Knucklebones
Knucklebones is an ancient game which was originally played with the bones of the joints from animals such as sheep. The game had a number of variations, and it appears to have arisen in numerous parts of the world, demonstrating that humans can be extremely innovative, even with minimal supplies. Knucklebones is still played today, although the gaming pieces are not typically made from bone; a closely related game is jacks, which is traditionally played with metal pieces and a small rubber ball. Some gaming stores stock sets for playing knucklebones, along with instructions for an assortment of variations on the game.
The game relies on the distinct character of joint bones. Joints are knobbly, rather than smooth, and they have distinctly identifiable sides. When tossed, the bones tend to land on one of four sides, avoiding the curved ends of the knucklebone. Essentially, knucklebones could be viewed as an early version of dice, with four possible point values, rather than six.
To play, people toss the bones on the ground and record their point value. The Romans had a complex scoring system for knucklebones, with the highest score going to a “Venus,” a throw in which four bones were thrown and four different sides were displayed. Other scores were calculated on the basis of the point value of the sides displayed; depending on the situation, the game might be played until someone threw a Venus or until a certain score was reached.
Knucklebones could also be played much like jacks, with one knucklebone being tossed and caught in or on the hand, or the player performing a variety of tricks like trying to pick up all the bones on the ground while one was in the air. Some games involved repeating tricks displayed by another player, such as tossing three bones in the air and catching them all on the back of the hand. The process of tossing and catching would have have the added bonus of helping children to develop good hand-eye coordination, a highly useful skill.
In addition to being played with pieces of literal bone, knucklebones can also be played with gaming pieces made from clay, metal, or horn. The Romans made knucklebones encrusted with precious stones, or engraved with various symbols, much like dice, which appear to be oriental in origin. They knew the game as tali or tala. Other aliases for knucklebones include dibs, jackstones, five stones, dibstones, and chuckstones.
The game relies on the distinct character of joint bones. Joints are knobbly, rather than smooth, and they have distinctly identifiable sides. When tossed, the bones tend to land on one of four sides, avoiding the curved ends of the knucklebone. Essentially, knucklebones could be viewed as an early version of dice, with four possible point values, rather than six.
To play, people toss the bones on the ground and record their point value. The Romans had a complex scoring system for knucklebones, with the highest score going to a “Venus,” a throw in which four bones were thrown and four different sides were displayed. Other scores were calculated on the basis of the point value of the sides displayed; depending on the situation, the game might be played until someone threw a Venus or until a certain score was reached.
Knucklebones could also be played much like jacks, with one knucklebone being tossed and caught in or on the hand, or the player performing a variety of tricks like trying to pick up all the bones on the ground while one was in the air. Some games involved repeating tricks displayed by another player, such as tossing three bones in the air and catching them all on the back of the hand. The process of tossing and catching would have have the added bonus of helping children to develop good hand-eye coordination, a highly useful skill.
In addition to being played with pieces of literal bone, knucklebones can also be played with gaming pieces made from clay, metal, or horn. The Romans made knucklebones encrusted with precious stones, or engraved with various symbols, much like dice, which appear to be oriental in origin. They knew the game as tali or tala. Other aliases for knucklebones include dibs, jackstones, five stones, dibstones, and chuckstones.
Poker
Poker has evolved throughout the years from many different games. The closest ancestor to poker is the French game that came about in the 17th and 18th century called"Poque." The game came from the Spanish game called Primero, and is often referred to as the mother of poker. The game involves taking three cards and bluffing and betting to make your opponents think you have good cards. In 1834 some of the first written rules of modern poker were written by Jonathan H. Green in the Mississippi area. He referred to this game as "The Cheating Game," which involved bluffing and placing bets similar to poque. Later, poker was popularized by the Wild West. There were poker tables in nearly every saloon, from coast to coast. Over the years, there have been many variations of poker, including 5 Card Draw, 7 Card Stud, and Texas Hold 'Em.
Blackjack
This game also evolved from a French card game. It was called "Vingt En Un," which means "21." there has not been much that changed, but there were some significant moments in its history. It was not until 1953 until Roger Baldwin started studying the statistical and mathmatical aspects of blackjack to lower the house's edge. Although he did not have the technology at the time, in 1962, Professor Edward O. Thorp used new computer technology to look at many things Baldwin could not look at in his time. He soon after published "Beat the Dealer," which had the first ever card counting system. A man named Ken Uston also contributed to the knowledge of card-counting, and he used computers in his shoes to make thousands a month in Nevada casinos. Also in the 1990's, an MIT team made millions counting cards until, in 1997, they were banned from casinos for counting cards.
Works Cited
"Blackjack's basics - Doubling Down." Online Blackjack casinos with special bonuses for internet black jack players plus rules and strategy guides. Web. 11 Feb. 2010. <http://www.luckyblackjack.com/doubling-down.html>.
"The History of Blackjack." Online Blackjack casinos with special bonuses for internet black jack players plus rules and strategy guides. Web. 11 Feb. 2010. <http://www.luckyblackjack.com/history-of-blackjack.shtml>.
"Poker.com - Poker History." Poker.com - Online Poker Games, Free Tournaments, Rules & News. Web. 11 Feb. 2010. <http://www.poker.com/history-of-poker.htm>.
"Blackjack's basics - Doubling Down." Online Blackjack casinos with special bonuses for internet black jack players plus rules and strategy guides. Web. 11 Feb. 2010. <http://www.luckyblackjack.com/doubling-down.html>.
"The History of Blackjack." Online Blackjack casinos with special bonuses for internet black jack players plus rules and strategy guides. Web. 11 Feb. 2010. <http://www.luckyblackjack.com/history-of-blackjack.shtml>.
"Poker.com - Poker History." Poker.com - Online Poker Games, Free Tournaments, Rules & News. Web. 11 Feb. 2010. <http://www.poker.com/history-of-poker.htm>.
