Historical Street Gambling Game

[Pab]

Is this the three card monte? I Have been studying it for quite some time when I have been bored when not doing anything. I have seen it, and it's quite amusing how quickly the dealer has changed hands. It is a con game from what I have read on the history about it.

The scenario is that there are a lot of people that would be surrounding the dealer guy then waits for someone, who is a newbie, to join the commotion. After that, the dealer invites the newbie to participate and then lets him win, like in your story. Then after getting greedy, the sleight of hand will occur. Losing everything.

That's what I have thought of when reading the topic. Awesome.

Yes exactly it was all about
Sometimes casino guy was alone
People were winning at beginning and he was screaming
Oh I Am  Mad i Am Giving Money Away
Than more people were coming and serious gambling begin
Very old skill game but much more  honest than online cheating

[Betwrong]

Is this the three card monte? I Have been studying it for quite some time when I have been bored when not doing anything. I have seen it, and it's quite amusing how quickly the dealer has changed hands. It is a con game from what I have read on the history about it.

The scenario is that there are a lot of people that would be surrounding the dealer guy then waits for someone, who is a newbie, to join the commotion. After that, the dealer invites the newbie to participate and then lets him win, like in your story. Then after getting greedy, the sleight of hand will occur. Losing everything.

That's what I have thought of when reading the topic. Awesome.

Yes exactly it was all about
Sometimes casino guy was alone
People were winning at beginning and he was screaming
Oh I Am  Mad i Am Giving Money Away
Than more people were coming and serious gambling begin
Very old skill game but much more  honest than online cheating

But the game we are talking about is a con game by definition. It's not even a game, but rather a fraudulent scheme engaging in which greedy street walkers lose all the money they have in their pockets, and sometimes even more because the gang members provide the befuddled player with loans which he/she also loses quickly.

If by "online cheating" you mean the sites from which you can never withdraw your money, then I agree with you, but there are provably fair online casinos which can't be even compared to the con game in question.

[buwaytress]

@OP. As pointed out, dice itself is actually as old as it gets when talking about street gambling. Still very popular in parts of the world I've seen, still popular in modern variations in casinos, and its latest incarnation as Bitcoin dice

A coin toss is also the famous ending of an Asimov short story, where a war general reveals his legendary computing choice that led to a decisive inter-galactic war. Very interesting back notes and footnotes to the story of the die.

I don't know any stories like that but yours reminded me of a question I was wondering about: why aren't casinos making the bets in favor of the player at first? They could then turn on this house edge thing and probability, but I am pretty sure that they would profit from it more than they'd lose. Would it be considered as cheating? I mean, if the casino is at first helping one to win and then just playing fair, I don't think anyone could accuse it. And even if people knew about that, they'd probably not be able to resist the temptation to keep playing.

Actually, they do. Casino comps common in physical casinos. You come in, you get free drinks, free food, even free chips for a first timer. You're a winner from the beginning, so you're hooked.

Variations of hi-lo also let you keep on gambling, stacked against higher and higher odds, and gradually increasing edges. You're always invited to play more for double or nothing or similar, which invites the mind to think "I'm only losing winnings after all".