Game Inventors' Hall Of Fame Inductees.....

Who should be first?

Palamedes

1. John H. Winn, inventor of craps.
2. The anonymous inventors behind Baccarat.
3. The anonymous inventors of Blackjack.
4. The inventors of Roulette (Pascal[?])

1. John H. Winn, inventor of craps. Palamed the Greek was first.

Palamed the Greek didn't invent craps.
It's like saying the Chinese, who essentially invented playing cards centuries ago - invented Texas Hold 'em. They did not.

Then you should have said he invented " Casino Craps" not craps.

By 1813, Bernard de Mandeville of New Orleans took the game of hazard, simplified it, and transformed the game into the first version of craps.

Quote: Buzzard

Then you should have said he invented " Casino Craps" not craps.

No, and I didn't need to. The ancient Greek did not invent anything near craps.

Quote: Buzzard

By 1813, Bernard de Mandeville of New Orleans took the game of hazard, simplified it, and transformed the game into the first version of craps.

This was not anywhere related to the current game of craps, which was standardized by John H. Winn after 1900.

Game Inventors Hall of Fame Inductees:
1. John H. Winn, for craps;
2. Baccarat
3. Blackjack
4. Roulette.

Dan,

Given your sobriquet, shouldn't your first vote be for Fred Wolf?

Quote: Paigowdan

Game Inventors Hall of Fame Inductees:
1. John H. Winn, for craps;
2. Baccarat
3. Blackjack
4. Roulette.

Glad you've decided that for us. It sure is nice to see those three anonymous inductees. That's definitely the best possible use of space there.

Quote: rdw4potus

Glad you've decided that for us. It sure is nice to see those three anonymous inductees. That's definitely the best possible use of space there.

Thanks!
And well, these are the top games, and the anonymous inventors of Blackjack, Baccarat, and the wheel were truly unsung heroes. John H. Winn's work was documented by John Scarne, and deserves credit for his contributions to a great game. Those who came later can't hold a candle to these games.

Quote: Paigowdan

Those who came later can't hold a candle to these games.

I think at the very least the inventor of the slot machine should be in the conversation (and, at least in terms of hold, absolutely holds a candle to those games). Probably also the person who converted poker to VP, and the inventors of bingo and keno.

deleted

I'd have to agree that the slot machine has affected more people as a gambling game than any other. While I think craps is the best game in a casino today, it has not had the same impact as slot machines.

• Si Redd, the inventor of video poker.


• Ernie Moody, the inventor of multi-hand video poker.

Quote: rdw4potus

I think at the very least the inventor of the slot machine should be in the conversation

Quote: Ibeatyouraces

This person should be at the top of the list. None of the others are even a close second.

According to this article on "About.com" Charles Fey invented the first mechanical slot machine in 1895.

Interesting to note that Charles Fey also invented the Slug detector, and a Mechanical version of Draw Poker. Top of the list sez I, arrrr.

Quote: 98Clubs

Interesting to note that Charles Fey also invented the Slug detector, and a Mechanical version of Draw Poker. Top of the list sez I, arrrr.

I wonder how much time passed between the invention of the slot machine, and the invention of the slug detector? There have been angle shooters forever... I recall that they found some ancient dice made of sheep knuckles or something... that were loaded.

How about the guy that invented the use of cheques in gambling; instead of using cash.

Quote: allinriverking

How about the guy that invented the use of cheques in gambling; instead of using cash.

Now that goes so far back it is impossible to determine, - but it made table games really possible.

As a side note, there was a time in the U.S. where "back room" crap games/gambling halls in the 30's 40's and 50's, (illegal, outside of Vegas, and happened in Pittsburgh, Detroit, New York, and Newark, New jersey, - a real East-Coast thing) were played with real cash on the layout, with big cash bets bundled in rubber bands and verified by the boxman after the dice call. Back room clubs in the big east coast cities saw huge action, with (I assume) the cops looking the other way "as paid."

John Scarne wrote about these events, and I believe it, as there were a NUMBER of after-hour running in the Bronx, New York, in 2005, when I left for Las Vegas, as well as in mid-town and in Brooklyn, almost ALL of them just Blackjack shoe games. A doorman in my mother's cooperative building in Riverdale (Bronx), New York, worked as a floorman in one of these places, and retired, owning a share in an apartment building in the Kingsbridge section of the Bronx.

The use of "hard to counterfeit" playing chips orderable by "civilians" really made the after-hours joints run by local city houses in New York (Bronx, Manhattan, and Brooklyn that I know of.) I know a LOT of accounts from these places. Most of these places are just blackjack and Pai Gow Poker, and Pai Gow tiles/Asian tiles in the Chinatown areas. There is no Roulette or craps, just cards. And the opening of Atlantic City and Connecticut really tamped them down greatly, which is a good thing.

The invention/creation of table games currency in the form of chips really helped both "dark" gambling halls and casinos alike, in the sense that a rising tide raises all boats. It really made table game operations a cinch, with TITO slot play presenting a major challenge to all this.

There probably WAS one main guy who thought of, and refined "table game chips" first.

Another tomb of the unkown soldier in this gambling business................

I think "unknown" should not be an acceptable entry. A good starting point is the guy who invented pai gow poker, who few people know about, including me.

Also, I think there should be a separate list for "slot" games, or only do a table game list.

Quote: Wizard

I think "unknown" should not be an acceptable entry. A good starting point is the guy who invented pai gow poker, who few people know about, including me.

Also, I think there should be a separate list for "slot" games, or only do a table game list.

Mike, I agree with you.
I know about the TWO men who originally invented Pai Gow Poker, in its Commission-based format in California, in the 1980's.
They are Fred Wolfe, and Sam Terrosian, of the Bell Club, (now defunct), of Los Angeles, California.

They invented the game of Pai Gow Poker, as a draw to their Los Angeles card room, back in the 1980's, using a poker basis for a "two-sided Asian game," - and it worked kind of well in bringing in business into their card room. By some HORRIBLE legal patent mistakes on THEIR Lawyer's part, they inadvertently left the basic game of this Pai Gow Poker variant of Asian tiles - as a public domain game - without any license or IP ownership rights!

Shortly after, a man named Bill Walsh, "aka Billy Woo," - adapted their card room game as a house-banked casino game by adding a commission to winning player hands, and by partially allowing player-banking in that casino version. He was a major casino executive who was fluent in Chinese, and in Asian tiles as a game, (as well as married to a native-born Chinese Woman), and this Mr. Billy Woo (William Walsh) introduced the game as a house-banked game via the casino operators he worked for.

Later on, Shufflemaster Inc. (now SHFL), added some trademarked side bets, as did Galaxy Gaming, and had proprietary offerings in this 7-card Pai Gow Poker game via trademarks only. Then I came along in 2009, and I had patented some very proprietary house edge mechanisms on this public domain game, to produce a commission-free version of this game. This is its history in a nutshell.

I DO think Pai Gow poker should be included:
1. Sam Terosian and Fred Wolfe of the Bell Club, of Los Angeles, California, who originally invented the public domain version of the game in the 1980's.
2. William Walsh, (aka "Billy Woo,") - who created the casino house-banked version, also in a public domain fashion, and distributed it in Las Vegas and in Atlantic City via the casino operators he worked for - in the 1990's.
3. Roger Snow, and Rob Saucier, who added some trademark protection and distributed their own versions - in the 1990's/2000's.
4. And Dan Lubin, (me), who created the current commission-free method of the game - in 2009.

Blythe Masters

For those of you who do not know who she is, let me give some background first.

She is responsible for biggest bet in all of history. If all casino bets ever made were all added up, it would not match the bet she is responsible for. All the wager on Superbowls, blackjack, baccarat, craps etc... would not come close to the what she has created. It is over a quadrillion dollar bet. The entire world GDP doesn't even come close.

She is responsible for the derivative market. When the music stops and the SHTF everyone will know what derivative is, but for now everyone will remain clueless.