Featuring as true a representation of a Civil War gambling establishment as you will find this side of the great Mississippi!
As the life of a soldier can be tedious and tiresome, means of relaxation and respite were sought whenever the opportunity arose. Miss Vera and Miss Fannie have put forth every effort to provide care and comfort for the gentlemen in uniform, while ever mindful of the need of tasteful women to earn a comfortable living.
With the establishment of the Soldiers’ Respite, they have spared no expense or effort to create a comfortable and relaxing atmosphere; while simultaneously providing the dedicated officers and soldiers with distraction from the weary cares of the battlefield. Gentlemen of the service are welcome to sit comfortably in the shade and rest, read the latest newspapers or books, enjoy a game of checkers or croquet with the ladies. Have a refreshing elixir or a bite of food. For those with more sporting blood, there are popular games of chance to while away the hours
As the more straitlaced members of the community might misunderstand our war effort to be just a gambling house, The Soldiers’ Respite is set up outside the edge of "town" as to be out of the constable's jurisdiction. The games of chance played are Faro, two and four card Monte, and a dice game called High / Low. Each plays quickly and the rules are easily understood so that the public will not be obligated to spend too much time watching in order to get an idea of Civil War period gambling. Of course, period correct cards, dice and counters are used.
Gambling has been a part of American history from the very beginning.
So much so, that by 1624 the Virginia Assembly enacted a law saying: "Ministers
shall not give themselves to excess in drinking or spend their time idly by day
or by night, playing at dice or cards". Neither moral censure
nor legislation has ever damped the American passion for gambling. Card
playing has always been a favorite diversion. Whether in the card parlor
of a fine home or at the local tavern, Americans have always enjoyed the chance
to make a lot of money with little effort.
The traditional relaxation of soldiers, gambling was rampant during the American Civil War. The soldiers played games of chance like Faro, Poker, Casino, Euchre, Monte, Seven-up and Chuck-a-luck. When the payroll had not caught up to the troops and cash was not available, buttons, matches or grains of corn served as counters. Many men took their enlistment bonuses and squandered it gambling before marching off to fight. Some deserted and re-enlisted under an assumed name to try and win back their loses.
To counteract the exposure to such vices upon the young soldier, Christian Bible Tract Societies sent out tracts such as The Gambler's Balance Sheet, Word to a Gamester, and Ruinous Consequences of Gambling, to warn the men of the evils of gambling. But their religious influence was short lived. The gambling palaces and halls in most cities were legal, many of them owned by gentlemen of high standing. Gambling was big business in cities like Washington D.C., New York, Saratoga, and Chicago on the Union side; St. Louis, Louisville, Nashville, New Orleans and Richmond in the Confederate States. Richmond had so many gambling establishments that it was nicknamed Farobankopolis by some Southern wits. When Richmond fell, Union soldiers found the floors of Libby Prison marked off with faro layouts.
Most playing card manufacturers were in the North, but this did not stop decks from being smuggled into the hands of the Rebel army. In 1863, a Union Colonel was stopped on the road between Alexandria and Fairfax Court House, Virginia, with 4,000 packs of playing cards. These cards and other contraband were seized and the Colonel was sent to the Old Capitol Prison in Washington. Card manufacturers made a fortune during the war. English manufactures added specially designed confederate packs to the cargoes of British ships running the blockades. Many companies produced a number of military designs, patriotic cards with stars, flags, shields and eagles replacing spades, hearts, diamonds, and clubs. President Lincoln and others were represented as the face cards.
The cards you see us using here are reproductions of 1863 sets printed in New York City. A Northern set with Union generals on each card and a Rebel set with Confederate generals. We also use the standard playing cards. Note that there are no numbers on the cards, just the pips that make the suit.
Monte Bank
Monte, one of the most popular card games, came out of the Mexican
American War. It is a very easy, fast game. The two-card version, called
Mexican Monte and the four-card called Spanish Monte are played similarly.
The dealer uses a deck of 40 cards (leaving out the 10’s, 9’s and 8’s). Any number of people can play against the dealer, known as the bank.
To play two-card monte, the bank draws one card from the bottom and places it face up on the table. This is known as the bottom layout. One card is drawn from the top of the pack and placed face up on the table for the top layout.
The punters, (players) bet on either layout. The pack is then turned face up and the card showing on the bottom is know as the gate. If the suit of this card (heart, spade, etc.) matches one of the layouts, the banker pays the bet. The banker wins the bets if the gate is not the same suit as the layout.
To play four-card monte, the bank draws two cards each for the top and bottom
layouts. This makes it easier for the punters to win. If either card of
the layout they bet on matches the gate card, they win their bet.
Faro
Familiarly known as "Bucking the Tiger", Faro is also a bank
game, meaning that the dealer is the bank against which any number of punters
bet. Faro must be played on a gaming layout made up of the suit of spades,
as shown below.
The punters use the layout to place their bets. A counter (chip or cash) is placed directly on a card painted on the layout. It is a bet that this numbered card will be the next winning card dealt. If a copper is placed on top of the chips bet then the player is betting that this card will be dealt as the losing card. The players can also bet on the winning card being a higher or lower denomination than the loosing card by placing a counter or copper on the High Card bar.
The cards are shuffled and placed in a dealing box, from which they can be
withdrawn only one at a time. The top of this box is open and the face of the
top card can be seen. This is called the soda card. The dealer pulls out the
soda card and it is laid aside. The next card pulled is the losing card for the
betters and it is placed on the table next to the box. The card showing in
the box wins for those who have bet on it and is also the new soda card. The
suit of the cards is of no matter, the bet is on the domination of the card.
The banker pays even money on all bets except for the last turn. When only three cards remain, they must fall in one of six ways. The bank pays four to one if the punter can call the turn of the cards. That is to say, if the player can correctly say in which order the cards will be dealt. If two of the remaining cards are the same number, called a cat hop, the bank pays two to one if the punter correctly bets the deal.
A box with a miniature layout and four beads per card was used to keep track
of the cards that had been played. This was important not only for playing the
call of the turn, but you did not want to place a bet on a dead card (when all
four had been dealt). If you unknowingly placed your bet on a dead card and did
not remove it before the dealer's last call, you lost your money to the bank or
to any other player quick enough to notice your error.
High / Low
High and low is a fast game that requires very little thinking on the part of
the players. The rules are simple. Players bet that the total of
two dice will add up to six or less; exactly seven, or eight or more.
The bank pay odds of 1 to 1 for 6 and under and 8 and over. Seven pays 4 to
1. The dealer shakes the dice in a cup, turning the cup upside down on
the table. After this, the players place their bets and the cup is lifted
to show the winning number.
For more information on the Soldier's Respite, contact Vera Biggins aka Bridget Carson or Fannie LaGrande aka Sue Rhodes
Links to more Civil War Gambling Sites: