This gambling game was extremely popular in the American Wild West and the gold rush, today Faro is a lesser known and enjoyed game, having gone out of style in the 1950s. It’s believed to have originated in France sometime in the late 17th century and was called “Pharaon.”. The game faro originated in Europe and named after the pharaohs of ancient Egypt. In the late 18th and early 19th century it was the most popular gambling game in the west in America. Unfortunately the game seems to have died off and is no longer played in the United States or any casino in the world afaik. EAGLE — Doc Holliday’s card game was Faro, one of the most popular forms of gambling in Western frontier towns. Civil War soldiers preferred to toss the dice in a game of Chuck-a-Luck. Test your luck at a variety of historic gambling games at the Eagle County Historical Society’s Old West Gambling Night on Friday, April 28, at 7 p.m.

1. Faro Gambling Old West Palm Beach
2. Faro Gambling Old Western

Old West Gambling Games - Were they legal? Were they popular?

As people moved into the West in the 1800s, life was hard. Most of these migrants were men: miners, soldiers, explorers, opportunists, teenaged orphans. Entrepreneurs looked for the right circumstances for a business.

With free time, entertainment was what many were after. Proprietors were quick to supply their needs. Gambling establishments opened in old west mining camps and new towns out West. Most often inside the saloons. Let's see the Old West gambling favorites - particularly in Tombstone AZ!

Faro Gambling Old West Palm Beach

Gambling's Old West Popularity

In those days, wagering was most popular between 1850 & 1910. Almost every town had at least one Old West Bar with a gambling game. Especially in the Old West, numerous saloons had gambling halls to while away free hours.² As a Western town was populated, gaming tables went up in tents. Then as the money flowed, bar-men upgraded. They built nice lounges, like in the Crystal Palace. Regular gambling games such as Faro, Roulette and Poker were established there.

Many men gambled after their work-day. Others were professional gamblers. When Wyatt Earp came to Tombstone, he planned to earn money by gambling.¹ He'd done it before! His friend, Doc Holliday, was a professional gambler.⁷

Somewhat Respectable Sport

In the Old West, gambling was viewed as a legitimate way to make a living. Not all who ran the games were honest. Some were outright con-men. There were those who tried to give it an air of refinement. They set up gambling halls with quality decor.³ Saloons even followed suit.

In certain respects gambling was considered a fine way to have a night's entertainment. Gentlemen particularly went to a quality establishment for this type of a night out. They called it a sporting event.

Those running the games invested their own funds to start the bank. They relied on their reputations as honest dealers. The saloons promoted their dealers as running a respectable game. They knew it brought in business.

The Old West Gambling Town
of Tombstone AZ

Gambling halls were scattered through the Old West city of Tombstone. By 1880 there were nearly 18 choices of places to get into a good game of faro or poker - or try your luck with roulette.¹

For instance, when examining the History of the Crystal Palace, notice their regular assortment of gambling games running during the Old West era. Local newspapers advertised them. An example shows one early partnership who were big on marketing: Bernhardt Wehrfritz and Julius Caesar. Advertising helped bring in people. See their ad here noting all kinds of sporting games, and also music for entertainment.

(By the way - the little code at the end of advertisements means the ad started on a date - example: Jan. 15 - & will run 'tf' = til further notice. One of my first ever jobs was in classified advertising! That's how I know!!)

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Some women gambled, and were professionals in the business, too. Their personalities were as varied as were the men's. But they didn't get the same reception because of their gender. Even with professional skill, they weren't accorded reputational respect - if it indeed called for that.

A few lesser known, but notable women who took up gambling professionally in the old west:⁵

• Lottie Deno - Alias Carlotta J. Thompkins, ended up in Texas in the mid 1860s. Starting by running a San Antonio Hall owned by the Thurmond family. She married Frank Thurmond, and they began traveling around the state, both wagering as professionals. Finally arriving in Fort Griffin (probably where she met Doc Holliday), it's there she made her reputation. By 1882 the Thurmonds tired of that life and settled in New Mexico. She's buried in Deming.
• Kitty Leroy - Dallas TX is where she first dealt Faro, gaining excellent wagering skills. She had a quick temper and often wore men's style clothing. Married five times, she shot one husband. Not known for being faithful! In Deadwood she was most financially successful, opening a saloon. But at age 27 that ended when she was shot and killed by her 5th husband.

Gambling Games & Halls of the Old West

Faro - A Popular Game

Faro was well liked. It had 18th century French origin, going through Europe, finally getting to the U.S.⁴ In the Old Western days of gambling, it was probably the most common, popular game around.¹ Gamblers referred to the gaming hall as a Faro Bank. But technically that meant the dealer's stake in the game. Cash they supplied to run the game.³

It was easy to learn. Not slow, hands went by quickly. Plus players' odds were best of all! It was the most favored game in the 1800s.⁴ Original card decks had a Bengal Tiger illustration on the back-side. Therefore the nickname: Bucking the Tiger. Sometimes a tiger picture was in a window announcing a game.⁸

After a while problems surfaced because of the odds. Dealers began all sorts of cheating systems. Equipment manufacturers got involved. They made cheat dealing boxes. In return, players began to cheat also.⁸

A well known Faro 'Shark' was Bat Masterson. He'd talk a good tale to the dealer during games, for distraction. On the next round, the absorbed dealer would forget to shuffle. Bat then remembered the prior card turns, and won the plays. In Tombstone Bat witnessed his two friends, Luke Short and Charlie Storms, in a gunfight over a faro game at the Oriental Saloon.⁸

Legitimate gaming sponsors warned players that virtually all Faro games were dishonest. Cheating dealers were prosecuted. Cases even went to the Supreme Court. By the end of WWII, only a few games could still be found - in Nevada. By the 1980s, there were no more, even there.² It wasn't worth it to the gaming houses.

How to Play Faro - the Basics

• Place your chip(s) on the card(s) on the Faro board, that you're betting on to win

1. You can also bet to lose by placing a penny (copper) on top of your chips

• Dealer draws a card from the deck that loses - if your chip is on that card to win, you lose the bet.

Faro Gambling Old Western

1. If you bet it to lose, though - you win the bet.

• Dealer draws a card from the deck that wins - if your chip is on that card to win, you win the bet.

1. If you bet it to lose, though - you lose the bet.

• Cards already played are tracked with a case-keeper - so you can judge the chances of a card coming up.
• There are ways for multiple cards to be bet on the Faro board.
• Finally, there are 3 cards left in the deck. It's time for 'Calling the Turn.'

1. Each player guesses the order of the card draw - get it right to win 4 times the stake

Today, some people play it for fun only - no money involved! You'll find people who instruct the game in many Old West towns.

• In Tombstone the Oriental Saloon has a regular Faro instructor.
• In the small community of Cochise AZ, the historic Cochise Hotel is owned by an expert in Faro instruction. We bought our own Faro board from him. He has a room on-site that's like an Old West Faro gambling museum! If you go there for a stay, ask to see it.
• There's a Faro night at the Tombstone Monument Guest Ranch.
• At our house, we've played once a week with friends. When we do this, it's a good time!

Record Poker Game!

Tombstone's Bird Cage Theatre, in the Old West, was among other things, a place for gambling. The exclusive game was in the basement. It was high stakes poker. $1000 needed to start to play: to get in the game!

A record setter as the longest Poker Game in the Old Wild West was there. Continuously ongoing, it lasted 8 years, 5 months and 3 days. Bat Masterson, George Randolph Hurst and Diamond Jim Brady were regular players. Players would get in and out - but the game itself, continued on.

Keno

Another popular option was the game of Keno. In Tombstone, the local gaming halls publicized Keno spots by employing a sort of 'Town Crier' who roamed the main streets. One observer found it amusingly odd, saying he heard a 'sonorous voice proclaim... that a keno game is about to commence, and ring a large bell as though he were calling... to a free dinner, or an auction....'¹

The game originated with Chinese immigrants who came to work on the transcontinental railroad. The Chinese government since former times sponsored a game called baige piao to raise money. It was a popular lottery game that the Chinese brought with them.⁶

In the Old West, Americans they interacted with couldn't quite pronounce those Chinese words. The slurring pronunciation turned into something more like Keno. In the early 1900s it was made an official game and the name 'Keno' became its signature form.⁶

Frontier Gambling

Bisbee, AZ

Bisbee Arizona, a copper mining town, about 23 miles Southeast of Tombstone. Brewery Gulch was the booming Old West saloon and gambling area. Another saloon strip was along Main Street, and that's where the Orient Saloon was. It opened March 11, 1902.¹⁵

The National Archives photo above was taken by C.S. Fly. It shows John Murphy dealing. Others known, left to right:

• Tony Downs, part owner of the Orient, wearing a derby. He's standing.
• Doyle is a concert hall singer, sporting a derby hat. He's sitting at the table's corner.
• The Dutch Kid stands behind Doyle
• Sleepy Dick is the Orient's porter. He's toward the right, behind the man with his head down. He's wearing a light felt hat.
• Charlie Bassett with the soft felt hat, stands in the rear by the wall
• Smiley Lewis sits, placing his bets, wearing the silk top-hat.

Prescott Arizona

The local newspaper in Old West Prescott even viewed their own gambling halls as rivals for Tombstone. From the clip above, you can see they promoted a Poker Rivalry!

Talk about long Poker Games, with high stakes! - Who Has the Longest?!! Who has the highest stakes??

North Platte Nebraska

Along railroad construction routes, many towns sprung up, just as gold and silver mining generated new towns in the Old West. Similar to those mining towns, young railroad workers looked for excitement in their off-hours. Entrepreneurs included those Gambling Professionals.

North Platte was a prime example. In the mid 1860s, it sprung up with a slew of unmarried men with railroad earnings. A newspaper reporter noted 'every known game under the sun is played. Every house is a saloon and every saloon is a gambling den.'³

Cheyenne Wyoming

The railroad reached Cheyenne in the late 1860s. With it came gambling houses. Professionals ran in every saloon, which a newly arrived preacher was dismayed to note was almost every house in town!³

One of note was the Cheyenne Club. Those who made the big bucks in town: from the railroad, and particularly the cattle barons, became members there. A private men's club, constructed in 1881, at 17th St. and Warren Ave.⁹

One of those exclusive venues with deluxe amenities. A gorgeous, covered wrap-around porch, a billiards room, a library, and exquisite dining. Card rooms were appointed with luxuries¹⁰ - but seek out the high stakes games if you were up for it!¹¹ It was torn down in 1936.⁹

Gambling Comes to an End

In the early 1800s, religious groups began opposing gambling per their morality. Their ire was aimed at lotteries prevalent in the Northeast.¹³ Government officials in the Old West were influenced by what was happening back East regarding gambling. They had their eyes on any gaming around. States started to enact laws banning wagers.¹²

In a Globe Arizona newspaper, you can see one gambler's viewpoint from an interview when all this gambling opposition began. When Arizona became a state in 1912, gambling was officially outlawed.¹²

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Gambling Laws today

The laws have gone back and forth until today. Now each state has varied regulations about gaming. To each their own! Plus sovereign Native American Nations also regulate their own gambling laws.¹³

Currently in Arizona, gambling can be done in Tribal casinos, at a dog track or horse track (choose one per day!) and in the state lottery. Yet there is Class II gaming that's allowed. They call it Bingo rules games. There must be at least two players who play against each other - not against a bank or house.¹⁴

This law covers the poker games like you'll find in Tombstone. Check out the Poker Game at Doc Holliday's on Allen Street.

References

1 Bailey, L.R. (2004). Too tough to die: The rise, fall and resurrection of a silver camp; 1878 to 1990. Tucson AZ: Westernlore Press.

2 Thompson, C. (2016, Dec. 1). Ask Clay: What is 'coppering a bet' and faro? The Republic/azcentral.com. Retrieved from azcentral.com/story/opinion/op-ed/claythompson/2016/12/01/ask-clay-what-coppering-bet-and-faro/94631726/

3 Williamson, G.R. (2018). Gambling in the Old West. Kerrville, TX: Indian Head Publishing.

4 Benford, S. (May 1, 2010). Faro stacked old west with winners, cheats. The Arizona Republic. Retrieved from pressreader.com/

5 Sumner, L. (March 13, 2017). Outrageous Gambling Women of the Old West. Cool Cat Casino. Retrieved from coolcat-casino.com/articles/outrageous-gambling-women-of-the-old-west.php

6 Applegate, E. (June 16, 2017). What Is Keno. Cool Cat Casino. Retrieved from coolcat-casino.com/articles/what-is-keno.php

7 Traywick, B. (Oct. 1977). Doc Holliday. Wild West. Retrieved from historynet.com/doc-holliday

8 Sanders, J.R. (Oct. 1996). Faro: Favorite gambling game of the frontier. Wild West. Retrieved from historynet.com/faro-favorite-gambling-game-of-the-frontier.htm

9 Funk, J. (June 30, 2017). Opera House, Cheyenne Club, more, failed to last test of time. Wyoming Tribune Eagle. Retrieved from wyomingnews.com/opera-house-cheyenne-club-more-failed-to-last-test-of/article_3d6711aa-5a93-11e7-8aee-4f5524b3dc7d.html

10 Greater Cheyenne Chamber of Commerce (2018). About Cheyenne. Retrieved from cheyennechamber.org/about-cheyenne-wyoming

11 Branigan, J. (May 11, 2011). The Cheyenne Club. Nagle Warren Mansion Bed & Breakfast: Enjoy the life of a cattle baron, at least for a few minutes. Retrieved from naglewarrenmansion.wordpress.com/2011/05/11/the-cheyenne-club/

12 Rose, I.N. (1997). Gambling and the law: Pivotal dates. Whittier Law School. Retrieved from pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/gamble/etc/cron.html

13 HG.org (1996-2019). A history of American gaming laws. Legal Resources. Retrieved from hg.org/legal-articles/a-history-of-american-gaming-laws-31222

14 FindLaw Team (2019). Arizona gambling laws. Thomson Reuters. Retrieved from statelaws.findlaw.com/arizona-law/arizona-gambling-laws.html

15 Bisbee Daily Review (March 12, 1902) Orient opening. Pg. 1, Bisbee, Arizona. Retrieved from www.newspapers.com/image/40677005

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Poker is the most famous type of gambling that’s depicted in western movies. Who can forget Doc Holliday’s opening scene in Tombstone where he stabs Ed Bailey before raking in a fortune of coins and jewellery. It’s not just the movies though, Wild Bill Hickock’s unfortunate departure from the world while clutching aces and eights only helped to fuel the stereotype of the western gambler, but what was it actually like to be a gambler like Doc Holliday?

What games were there?

People think of poker when they think of the Old West but Faro was just as popular. Other games included Spanish monte, twenty-one, roulette and chuck-a-luck. The later was the cheapest game of all and only required a five cent bet to get started. Three dice were placed in a bottle-shaped wire cage. The cage was tossed and if all three dice showed the same number face up, the player won the money. Unfortunately for most players, it was common for the dealer to use loaded dice.

Bets were taken on just about everything and anything. cock-fighting, horse racing, foot races, shooting competitions and boxing were all popular sports in Tombstone and attracted plenty of gambling money. Bets were even placed against competing baseball teams or the changing weather.

The Tombstone Epitaph reported:

The quarter-mile horse race at Solomonville last Monday between Bald Face Calf and Crawford was a genuine race. Crawford won by a foot. Over $3,500 changed hands.

Doc Holliday is remembered as a poker player, but he actually spent most of his professional career working as a faro dealer in saloons such as The Oriental in Tombstone. He probably would have fitted games of poker around any other work he was doing whether that was pulling teeth or dealing Faro. Comedian Eddie Foy described the shooting fray at the Comique Theater in Dodge City, and also mentioned how Doc Holliday and Bat Masterson were playing monte together and flattened like pancakes on the floor when the shooting began.

Where did gambling take place?

In frontier towns gambling happened any place that someone wanted to take a bet. In the early days of Dodge City, the town had gambling tables in every saloon in town. In later years Dodge City began fining gamblers in an effort to keep the gambling in town ‘honorable.’ The money raised went to maintain the police department.

Saloons varied greatly from small rooms or tents with a wooden board for a bar, to more luxurious gaming rooms like The Oriental in Tombstone, which bragged of its crystal chandeliers and mahogany bar. The more high-end saloons had a separate poker room in the back of the saloon. The bars were smoky and could be lit with kerosene or gas lighting depending on the town. Around 1882, Denver saloons even had electricity.

What were the working hours for a gambler?

It was normal for saloons to be open twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Games could run all day and night too. Famously, it was claimed that a poker game lasted continuously over eight years in the Bird Cage Theater in Tombstone. The waiting list to join the game was three days long.

Food and alcohol were available nearly all the time and it would not have been considered unusual to grab a meal or a sandwich at two o’clock in the morning. Beatty and Kelly’s Dodge City restaurant bragged in their adverts that they were the finest in Dodge and offered meals at all hours.

Tools of the trade

It goes without saying that a pack of cards were used. A card cutter was used to cut the frayed edges off cards.

Contrary to Hollywood’s depiction of gunfights, there were probably more fights over poker tables than in the streets. Gamblers carried derringers in concealed vest pockets for self-protection. While small, the derringer could do plenty of damage at close range. It was also common for gamblers to carry a knife. Doc Holliday’s preference is said to have been a Bowie. Considering the average Bowie was nine inches long and Doc was a skinny individual, I doubt that this is true. He may have carried a dagger for protection, but again there is no proof of this.

High rolling gamblers tended to dress well. Silk vests, cravats and tailored suits were the norm. Doc was described in Colorado newspaper interviews as wearing dark well-fitting suits and the latest round top hat. He’s also wore a diamond stick pin with a cravat. After his death in 1887, the stick pin was returned back to the Holliday family without the diamond. Presumably, Holliday must have lost the diamond in an effort to pay off debts when his finances became tight.

Riding the Circuit

Professional gamblers like Doc Holliday were referred to as Rounders. They would make a living gambling, travelling to new towns to find games. Since Dodge City was a cowtown, money was made from the cowboys driving cattle up from Texas during the summer months. In the winter, the cowboys left and the town grew quiet. The police force laid off policemen and the saloons lost business. Gamblers like Doc Holliday would move away to other towns to find games, returning the following summer. When Dodge City became more respectable, many of the professional gamblers including Doc Holliday, Luke Short, Bat Masterson and Wyatt Earp headed to New Mexico and then on to Tombstone.

Lady Gamblers

Lady gamblers were rare but not unheard of. Lottie Deno is perhaps one of the most famous examples. Lottie gambled her way around Western Texas, eventually appearing in Fort Griffin, Texas where she played poker in the Bee Hive Saloon with many of the more infamous characters of the West, including Doc Holliday. One of the stories told is that Doc was quite taken by this charming lady gambler, much to Big Nose Kate’s disgust. Big Nose Kate was jealous and started an argument with Lottie.

“Why you low down stinkin’ slut!” Lottie shouted. “If I should step in soft cow manure, I would not even clean my boot on that bastard! I’ll show you a thing or two.”

She then pulled a gun on Kate and Doc Holliday stepped in between them. Perhaps this is just another story to add to Doc Holliday’s mythology.

Lottie Deno gambled all her life before finally putting down her cards for the last time when she died in 1934.

Card Cheats

There were plenty of card cheats in the Old West and there were plenty of ways of cheating. When the gambling establishment was crooked, the dice was sometimes loaded or bystanders were used to relay information about cards to the dealer.

It was common for cheats to mark cards with ink. The marks were small, sometimes just a dot or line near the top corner of the card. The cheat wore tinted spectacles while playing. The sunglasses hid his eyes from other players and also made the marks on the cards pop out.

Bending or scoring the corners and edges was also a popular way of marking cards. A card cutter could also be used for cheating. Some of the cards were cut a bit thinner than the others to give the gambler ‘an edge’.

Using a shiny object could also give the gambler an extra view of their components cards. This could be a ring, a hip-flask or tin cup; anything shiny sitting on the table could help. A mirror in the saloon could also give a gambler an advantage. It would not have been the best plan to cheat with other professional gamblers, as they would be equally aware of the methods of cheating as you would. Although, I’m sure there were plenty of unsuspecting cowboys that got taken for a ride.

I hope I’ve given you a small taste for what it may have been like to be a gambler in the Old West.