Strange casino games

 

Friday 08 June 2012 10:11 EDT
Comments

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

We all know the fun of a trip to your local Gala casino; putting on your best suit for a trip to the nearest leisure complex in order to place bets on the usual games like blackjack, roulette and poker.

Though the games on offer have remained a consistent selection over the years, some establishments have a long and rich history of trying out new games – with mixed results. Here are a few games that you probably wouldn’t expect to see the next time you’re cashing in your money for chips.

War

Based on a childhood game, War is a kind of Top Trumps where two players deal out a card, and the highest card wins. The aim of the game is to win the whole deck, one card at a time. It’s exactly these rules which have graduated into some casinos; where a player simply bets money that his card is higher than the dealer’s. One would expect a more sophisticated level of gameplay from their trips to the casino; War does not provide that experience, but it’s a lot of fun nonetheless!

Rodent Roulette

Perhaps not the exact title of the game, but there are so many variants featuring different critters that it’s easier just to group them together like this! Take Gerbil Roulette for example; in which a gerbil is placed in a box on the middle of a roulette wheel that contains several more numbered boxes on the outer spokes. The wheel is spun, and the box removed from the middle, whereupon the furry feature walks around the wheel, eventually selecting one box in which it hides. This numbered box is the result of the spin.

The Chicken Challenge

At the Tropicana Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City, potential players line up for a game of noughts and crosses against its champion – and a chance to win $10,000. The only catch - the champion is a chicken. ‘Ginger’ has toured casinos around the country, taking on all comers with her commanding presence and tic-tactical genius. If you defeat her, you win the huge cash prize. But be prepared; when it comes to the big game, Ginger doesn’t cluck about.

Belgian Birdsong

It’s not over until the fat bird sings…or is it? It’s apparently a very popular custom in Belgium for gamers to stake their bets on birdsong; as a group of birds in separate cages take it in turns to sing for the punters. Betters place their money on the bird they think will sing the loudest and the longest; after which time it’s down to the performing pigeons to do their thing.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in