Vintage Vegas Motels
Thread Rating:
September 6th, 2011 at 11:17:40 PM
permalink
Vegas had some of the coolest motels in the country
in the 40's and 50's. I love this period in architecture.
in the 40's and 50's. I love this period in architecture.
"It's not called gambling if the math is on your side."
September 7th, 2011 at 5:36:34 AM
permalink
Steamed heat? In the desert?
Well, land was cheap and motels were sprouting up everywhere as hotels in large urban areas found themselves traffic choked and their customers fleeing to suburbia and the open roads for vacations. I you come across any ads about craps games from the fifties please let me know: I'd still like to know what general table limits were in those days of cheap land and cheap gasoline.
Well, land was cheap and motels were sprouting up everywhere as hotels in large urban areas found themselves traffic choked and their customers fleeing to suburbia and the open roads for vacations. I you come across any ads about craps games from the fifties please let me know: I'd still like to know what general table limits were in those days of cheap land and cheap gasoline.
September 7th, 2011 at 6:31:25 AM
permalink
It can get cold at night.Quote: FleaStiffSteamed heat? In the desert?
The annual average low for Las Vegas is 56°F / 13°C - which happens to be the average HIGH for winter!
The winter average low is 36°F / 3°C.
I invented a few casino games. Info:
http://www.DaveMillerGaming.com/ —————————————————————————————————————
Superstitions are silly, childish, irrational rituals, born out of fear of the unknown. But how much does it cost to knock on wood? 😁
September 7th, 2011 at 8:42:04 AM
permalink
Quote: EvenBobVegas had some of the coolest motels in the country
in the 40's and 50's. I love this period in architecture.
Googie/Populuxe (I prefer the latter name, but the former is more common). Interestingly, the Las Vegas Sign gets held up as one of the foremost examples of the style (along with the Seattle Space Needle and The Jetsons).
Some of those hotels are still standing, and very inexpensive. Go to the El Cortez, play craps, pick up the hooker with the fewest teeth, check into one of these places and you can truly claim to have had the Old Vegas experience. (Might wanna get tested afterwards. Actually, that applies to just standing downwind of any of these hotels today.)
September 7th, 2011 at 2:17:13 PM
permalink
Quote: FleaStiffI you come across any ads about craps games from the fifties please let me know: I'd still like to know what general table limits were in those days of cheap land and cheap gasoline.
I know for a fact in the 50's you could could play
roulette Downtown for 10 cents a chip, all day
long. I think the table min was .50 cents. I imagine
craps was in the same ballpark.
"It's not called gambling if the math is on your side."
September 7th, 2011 at 2:46:03 PM
permalink
I remember seeing references in older gambling books on limits in downtown. Don't remember exactly, but that sounds right. It can't be much lower than that at any rate.
Sanitized for Your Protection
September 7th, 2011 at 2:56:52 PM
permalink
Quote: rxwineI remember seeing references in older gambling books on limits in downtown. Don't remember exactly, but that sounds right. It can't be much lower than that at any rate.
I know John Patrick lived in Vegas in the 50's and
he talks about playing roulette for .10 cents Downtown,
it was very common. Of course, minimum wage in
1950 was .75 an hour, and from 1956 to 1961 it
was 1.00, so .10 cents was a fair amount of money.
All during WWII, min wage was .30 an hour, can you
imagine? When I came into the work force in 1968,
it was $1.60 and I got a job making $2.00 an hour.
I was rolling in cash...
"It's not called gambling if the math is on your side."
September 7th, 2011 at 5:46:29 PM
permalink
When anything is new, it is fun and attractive. Unfortunately, the only updating these motels have had since they were built was filling in the swimming pool with dirt (oh, and adding free HBO).
edit: Trivia: The site of the former "Tahiti", is now occupied by the Harley Davidson Cafe.
Here is a link to a cool site focusing on neon and yesteryear, Roadsidepeek.com
edit: Trivia: The site of the former "Tahiti", is now occupied by the Harley Davidson Cafe.
Here is a link to a cool site focusing on neon and yesteryear, Roadsidepeek.com
Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication - Leonardo da Vinci
September 7th, 2011 at 6:21:47 PM
permalink
Quote: FleaStiffI you come across any ads about craps games from the fifties please let me know: I'd still like to know what general table limits were in those days of cheap land and cheap gasoline.
Here is a picture from the UNLV library of a craps game at the El Rancho in what appears to be the 50's:
If the silver is dollars, and the darker chips nickles, then the range of bets appears to be ~ $1 - $50?? I think a $1 - $200 spread was certainly possible. It's funny that the box man is holding a lit cigarette right over the felt. Also, there aren't any hardway boxes on the layout.
Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication - Leonardo da Vinci
September 7th, 2011 at 6:49:14 PM
permalink
Quote: EvenBobI know John Patrick lived in Vegas in the 50's and
he talks about playing roulette for .10 cents Downtown,
it was very common. Of course, minimum wage in
1950 was .75 an hour, and from 1956 to 1961 it
was 1.00, so .10 cents was a fair amount of money.
All during WWII, min wage was .30 an hour, can you
imagine? When I came into the work force in 1968,
it was $1.60 and I got a job making $2.00 an hour.
I was rolling in cash...
I worked full time at age 16 in 1956 and union got me $67 a week. and Blue Cross and Shield full paid by the company with
no deductible. 50 cents on the 9 ball and 25 cents on the 5 was high stakes at the pool hall. And the pool hall even had a billiard
table. Like the one Fast Eddy was tricked into playing on in The Hustler. Willie, the stake holder in that film was Willie Mosconi.
Best pool player ever !!
September 8th, 2011 at 5:28:08 AM
permalink
I know you're looking for vintage stuff, but...Quote: EvenBobI know for a fact in the 50's you could could play
roulette Downtown for 10 cents a chip, all day
long. I think the table min was .50 cents. I imagine
craps was in the same ballpark.
Quote: Joker's Wild WebsiteTable Games
•3 Card Poker $2 minimum
•$1 minimum on craps and 10X odds all the time
•Roulette 25¢ Weekdays* $1 minimum. 50¢ Weekends* $2 minimum
•$3 Blackjack
•$3 Blackjack Shoe
•Royal Match 21
*Weekdays- Monday thru Thursday. Weekends- Friday thru Sunday.
I invented a few casino games. Info:
http://www.DaveMillerGaming.com/ —————————————————————————————————————
Superstitions are silly, childish, irrational rituals, born out of fear of the unknown. But how much does it cost to knock on wood? 😁
September 8th, 2011 at 5:47:32 AM
permalink
Staged publicity photo?
El Rancho was new in those days but it was not top end of the scale.
I think you are right. The "light" chips are Silver Dollar Coins, not white chips from the casino but dealers do not appear to have any working stacks and box man's chips are in his box-rack. Anyway, even if entirely staged, it would probably be a realistic sample of their average craps game even if it was the lowest table they had going.
El Rancho was new in those days but it was not top end of the scale.
I think you are right. The "light" chips are Silver Dollar Coins, not white chips from the casino but dealers do not appear to have any working stacks and box man's chips are in his box-rack. Anyway, even if entirely staged, it would probably be a realistic sample of their average craps game even if it was the lowest table they had going.
September 8th, 2011 at 8:04:11 AM
permalink
Both the guys on the right with the skinny ribbon ties have piles in front of them. Looks like the box man is smokiing...
"Then you can admire the real gambler, who has neither eaten, slept, thought nor lived, he has so smarted under the scourge of his martingale, so suffered on the rack of his desire for a coup at trente-et-quarante" - Honore de Balzac, 1829
September 8th, 2011 at 8:13:38 AM
permalink
Hmmm.... The Field 2 and 12 both pay double. Must be a Harrah's Caesars property. LOLQuote: Ayecarumba
I don't know why some of you think there are no working stacks.
OK, the dealer in the forground has his black stack on the line, but there's also a white stack behind the "S" in UNLV Special Collections. The dealer in the background is holding his white stack, and there's obviously a working black stack.
And, yeah, the white chips do look like silver dollars or half dollars. And who knows what the actual color or value of the 'black' chips are?
However, NOBODY has and odds on the passline bets - unless back then they were placed next to rather than behind.
Also, there's a rather tall white stack on the 4 place/buy position. Wouldn't the dealer color that down to a smaller stack?
The boxman smoking doesn't surprise me, given the decade. However, since he's the only one, is it possible that the 'cigarette' is actually a pencil? Did the boxman take care of the ratings cards?
I invented a few casino games. Info:
http://www.DaveMillerGaming.com/ —————————————————————————————————————
Superstitions are silly, childish, irrational rituals, born out of fear of the unknown. But how much does it cost to knock on wood? 😁
September 8th, 2011 at 8:31:52 AM
permalink
Ah, the UNLV collection ... this is one of my favorites.
"What, me worry?"
September 8th, 2011 at 9:10:38 AM
permalink
>I don't know why some of you think there are no working stacks.
Quite right. They are there. When will sobriety and clear vision ever coincide?
>And who knows what the actual color or value of the 'black' chips are?
Well, they ain't Dollars so they are probably fives and red simply looks black in the photos.
>The boxman smoking doesn't surprise me, given the decade.
True but you are correct that solitary smoker raises the level of suspicion about it.
>is it possible that the 'cigarette' is actually a pencil?
Yes, though it sure is a strange way to hold one.
Quite right. They are there. When will sobriety and clear vision ever coincide?
>And who knows what the actual color or value of the 'black' chips are?
Well, they ain't Dollars so they are probably fives and red simply looks black in the photos.
>The boxman smoking doesn't surprise me, given the decade.
True but you are correct that solitary smoker raises the level of suspicion about it.
>is it possible that the 'cigarette' is actually a pencil?
Yes, though it sure is a strange way to hold one.
September 8th, 2011 at 9:48:49 AM
permalink
Quote: AyecarumbaAlso, there aren't any hardway boxes on the layout.
Actually, there are.
The first time I looked at the picture was with my iPhone. I was able to blow up the middle bets with it. You can clearly see the pair of 3's and 4's together having the same payout, then the pair of 2's and 5's together having the same payout. I'm unable to make out what the pays are.
Above that, the top row is the any 7 bet paying 5:1.
The middle row shows the 3, 2, then 12.
The row below that 11 and 11.
Below that, the bottom row shows the Any Craps bet.
Apparently there was no Horn bet or Hop bets or Hopping Hardway bets yet. They must have been invented later.
I find this historic gambling stuff quite fascinating!
I don't know everything but I know a lot.
September 8th, 2011 at 9:50:56 AM
permalink
Quote: FleaStiffStaged publicity photo?
It does look a lot like the photos currently used by casinos in promotion. Guy at the end of the table a fraction of a second away from tossing the dice, hot girl at his side -- I've seen this exact shot on online casino websites.
Right off, I notice that there's no bowl for the dice, or On/Off button, but I have no idea whether either would even have been in use. (Now that I look at it again, the fat dealer might be playing with the On/Off button, but it seems strange that he'd already have it at a number like that.) Also, there are bets on both ends of the layout, but all four crew members are looking at one end only. Could have been a pit boss next to the cameraman or something, though, I guess.
September 8th, 2011 at 10:19:19 AM
permalink
They might not be red either. There wasn't any uiformity for chip colors back then:Quote: FleaStiff>And who knows what the actual color or value of the 'black' chips are?
Well, they ain't Dollars so they are probably fives and red simply looks black in the photos.
Note: Despite the differing image sizes, I'm sure the chips were all the same size....
Here's a red chip - but it's 25¢!
I invented a few casino games. Info:
http://www.DaveMillerGaming.com/ —————————————————————————————————————
Superstitions are silly, childish, irrational rituals, born out of fear of the unknown. But how much does it cost to knock on wood? 😁
September 8th, 2011 at 11:21:03 PM
permalink
Quote: EvenBobI know for a fact in the 50's you could could play roulette Downtown for 10 cents a chip, all day long. I think the table min was .50 cents. I imagine
craps was in the same ballpark.
In April 1960 when the census was taken the M1 money supply was $779 per capita. In April 2010 when the census was taken again M1 had increased to $5,532 per capita (a factor of 11.2). Population increased by 72% in those 50 years.
Amazingly enough in this new world of trillion dollar deficits the M1 money supply has gone up 16.8% in only 15 months since April 2010. In contrast, in the inflationary years of the 1960's the M1 money supply went up only 4.1% per year.
M1 is currency, traveler's checks, demand deposits, and other checkable deposits.
September 9th, 2011 at 2:30:20 AM
permalink
Quote: buzzpaffI worked full time at age 16 in 1956 and union got me $67 a week.
Holy crap, how many of us old farts are on this forum?
You were born in 1940, me in 1949. My first job was
$80 a week, you were doing good in '56 with $67..
"It's not called gambling if the math is on your side."
September 9th, 2011 at 2:42:33 AM
permalink
Quote: MrVAh, the UNLV collection ... this is one of my favorites.
I love the old gaming pics. I especially like to
see the old roulette wheels, where the incline is
steep and the frets between the numbers are
about an inch high. They reached out and SNAGGED
the ball, made it very easy for wheel watchers to
do their jobs..
"It's not called gambling if the math is on your side."
September 9th, 2011 at 2:50:12 AM
permalink
Yes. I think we are agreed that this archival photo is indeed a publicity shot and was therefore staged. However, we might well conclude that any such staging would bear at least some resemblance to a reasonable game for that period of time. So if chip placements are staged they would still be likely to have been staged in a reasonable manner that would bear some semblance to the time period involved though it might reflect one of the lower limit tables.Quote: heatherIt does look a lot like the photos currently used by casinos in promotion. Guy at the end of the table a fraction of a second away from tossing the dice, hot girl at his side -- I've seen this exact shot on online casino websites.
With all this desire for one and three and five dollar tables I've often wondered what was reasonable for a gambler to expect based on inflation but I've never had any data to provide what craps table limits were in the fifties. Oh sure, we know there were "bird games" wherein quarters were flying everywhere but such bird games may have been the equivalent of the one-dollar Jokers Wild games, an example of the extreme low-end and not at all representative of what would be truly encountered.
September 9th, 2011 at 2:51:40 AM
permalink
Quote: pacomartinAmazingly enough in this new world of trillion dollar deficits the M1 money supply has gone up 16.8% in only 15 months since April 2010.
After WWI, in Germany inflation was so bad it
took a wheelbarrow full of money to but a loaf
of bread. Here's a pic of what it took to buy an
ounce of gold, which was $35:
"It's not called gambling if the math is on your side."
September 9th, 2011 at 7:48:59 AM
permalink
I love old photos of people playing games with loads of cash on the table. Like this photo of Sinatra playing Baccarat:
Casinos usually won't let you do that today. Stardust let me do it once, just before they closed. And I'm not the only one they did it for, either:
Casinos usually won't let you do that today. Stardust let me do it once, just before they closed. And I'm not the only one they did it for, either:
September 9th, 2011 at 7:53:20 AM
permalink
Quote: heatherI love old photos of people playing games with cash on the table. Like this photo of Sinatra playing Baccarat:
Casinos usually won't let you do that today. Stardust let me do it once, just before they closed.
I recall seeing a sign at a roulette table at either Harrah's or Bally's stating cash bets were not allowed, and to please exchange cash for chips beforehand.
I wonder, if the US had printed its bank notes in different colors and/or sizes the way they do in Europe, or most of the world these days, whether casinos would have allowed cash on the tables more often. Of course the ease to tell at a glance what the bet is (hard if all bills are the same color and size) may not matter. Chips, after all, can be protected in ways cash can't be. And they are more compact for large denominations.
Donald Trump is a fucking criminal
September 9th, 2011 at 8:19:02 AM
permalink
Now this "cash plays" is just archaic, the casinos nix it.
Too many people would throw money down and declare a different value than it was. Also it takes time and is distracting.
Maybe things are different at higher limit tables but nowadays at a five dollar table or something like that, they just can't be bothered with people who want to bet it as cash rather than chips.
Decades ago I was in a casino where there were a few "security incidents" that were quietly handled. I think one was a railbird. He showed up at the table and was quiet but it wasn't long before two big security guards walked right up and took him away. So they must have seen him do something at a prior table or on some prior visit. More recently I had a dealer give "my" stack of reds to a different player who promptly grabbed them and split. Boxman gave that dealer a dirty look but Box should have caught the error too.
Too many people would throw money down and declare a different value than it was. Also it takes time and is distracting.
Maybe things are different at higher limit tables but nowadays at a five dollar table or something like that, they just can't be bothered with people who want to bet it as cash rather than chips.
Decades ago I was in a casino where there were a few "security incidents" that were quietly handled. I think one was a railbird. He showed up at the table and was quiet but it wasn't long before two big security guards walked right up and took him away. So they must have seen him do something at a prior table or on some prior visit. More recently I had a dealer give "my" stack of reds to a different player who promptly grabbed them and split. Boxman gave that dealer a dirty look but Box should have caught the error too.
September 9th, 2011 at 9:57:52 AM
permalink
Here's a vintage photo I stumbled across.Quote: ten2winActually, there are hardways
The first time I looked at the picture was with my iPhone. I was able to blow up the middle bets with it. You can clearly see the pair of 3's and 4's together having the same payout, then the pair of 2's and 5's together having the same payout. I'm unable to make out what the pays are.
Apparently, the boxes for hardways were a lot smaller then. Apparently, the craps players were smarter then too, and not many were betting the hardways, so they didn't need large boxes.
Note that the numbers in the place/come boxes and Any Seven can hardly be seen. I have a feeling that's more because the ink color and the felt color look similar in B&W rather than the numbers being worn away.
I invented a few casino games. Info:
http://www.DaveMillerGaming.com/ —————————————————————————————————————
Superstitions are silly, childish, irrational rituals, born out of fear of the unknown. But how much does it cost to knock on wood? 😁
September 9th, 2011 at 10:01:03 AM
permalink
There were two things that really caught my eye in the (staged publicity?) photo of the crap game (from UNLV via Ayecarumba).
First, between the dealer with glasses and the corner of the table, there are three or four players at the table. I have never seen a table anything like that. Usually there is barely room for one player between the dealer and the corner. The girl next to the dealer looks as if she is standing behind the 5 spot in the layout (as if she were helping with the deal). I'm not sure it would be possible for that dealer to do his job with the crowd where they are standing.
Second, the box man (with a cig?) appears to have much darker skin than anyone else in the photo. Would a '50s publicity shot have even hinted at the possibility of a person of color being in a supervisory position at a table in Las Vegas? Maybe I am just misjudging skin tone here.
First, between the dealer with glasses and the corner of the table, there are three or four players at the table. I have never seen a table anything like that. Usually there is barely room for one player between the dealer and the corner. The girl next to the dealer looks as if she is standing behind the 5 spot in the layout (as if she were helping with the deal). I'm not sure it would be possible for that dealer to do his job with the crowd where they are standing.
Second, the box man (with a cig?) appears to have much darker skin than anyone else in the photo. Would a '50s publicity shot have even hinted at the possibility of a person of color being in a supervisory position at a table in Las Vegas? Maybe I am just misjudging skin tone here.
September 9th, 2011 at 11:33:43 AM
permalink
Quote: FleaStiffNow this "cash plays" is just archaic, the casinos nix it.
Too many people would throw money down and declare a different value than it was. Also it takes time and is distracting.
Maybe things are different at higher limit tables but nowadays at a five dollar table or something like that, they just can't be bothered with people who want to bet it as cash rather than chips.
In the 1960's they would coat the banknotes with greasy wax so that they could handle them more easily, and more importantly you were less likely to make a mistake because two bills would stick together. Needless to say this process was time consuming, expensive, and subject to some mistakes. In addition players would probably not want to take the waxed bills out of the casino where people might reject them.
But it gave people more of a thrill to play with real money. When it was popular was largely confined to the baccarat table. The El Cortez will still accept a "cash play" simply because Jackie is 90 years old, and he wants to maintain some traditions. But today no casino will play with cash. Even the El Cortez will only accept it for an initial bet.
September 9th, 2011 at 2:40:17 PM
permalink
Quote: heatherCasinos usually won't let you do that today. Stardust let me do it once,
In the early 50's, when Dean and Jerry were still together,
they would often deal blackjack when the show was over.
Dean Martin was a dealer before he entered show biz.
Jerry would make a big production out of it, clowning
around, paying a good looking girl 3 times what she won,
or taking the money from somebody who won and giving
it to another player. He never made anybody mad, never
got in trouble, the crowd absolutely loved it. We can't
conceive of how big a star he was in 1950-55, him and
Dean. These people at the table would tell the stories
of how Dean and Jerry dealt to them for the rest of their
lives. Sometime in the 50's or early 60's the law changed
and you had to be a licensed dealer. In the mid 60's,
Sinatra and Dean got into a huge amount of trouble because
they talked a young BJ dealer into not shuffling the deck
and just dealing the discards as they were. There was an
investigation, warnings and I think there were fines and
some heads rolled..
"It's not called gambling if the math is on your side."
September 9th, 2011 at 2:49:53 PM
permalink
I've said it in other threads, but that's one of the uniquely Vegas things that Vegas needs to do again, to get more people to travel to Vegas rather than their local casino.Quote: EvenBobIn the early 50's, when Dean and Jerry were still together,
they would often deal blackjack when the show was over.
Dean Martin was a dealer before he entered show biz.
Jerry would make a big production out of it, clowning
around, paying a good looking girl 3 times what she won,
or taking the money from somebody who won and giving
it to another player. He never made anybody mad, never
got in trouble, the crowd absolutely loved it. We can't
conceive of how big a star he was in 1950-55, him and
Dean. These people at the table would tell the stories
of how Dean and Jerry dealt to them for the rest of their
lives.
I remember seeing a short scene where Jerry was dealing BJ, a lady asked for a hit, Jerry would peek at the card and say "No, you don't want a hit." Other times, he would hit without peeking, and it was a bust, so he would throw that card away and hit again.
That kind of stuff cost the casinos just a couple bucks, but they earned a ton from all of the people who would play at a casino where he was appearing, just for the chance to see him and/or be at the table where he selects to 'deal'.
I invented a few casino games. Info:
http://www.DaveMillerGaming.com/ —————————————————————————————————————
Superstitions are silly, childish, irrational rituals, born out of fear of the unknown. But how much does it cost to knock on wood? 😁
September 9th, 2011 at 3:16:55 PM
permalink
Quote: DJTeddyBearbut they earned a ton from all of the people who would play at a casino where he was appearing, just for the chance to see him and/or be at the table where he selects to 'deal'.
Jerry really knew how to get the crowd going, he was
very good at it. Him and Dean had a nightclub act in
the late 40's where Jerry would go into the audience
and do his zany brand of comedy. Much of it was off the
cuff and people who saw the live act say it was a scream,
it was the absolute best of Lewis and Martin. Jerry was
very toned down in the movies, he went nuts in the
nightclubs and it was impossible to get tickets to their
shows unless you bought them far in advance.
"It's not called gambling if the math is on your side."
September 9th, 2011 at 3:31:27 PM
permalink
When Vegas paid real good money to entertainers to do shows in Vegas, a man had a choice of an illegal craps game in his home town or going to Vegas. He could drag his wife to Vegas or he could find a temporary substitute there but he couldn't drag his wife to a back room in the bowling alley at home.Quote: DJTeddyBearI've said it in other threads, but that's one of the uniquely Vegas things that Vegas needs to do again, to get more people to travel to Vegas rather than their local casino.
It was "lure them from home to Vegas" but now its "lure them from Everything else and particularly lure them from nearby casinos so they can take a long flight to Vegas". What stars even exist who could pack Vegas full again, even if there were no Indian casinos? Add in the realities of Indian Casinos and the realities of air travel and most men will choose to avoid having their wife fingered by some screening creep.
September 9th, 2011 at 4:04:26 PM
permalink
Somebody asked about craps in the 40's and 50's.
Here's a reference from one of Ken Pearlman's
articles on old Vegas:
"Although Bugsy's Flamingo didn't go over very well, it wasn't because there weren't gamblers in Las Vegas, but the gamblers that were here preferred wooden floors, cheap booze, 25 cent Craps, 10 cent Roulette and cheap rooms; often running $3 for a regular room and $7 for a room with a toilet and bath."
So craps was 25 cents in the late 40's. And
minimum wage was 50 cents an hour.
Here's a reference from one of Ken Pearlman's
articles on old Vegas:
"Although Bugsy's Flamingo didn't go over very well, it wasn't because there weren't gamblers in Las Vegas, but the gamblers that were here preferred wooden floors, cheap booze, 25 cent Craps, 10 cent Roulette and cheap rooms; often running $3 for a regular room and $7 for a room with a toilet and bath."
So craps was 25 cents in the late 40's. And
minimum wage was 50 cents an hour.
"It's not called gambling if the math is on your side."
September 9th, 2011 at 9:27:58 PM
permalink
Quote: pacomartinBut it gave people more of a thrill to play with real money. When it was popular was largely confined to the baccarat table. The El Cortez will still accept a "cash play" simply because Jackie is 90 years old, and he wants to maintain some traditions. But today no casino will play with cash. Even the El Cortez will only accept it for an initial bet.
That's how it was when the Stardust et us play cash-on-the-table Baccarat. We were just betting in cash; they paid us in chips (unlike in the Sinatra photo, where a dealer is counting out notes). But we probably played for a good half hour staking every bet in cash like that. Kind of a long, slow buy-in with commissions. Of course, they were about to close, and there was very much an atmosphere of that. People were taking pictures and getting dealers to sign stuff, like at the end of high school when you'd pass yearbooks around.
You're completely right about having cash on the table providing a different kind of thrill. I imagine that it would be better if the table was full and everyone had piles of cash in front of them, like in the photo. I've heard poker players say the same thing about home games with piles of cash on the table having a completely different vibe than games with chips, while admitting that it slows things down dramatically.
In the mid-1950s, the statistician (mathematician?) Allan Wilson published a book called "The Casino Gambler's Guide" (which I recommend, if you can find a copy) that had quite a bit of information about roulette games in Reno at the time. I'd have to look, but as I recall he was talking about twenty-five cent chips as being the main unit of wagering.
September 9th, 2011 at 9:50:28 PM
permalink
Quote: heather
In the mid-1950s, the statistician (mathematician?) Allan Wilson published a book called "The Casino Gambler's Guide"
Here it is at Abe Books and it was written in 1970. I had a copy years ago but don't know what happened to it.
"It's not called gambling if the math is on your side."
September 9th, 2011 at 10:51:11 PM
permalink
Quote: EvenBobVegas had some of the coolest motels in the country
in the 40's and 50's. I love this period in architecture.
Anaheim (where I live) used to be a mecca of Googie architecture. That's what was modern when Disneyland opened. Most of them have been torn down, but there are a few examples left.
September 9th, 2011 at 11:00:28 PM
permalink
Make sure you leave the HTML at the front and back of what
you're quoting.
you're quoting.
"It's not called gambling if the math is on your side."
September 10th, 2011 at 9:30:38 AM
permalink
Quote: EvenBobHere it is at Abe Books and it was written in 1970. I had a copy years ago but don't know what happened to it.
You're right (kind of); my copy says (c) 1965, 1970. So, probably written during the first half of the 1960s. The roulette section does focus on research done in the 1950s, however.
I think I paid three bucks for my copy on Amazon. Should probably be regarded as a classic among roulette bias players, if it isn't already. A good chapter on why wagering systems don't work, too.
September 10th, 2011 at 10:51:29 AM
permalink
You don't have to go back to the 50's or 60's to get much lower table limits. When I first started going to Vegas in the 70's and Caesars was the class of the strip (Mirrage hadn't been built yet) their limits were a little higher. I think the Hilton was able to get higher limits then also but I never really gamble there. Flamingo was $2 craps with 2X odds, you could back up the 6 and 8 with $5. Lots of $2 BJ tables everywhere but Caesars but it was possible to find a few off hours. Roulette was commonly 25 cent bet on the numbers with a $1 minimum even at Caesars. Downtown was no problem to find 10 cent roulette or craps and $1 BJ.
Be careful when you follow the masses, the M is sometimes silent.
September 10th, 2011 at 11:53:44 AM
permalink
What did most people play? Those two dollar tables?
September 10th, 2011 at 3:38:55 PM
permalink
I think he wrote an article in 1965
and its included in the book he
wrote in 1970, thats why the two
copyrights. A good book, as I
recall.
and its included in the book he
wrote in 1970, thats why the two
copyrights. A good book, as I
recall.
"It's not called gambling if the math is on your side."
September 10th, 2011 at 6:43:40 PM
permalink
Quote: FleaStiffWhat did most people play? Those two dollar tables?
They were the most common but there were still people playing $25 tables and betting black. The $100 tables were pretty much only in the high limit rooms.
Be careful when you follow the masses, the M is sometimes silent.
