A Brief History Of Some Of The Most Popular Casino Games

Playing casino games is an integral part of enjoying your stay at one of Nevada's many lovely casinos and resort areas. But do you know where they came from? Here's a little bit of history about three of the most popular gambling games: Keno, Poker, and Roulette.

-- Keno

When Cheung Leung invented the ancestor to the modern game of Keno over 2,000 years ago, he could never have envisioned that it would still be so popular today! Playing Keno is not unlike playing the lottery: winning is strictly a matter of luck. Leung was the leader of a Chinese city whose army had been weakened by defeat and disease. He couldn't bring himself to raising taxes on the population to strengthen his army, so he devised a game of chance instead.

He sold tickets to villagers for the chance to win a jackpot: all they had to do was choose the correct set of Chinese characters out of a pool of 120. This way, only those who could afford to gamble a little could have some fun and play the game, while those whose finances were tight would not have to be burdened by a new tax.

Leung's game proved to be successful beyond his expectations, and he easily raised the money needed for his army. Although some claim that Keno funds were used to build the Great Wall of China, the claim cannot be positively substantiated. However, Keno is as popular as ever today!

-- Poker

The exact root of today's modern poker is a matter of some dispute among gaming historians. The first known game involving betting, hand rankings, and bluffing was called Poschspiel, which was a popular pastime in 15th century Germany.

The other probable direct ancestor to poker was played in ancient Persia (now Iran). It was called As Nas and players' hands each had 5 cards dealt from a 20 card pack. The most common consensus is that poker comes from a combination of these two and other similar games which trace their origins to Ireland, England, and France.

Whatever its beginnings, poker as we know it took root in America sometime before the American Revolution and the game in various forms soon spread like wildfire and became hugely popular.

-- Roulette

No casino game compares in mystique to the sexy turn of a roulette wheel. The name means "little wheel" in French, and so although the game's origin is not definite, it is usually attributed to the French. In fact, famous French mathematician Blaise Pascal is thought to have invented the earliest version of a game involving roulette in the 17th century.

In the mid 1900s, gambling was outlawed in France proper, so Francois Blanc brought roulette to the seaside area of Monte Carlo and established the first casinos there. Since then, the roulette has always been associated with high class, high stakes gamblers dripping in diamonds and furs and sipping martinis.But really, it's a game for everyone!