History
Gambling reinvents its format every few decades. Our history files trace how the games moved from the riverboat to the smart contract.
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- 12 Oct 2026
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- Polycasino Sector Sheet17
- The History of Online Poker: From IRC to MoneymakerPoker moved online in the mid-1990s. It was text-based. It was informal. Nobody knew it would change the game forever.
- The History of Live Dealer Gaming: From Studios to StreamingThe field bet at craps looks simple. It is simple. Whether it is worth playing depends on whether you understand what you are paying for.
- The Biggest NFL Betting Wins in Las Vegas HistoryA polarized range contains very strong hands and very weak hands with nothing in between. A merged range is the opposite. This distinction determines how you should play.
- The Largest Televised Cash Game Pots in Poker HistoryVariance is fluctuation around expected values. House edge is 0.5%. Across 100 hands, expected loss is 50 dollars.
- Biggest Baccarat Wins in Casino HistoryBaccarat has produced the largest wins in casino history. Here are the documented cases and what they reveal about the game.
- Peter Eastgate: The Youngest WSOP Main Event Champion at 22Peter Eastgate won the 2008 World Series of Poker Main Event at age 22. He was the youngest champion ever. Here is what it reveals about poker in 2008.
- How Poker Became a Global Spectator SportPoker viewership grew from zero to hundreds of millions in fifteen years. The numbers tell a story about television, demographics, and the economics of professional play.
- How Prohibition Fueled the Rise of Illegal Casinos in AmericaWhen alcohol became illegal in 1920, speakeasies filled the void. When gambling remained illegal but alcohol was legal again, casinos filled the void. The story of illegal casinos in America is the story of what happens when government bans something that people want.
- Why Some Jurisdictions Ban Celebrity Endorsements for CasinosA gentleman whose name I will not mention, but whose reputation for discretion is impeccable, once observed that celebrity endorsements for gaming operations belong to an earlier era of regulation. Certain jurisdictions have come to the same conclusion, though for reasons that are worth examining closely.
- Edge Sorting Explained: The Baccarat Technique That Made HeadlinesPhil Ivey won at baccarat using edge sorting. Casinos sued. They won. The technique is legal in theory but banned in practice. Here's how it worked and why it matters.
- Celebrity Poker Players Who Cross Over to Table GamesFamous poker players sometimes sit down at blackjack or baccarat. The results are almost always bad. Poker skills don't transfer. Table games are different machines.
- The History of Roulette: Pascal's Accidental InventionRoulette was not designed as a gambling game. Blaise Pascal invented it as a perpetual motion machine. It failed as physics. It succeeded as a game.
- Chargebacks and Online Gambling: What You Should KnowSome players think they can deposit at a casino with their credit card, lose money, and then dispute the charge. This absolutely does not work. Here's why.
- Dean Martin's Casino Persona and the Rat Pack Vegas EraDean Martin's Casino Persona and the Rat Pack Vegas Era. Most players get it wrong. ## Understanding the Basics Let's start with what dean martin's casino…
- Speed Blackjack vs Classic Blackjack: Which Is Right for You?Speed Blackjack vs Classic Blackjack: Which Is Right for You? is where taste meets mathematics. ## Understanding the Basics Let's start with what speed…
- Dean Martin's Casino Persona and the Rat Pack Vegas EraDean Martin at the Sands was a bit. Not a drunk, not a savant. A performer selling the idea of the casino to the people filling the casino. Taking him literally is how we ended up with sixty years of bad advice.
