Vol. 159 No. 18 September 16, 2021
BY LINDA WOMMACK
ambling has been a popular pass time since the beginning of time. The Greeks wagered on chariot races and the Romans had laws regulating gaming as early as 900 B.C. The turning point in the game of chance was the invention of playing cards. Historians disagree on when the first cards were invented. Some believe they originated in China, others say Korea, still
salary of these men averaged twenty dollars a week, but a few were lucky and managed to hit “the big one.” Professional gamblers flocked to the mining towns to engage the miners in a friendly game of cards. The most popular card game in Colorado’s saloons and the American West, was Faro, a classic house game. This was a fast action game and the odds were greater at winning then in other games. A standard deck of cards was used, as well as a dealing box, and a device for
Faro, seen above, was a very popular card game with gamblers in the Old West.
was the professional gambler. A game so simple left the door wide open for cheaters, most of which were professional gamblers, working for the house at short stints. Some of the better gamblers quite good at this practice were Doc Holliday, Bat Masterson and Wyatt Earp. “Wyatt just acquired a quarter stake at Faro, Doc.” “Since when is faro an hon-
versions of poker existed in the 1880s, as well as today. The key element then and now, was concentration. The standard poker A Faro layout featured 13 square boxes with pictures of a hand is five cards. In a draw, standard playing card, Ace through King, in each box your chances of improving card counting, similar to an abaothers believe India. No matter the deal increase or decrease, cus. Placing a bet, meant paying where they originated, the Britdepending on the “luck of the careful attention to the cards ish Museum shows proof that draw.” playing cards were in use by the already dealt. Players bet a rank The size of the bets dependof card to win, another to lose. fourteenth century. Their very ed on the game. Faro was twenIf the winner and loser cards arrival in America, the rapid ty-five cents to a dollar, Rouexpansion of their poplette was as little as ularity and the colorful ten cents, and Poker games they inspired games had a one makes playing cards to two dollar limit. as American as, well... Higher-stake games Texas Hold ‘em. did exist. It was It was Christopher the fashion of the Columbus that introupper-class gents of duced the standard these mining towns deck of 52 cards to to host all-night America. The popugambling in the back larity of card games and upper rooms of swept the American the saloons. frontier becoming a Colorado’s Bogaming phenomenon nanza King, H.A.W. and creating legends. Tabor gambled often These gambling legat his own Tabor ends of the American Opera House. ClifWest are etched in ton Bell ran private stone. Those passing gambling rooms through or making a upstairs at the Opera Colorado gamblers experience the entertainment. Photo courtesy of Linda Wommack name for themselves House. Tabor played are of the same rank, the house in Colorado included Doc poker for high stakes, usually est game? The odds are all on Holliday, Poker Alice, Bat Mas- takes half of all bets. The card loosing. It was common for the house,” says Doc. terson, Big Ed Chase, Belle Sid- counting device allowed the Tabor to lose as much as five “It’s fair. It’s not like they’re dens, Luke Short, Soapy Smith, player a count of cards already thousand dollars in one night. holdin’ a gun to their head,” played, saving his serious bets Lou Blonger, and Wyatt Earp, Senator Edward O. Wolcott was says Wyatt. for later in the game, when the among others. “Poker. Now that’s an honest another player at Bell’s private odds were better. Several games of chance rooms. In contrast to Tabor’s game,” Doc replies. A seemingly easy and lowexisted in the saloons and gamluck at cards, Wolcott usually -Tombstone risk game, it’s a wonder it bling halls of the American won. Wolcott’s gambling was In contrast to the ease of became the rage all over ColWest. The majority of the gama major issue in the senate Faro, Poker was a card game bling clientele were miners. The orado’s saloons. The reason election of 1888. When asked that required great skill. Many about the gambling, Wolcott said he lost at cards what he had won at the races. Hmm. In any event, his honesty won him the election. Because gold dust was the predominant means of exchange, all saloons, gambling houses and bordellos operated with a set of gold scales. The scales were found sitting on a piece of carpet, which the op-
Photo by Camillus S. Fly
erator could easily allow a few grains of the gold dust to fall off the scale. The amount of gold dust shaken from the carpet at the end of the night could be as much as twenty dollars. Paper and coin money replaced the gold dust by the 1880s, but Colorado preferred the solidness of the coin currency. After all, Colorado’s main industry, gold and silver, supplied the nation’s cash reserve. Mining seemed to be the biggest gamble in any mountain boom town. Professional gamblers made their way to the mining towns, shortly after the first miners would arrive. For the most part, they were welcomed. The saloon keeper needed the gamblers to run the games and enhance his business and would either hire them, or support the independent gamblers in their establishments. Superstition played a big part in gambling. Many gamblers believed it to be bad luck if someone looked over their shoulder. In poker games, almost no one would count their chips before the game because of bad luck. It was considered bad luck to engage in any game with a one-eyed player. One form of diminishing bad luck was to walk around one’s chair three times before sitting. The card shark was found in every atmosphere of gambling. The card shark was the crooked gambler, out to make a fast, clean sweep and move on to another town. One noted card shark of the day, Dick Clark, wore an enormous diamond ring. The diamond faced the palm of his hand, so that he could see the deck through the shine as he dealt. However, Clark would never hide an Ace up his sleeve, he felt that was too low-down. A turn of the card didn’t always turn the table in Colorado’s Old West.