Gambling was legal in the western U.S. throughout the 19th century. In addition to roulette, the most popular table game on the frontier in the 1830s was Faro, the same game that fascinated Venetians at the Ridotto. In fact, Faro was so widespread that newspapers took to calling it “The Game that Won the West.”
Another steadfast gambling hall activity evolved from the astragali of old. During the Crusades, William of Tyre and other soldiers allegedly created a dice game to pass the time, which they called “Hazard,” perhaps after the castle town of Hazarth, or maybe a derivation of the Arabic words for “the dice”—al zar. Hazard became wildly popular in Britain, before crossing to France.
In French Hazard, players throw against the house. In the English version, they throw against other players. In both types, the two and the three are called “crabs,” and any player who roles them “crabs out.” In New Orleans in 1813, Bernard de Mandeville is said to have adapted a new form of the game, “Craps,” that permitted only “field” and “come” bets. Craps is most likely corruption of “crabs,” or the French word for a pair of ones.
Another game with a French pedigree was also making its way across the Atlantic in the 19th century—vingt-et-un or “twenty-one.” The object was to draw cards whose combined values were higher than the dealer’s, but without going over 21. The game did not catch on quickly in America, so it was made more enticing by offering 10-to-1 payouts for the ace of spades drawn with a jack of clubs or spades on the first two cards. This new game of “Blackjack” rapidly became a challenger to Faro on the riverboats and in the private gaming parlours of the West.
One other French-influenced game grabbed Americans fancy. It was said that French soldiers learned the five-card game called “As Nas” from Persians in the 17th century. They modified it to include some bluffing and called the new version poque. French settlers brought it to the Louisiana Territory, where it became the game known today as “Poker.”
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