, watching from the sidelines isn't an option— especially when Pearl lands herself in danger. His heart, Pearl's life and the safety of their town are all at risk. Only the love and faith he thought he'd left behind can help him win his way to happily ever after.

Gambling Games of the Old West

Gambling Games of the Old West PDF Author: G R Williamson
Publisher: Indian Head Publishing
ISBN:
Category : Games & Activities
Languages : en
Pages : 149

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Book Description
Most of the gamblers of the Old West got their start and reputations by working the circuit of the Mississippi River boats, the railhead cattle towns of Kansas, or the boomtowns that popped up around gold or silver mining. The gunfighter Ben Thompson got his start by running the Bull's Head Saloon with partner Phil Coe in Ellsworth, Kansas. Ben's friend, Bat Masterson, also started his career in the cattle towns of Texas and Kansas. In general, these legendary gamblers were known as "legitimate" or that they played a fair game without cheating. Truth be told, all of them knew the methods employed by the "sharps" to clean the pockets of the other players at the table. They had to know these "tricks" in order to spot a cheater at their table. Did they ever use any of these advantages to increase their odds? Probably so, but the public's perception of these men was that they ran a "square game". Hip-Pocket History of the Old West (Series) This compact book that gives concise accounts of odd or little-known facets of the American West. Historically accurate, but told in an easy-to-read format, with just a twist of humor. Informative, yet entertaining, the Hip-Pocket History series provides little nuggets without having to wade through a 400-page book of dry academic ostentatiousness.

Seven Games: A Human History

Seven Games: A Human History PDF Author: Oliver Roeder
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
ISBN: 1324003782
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 326

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Book Description
A group biography of seven enduring and beloved games, and the story of why—and how—we play them. Checkers, backgammon, chess, and Go. Poker, Scrabble, and bridge. These seven games, ancient and modern, fascinate millions of people worldwide. In Seven Games, Oliver Roeder charts their origins and historical importance, the delightful arcana of their rules, and the ways their design makes them pleasurable. Roeder introduces thrilling competitors, such as evangelical minister Marion Tinsley, who across forty years lost only three games of checkers; Shusai, the Master, the last Go champion of imperial Japan, defending tradition against “modern rationalism”; and an IBM engineer who created a backgammon program so capable at self-learning that NASA used it on the space shuttle. He delves into the history and lore of each game: backgammon boards in ancient Egypt, the Indian origins of chess, how certain shells from a particular beach in Japan make the finest white Go stones. Beyond the cultural and personal stories, Roeder explores why games, seemingly trivial pastimes, speak so deeply to the human soul. He introduces an early philosopher of games, the aptly named Bernard Suits, and visits an Oxford cosmologist who has perfected a computer that can effectively play bridge, a game as complicated as human language itself. Throughout, Roeder tells the compelling story of how humans, pursuing scientific glory and competitive advantage, have invented AI programs better than any human player, and what that means for the games—and for us. Funny, fascinating, and profound, Seven Games is a story of obsession, psychology, history, and how play makes us human.

Haunted Old West

Haunted Old West PDF Author: Matthew P. Mayo
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 076278914X
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 257

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Book Description
Howling hauntings from the raw mountain passes and wind-stripped plains of the Old West The Old West is filled with enough phenomenal happenings, curious mysteries, and ghastly ghosts to send chills up and down any spine. Haunted Old West is the petrifyingly perfect collection for campfire gatherings and makes an eerily ideal guide for a ghost-hunting trip to the Old West. In these pages explore horror-filled mine shafts and outrun herds of stampeding spectral cattle. Stumble upon a supernatural saloon, investigate ghost towns teeming with residents of the afterlife, and feel phantom freight trains pass through your body. Haunted Old West provides the inside story on some of the most actively haunted spots in the great American West, including: Ghostly Garnet: In summer, visitors frequent this best-preserved ghost town in Montana, but it is winter when Garnet truly comes alive. Raucous music can be heard within the Kelly Saloon, and the blacksmith’s ringing anvil punctuates the sounds of a busy 1880s street scene. Yes indeed, Garnet puts the “ghost” in ghost town. Bandit Ghoul of Six Mile Canyon: Respected businessman by day, bandit gang leader by night, Big Jack Davis amasses a fortune robbing trains, stagecoaches, and bullion wagons in 1860s Nevada. Shot in the back while robbing a stagecoach, Big Jack is now a shrieking white demon, flapping wings sprouted from his wounds and driving off anyone who gets too close to his buried loot.

Ghosts of the Old West

Ghosts of the Old West PDF Author: Earl Murray
Publisher: Macmillan
ISBN: 9780312867959
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 212

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Book Description
Acclaimed Western author Earl Murray recounts 23 stories of mystery and intrigue, filled with the spirits of the trappers and traders, Native Americans and settlers of the Old West.

Black Cowboys of the Old West

Black Cowboys of the Old West PDF Author: Tricia Martineau Wagner
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 0762767421
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 201

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Book Description
The word cowboy conjures up vivid images of rugged men on saddled horses—men lassoing cattle, riding bulls, or brandishing guns in a shoot-out. White men, as Hollywood remembers them. What is woefully missing from these scenes is their counterparts: the black cowboys who made up one-fourth of the wranglers and rodeo riders. This book tells their story. When the Civil War ended, black men left the Old South in large numbers to seek a living in the Old West—industrious men resolved to carve out a life for themselves on the wild, roaming plains. Some had experience working cattle from their time as slaves; others simply sought a freedom they had never known before. The lucky travelled on horseback; the rest, by foot. Over dirt roads they went from Alabama and South Carolina to present-day Texas and California up north through Kansas to Montana. The Old West was a land of opportunity for these adventurous wranglers and future rodeo champions. A long overdue testament to the courage and skill of black cowboys, Black Cowboys of the Old West finally gives these courageous men their rightful place in history. Praise for an earlier book by the same author: “Whether you are a history enthusiast or a lover of adventure stories, African American Women of the Old Westpresents the reader with fascinating accounts of ten extraordinary, generally unrecognized, African Americans. Tricia Martineau Wagner takes these remarkable women from the footnotes of history and brings them to life.” —Ed Diaz, President of the Association for African American Historical Research and Preservation