1.
Ledyard, Connecticut
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Ledyard /ˈlɛdʒərd/ is a town in New London County, Connecticut, United States, located along the Thames River. The town is named after Colonel William Ledyard, a Revolutionary War soldier who was killed with his own saber after surrendering to the British at the end of the Battle of Groton Heights, the population was 15,051 at the 2010 census. The Foxwoods Resort Casino, owned and operated by the Mashantucket Pequot Tribe, was located in the section of Ledyard. Within the southwestern area of Ledyard is the known as Gales Ferry. According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has an area of 40.0 square miles, of which 38.1 square miles is land and 1.9 square miles. Ledyard is situated north of Groton, and borders the east bank of the Thames River in southeastern Connecticut, the northern half of the Naval Submarine Base New London is located in the southwest corner of the town. Ledyard is among the areas of the United States that was covered by an ice sheet during the last Ice Age. Therefore, Ledyard has its share of interesting glacial geology, the glaciers that covered Ledyard carried the many large boulders that litter the town. The town has set aside land designated as a Glacial Park which consists of a section of end moraine and this area encompasses a segment of the Ledyard Moraine—a clast-supported boulder deposit that is anomalous in nature. The principal communities of Ledyard are Ledyard Center and the Gales Ferry section, the town also contains the Mashantucket Pequot Reservation, in the northeastern corner of the town. Andy Dick, actor/comedian, grew up in Ledyard Casey Neistat, filmmaker, grew up in Ledyard Doc Hammer, painter, the population density was 385.1 people per square mile. There were 5,486 housing units at a density of 143.8 per square mile. 16. 4% of all households were made up of individuals and 5. 1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older, the average household size was 2.78 and the average family size was 3.12. The ages of Ledyards population were spread out with,28. 3% under 186. 3% from 18 to 2431. 0% from 25 to 4425. 4% from 45 to 649. 0% from 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years, for every 100 females there were 97.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.6 males, the median income for a household in the town was $62,647, and the median income for a family was $69,214. Males had an income of $46,582 versus $32,339 for females. The per capita income for the town was $24,953, about 2. 9% of families and 4. 0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4. 5% of those under age 18 and 2. 7% of those age 65 or over
Ledyard, Connecticut
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Bill Library and the Ledyard Congregational Church in Ledyard Center
Ledyard, Connecticut
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Location in
New London County, Connecticut
Ledyard, Connecticut
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Ledyard High School in 2014
Ledyard, Connecticut
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Panorama of Ledyard Center, including the fire department, town hall, Ledyard Center School, and Ledyard Congregational Church plus several businesses
2.
Native Americans in the United States
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In the United States, Native Americans are people descended from the Pre-Columbian indigenous population of the land within the countrys modern boundaries. These peoples were composed of distinct tribes, bands, and ethnic groups. Most Native American groups had historically preserved their histories by oral traditions and artwork, at the time of first contact, the indigenous cultures were quite different from those of the proto-industrial and mostly Christian immigrants. Some of the Northeastern and Southwestern cultures in particular were matrilineal, the majority of Indigenous American tribes maintained their hunting grounds and agricultural lands for use of the entire tribe. Europeans at that time had patriarchal cultures and had developed concepts of property rights with respect to land that were extremely different. Assimilation became a consistent policy through American administrations, during the 19th century, the ideology of manifest destiny became integral to the American nationalist movement. Expansion of European-American populations to the west after the American Revolution resulted in increasing pressure on Native American lands and this resulted in the ethnic cleansing of many tribes, with the brutal, forced marches coming to be known as The Trail of Tears. As American expansion reached into the West, settler and miner migrants came into increasing conflict with the Great Basin, Great Plains and these were complex nomadic cultures based on horse culture and seasonal bison hunting. Over time, the United States forced a series of treaties and land cessions by the tribes, in 1924, Native Americans who were not already U. S. citizens were granted citizenship by Congress. Contemporary Native Americans have a relationship with the United States because they may be members of nations, tribes. The terms used to refer to Native Americans have at times been controversial, by comparison, the indigenous peoples of Canada are generally known as First Nations. It is not definitively known how or when the Native Americans first settled the Americas and these early inhabitants, called Paleoamericans, soon diversified into many hundreds of culturally distinct nations and tribes. The archaeological periods used are the classifications of archaeological periods and cultures established in Gordon Willey and Philip Phillips 1958 book Method and they divided the archaeological record in the Americas into five phases, see Archaeology of the Americas. The Clovis culture, a hunting culture, is primarily identified by use of fluted spear points. Artifacts from this culture were first excavated in 1932 near Clovis, the Clovis culture ranged over much of North America and also appeared in South America. The culture is identified by the distinctive Clovis point, a flaked flint spear-point with a notched flute, dating of Clovis materials has been by association with animal bones and by the use of carbon dating methods. Recent reexaminations of Clovis materials using improved carbon-dating methods produced results of 11,050 and 10,800 radiocarbon years B. P, other tribes have stories that recount migrations across long tracts of land and a great river, believed to be the Mississippi River. Genetic and linguistic data connect the people of this continent with ancient northeast Asians
Native Americans in the United States
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Pushmataha
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States
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Charles Eastman
Native Americans in the United States
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Wilma Mankiller
3.
Blackjack
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Blackjack, also known as twenty-one, is the most widely played casino banking game in the world. Blackjack is a card game between a player and dealer, meaning players compete against the dealer but not against other players. It is played one or more decks of 52 cards. The player or players are dealt a hand and add together the value of their cards. Face cards are counted as ten points, a player and the dealer can count an ace as 1 point or 11 points. All other cards are counted as the value shown on the card. After receiving their first two cards, players have the option of getting a hit, or taking an additional card, in a given round, the player or the dealer wins by having a score of 21 or by having the higher score that is less than 21. Scoring higher than 21 results in a loss, a player may win by having any final score equal to or less than 21 if the dealer busts. The dealer must hit until the cards total 17 or more points, Players win by not busting and having a total higher than the dealers. The dealer loses by busting or having a lesser hand than the player who has not busted, If the player and dealer have the same total, this is called a push, and the player typically does not win or lose money on that hand. If all available players bust, the hand ends automatically without the dealer having to play his or her hand, Blackjack has inspired other casino games, including Spanish 21 and pontoon. Blackjacks precursor was twenty-one, a game of unknown origin, the first written reference is found in a book by the Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes, most famous for writing Don Quixote. Cervantes was a gambler, and the characters of his tale Rinconete y Cortadillo. They are proficient at cheating at ventiuna, and state that the object of the game is to reach 21 points without going over, the game is played with the Spanish baraja deck, which lacks eights and nines. This short story was written between 1601 and 1602, implying that ventiuna was played in Castilla since the beginning of the 17th century or earlier, later references to this game are found in France and Spain. When twenty-one was introduced in the United States, gambling houses offered bonus payouts to stimulate players interest, One such bonus was a ten-to-one payout if the players hand consisted of the ace of spades and a black jack. This hand was called a blackjack, and the name stuck to the even though the ten-to-one bonus was soon withdrawn. In the modern game, a blackjack refers to any hand of an ace plus a ten or face card regardless of suits or colours, at a casino blackjack table, the dealer faces five to seven playing positions from behind a semicircular table
Blackjack
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A blackjack
Blackjack
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Initial deal
4.
Craps
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Craps is a dice game in which the players make wagers on the outcome of the roll, or a series of rolls, of a pair of dice. Players may wager money against each other or a bank, because it requires little equipment, street craps can be played in informal settings. Craps developed from a simplification of the early English game of hazard and its origins are complex and may date to the Crusades, later being influenced by French gamblers. There was a flaw in Bernards version of the game in which players could exploit the casino using fixed dice and taking advantage of the way players can bet with or against the dice thrower. An American dice maker named John H. Winn introduced the dont pass betting option in order to fix this problem, the game, first known as crapaud, reportedly owes its modern popularity to street craps. Street craps may be played by rolling the dice against a backstop, such as a curb or stair-stoop, or without a backstop, during World War II, street-style craps became popular among soldiers, who often played it using an Army blanket as a shooting surface. With no backboard or sidewalk curb to hit against, this rise to presumed methods of dice control. Bank craps or casino craps is a game played by multiple or a single player betting on the outcome of the dice, the players and casino employees stand or sit around a large oval craps table. In most houses sitting at a table is discouraged unless the player is handicapped. With the table oriented with its long sides running left to right, along one side is the casinos bank – thousands of chips, stacked 20 high. Along the opposite side of the tub is usually a long, the left and right U-shaped sections of the table each have the same bet areas marked on the layout, with space for usually up to eight players to stand and place their bets on each side. An additional group of bets, referred to as proposition bets, is in the middle of the layout, the top rim of the table has horizontal grooves for players to keep their chips while not in play. Each employee also watches for mistakes by the others because of the large number of bets. In smaller casinos or at times of day, one or more of these employees may be missing. Responsibility of the dealers is adjusted, the stickman continuing to handle the center bets, by contrast, in street craps, there is no marked table and often the game is played with no back-stop against which the dice are to hit. The wagers are made in cash, never in chips, and are thrown down onto the ground by the players. There are no attendants, and so the progress of the game, fairness of the throws, each casino may set which bets are offered and different payouts for them, though a core set of bets and payouts is typical. Players take turns rolling two dice and whoever is throwing the dice is called the shooter, while acting as the shooter, a player must have a bet on the Pass line and/or the Dont Pass line
Craps
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A craps table with a game in progress.
5.
Roulette
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Roulette is a casino game named after the French word meaning little wheel. The ball eventually loses momentum and falls onto the wheel and into one of 37 or 38 colored and numbered pockets on the wheel The first form of roulette was devised in 18th century France. A century earlier, Blaise Pascal introduced a form of roulette in the 17th century in his search for a perpetual motion machine. The game has played in its present form since as early as 1796 in Paris. The description included the house pockets, There are exactly two slots reserved for the bank, whence it derives its sole mathematical advantage and it then goes on to describe the layout with. two betting spaces containing the banks two numbers, zero and double zero. The book was published in 1801, an even earlier reference to a game of this name was published in regulations for New France in 1758, which banned the games of dice, hoca, faro, and roulette. The roulette wheels used in the casinos of Paris in the late 1790s had red for the single zero, to avoid confusion, the color green was selected for the zeros in roulette wheels starting in the 1800s. In some forms of early American roulette wheels - as shown in the 1886 Hoyle gambling books, there were numbers 1 through 28, plus a single zero, a zero. The Eagle slot, which was a symbol of American liberty, was a slot that brought the casino extra edge. Soon, the tradition vanished and since then the features only numbered slots. Existing wheels with Eagle symbols are rare, with fewer than a half-dozen copies known to exist. Authentic Eagled wheels in excellent condition can fetch tens of thousands of dollars at auction, in the 19th century, roulette spread all over Europe and the US, becoming one of the most famous and most popular casino games. A legend says that François Blanc supposedly bargained with the devil to obtain the secrets of roulette, the legend is based on the fact that the sum of all the numbers on the roulette wheel is 666, which is the Number of the Beast. In the United States, the French double zero wheel made its way up the Mississippi from New Orleans and this eventually evolved into the American style roulette game as different from the traditional French game. The American game developed in the gambling dens across the new territories where makeshift games had been set up, whereas the French game evolved with style and leisure in Monte Carlo. However, it is the American style layout with its simplified betting and fast cash action, using either a single or double zero wheel, that now dominates in most casinos around the world. During the first part of the 20th century, the only towns of note were Monte Carlo with the traditional single zero French wheel. In the 1970s, casinos began to flourish around the world, by 2008 there were several hundred casinos worldwide offering roulette games
Roulette
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Roulette ball
Roulette
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French roulette
Roulette
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"Gwendolen at the roulette table" - 1910 illustration to
George Eliot ' "
Daniel Deronda ".
Roulette
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18th century E.O. wheel with gamblers
6.
Poker
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Poker is a family of card games that combine gambling, strategy, and skill. Poker games vary in the number of cards dealt, the number of shared or community cards, the number of cards that remain hidden, and the betting procedures. In most modern games, the first round of betting begins with one or more of the players making some form of a forced bet. In standard poker, each player bets according to the rank they believe their hand is worth as compared to the other players. The action then proceeds clockwise as each player in turn must either match, or call, a player who matches a bet may also raise, or increase the bet. The betting round ends when all players have called the last bet or folded. If all but one player folds on any round, the player collects the pot without being required to reveal their hand. If more than one remains in contention after the final betting round, a showdown takes place where the hands are revealed. By the 1990s some gaming historians including David Parlett started to challenge the notion that poker is a derivative of As-Nas. There is evidence that a game called poque, a French game similar to poker, was played around the region where poker is said to have originated. The name of the game likely descended from the Irish Poca or even the French poque, yet it is not clear whether the origins of poker itself lie with the games bearing those names. It is commonly regarded as sharing ancestry with the Renaissance game of primero, the English game brag clearly descended from brelan and incorporated bluffing. It is quite possible that all of these earlier games influenced the development of poker as it exists now, the unique features of poker have to do with the betting, and do not appear in any known older game. In this view poker originated much later, in the early or mid-18th century and it was played in a variety of forms, with 52 cards, and included both straight poker and stud. 20 card poker was a variant for two players, the development of poker is linked to the historical movement that also saw the invention of commercial gambling. English actor Joseph Crowell reported that the game was played in New Orleans in 1829, with a deck of 20 cards, and four players betting on which players hand was the most valuable. As it spread north along the Mississippi River and to the West during the gold rush, soon after this spread, the full 52-card French deck was used and the flush was introduced. The draw was added prior to 1850, during the American Civil War, many additions were made including stud poker, and the straight
Poker
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A game of
Texas hold 'em in progress. "Hold 'em" is a popular form of poker.
Poker
Poker
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Officers of the
114th Pennsylvania Infantry playing cards in front of tents.
Petersburg, Virginia, August 1864
Poker
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2006 WSOP Main Event table
7.
Slot machines
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A slot machine, informally fruit machine, puggy, the slots, poker machine or simply slot, is a casino gambling machine with three or more reels which spin when a button is pushed. Many modern machines are equipped with a legacy lever in addition to the button. Slot machines include a currency detector that validates the money inserted to play, the machine pays off according to patterns of symbols visible on the front of the machine when it stops. Modern computer technology has resulted in variations on the slot machine concept, Slot machines are the most popular gambling method in casinos and constitute about 70 percent of the average US casinos income. The slot machine term derives from the slots on the machine for inserting and retrieving coins, fruit machine comes from the traditional fruit images on the spinning reels, such as lemons and cherries. Sittman and Pitt of Brooklyn, New York, U. S. developed a machine in 1891 which was a precursor to the modern slot machine. It contained five drums holding a total of 50 card faces and was based on poker and this machine proved extremely popular and soon many bars in the city had one or more of the machines. Players would insert a nickel and pull a lever, which would spin the drums and the cards they held, the player hoping for a good poker hand. To make the better for the house, two cards were typically removed from the deck, the ten of spades and the jack of hearts. The drums could also be rearranged to further reduce a players chance of winning, the bell gave the machine its name. Three bells in a row produced the biggest payoff, ten nickels, Liberty Bell was a huge success and spawned a thriving mechanical gaming device industry. Even when the use of these devices was banned in his home state after a few years. The Liberty Bell machine was so popular that it was copied by many slot machine manufacturers, thus in 1907, manufacturer Herbert Mills from Chicago produced a slot machine called the Operator Bell. By 1908 lots of bell machines were installed in most cigar stores, saloons, bowling alleys, brothels, early machines, including an 1899 Liberty Bell, are now part of the Nevada State Museums Fey Collection. Other early machines, such as the trade stimulator, gave out winnings in the form of fruit-flavoured chewing gums with pictures of the flavours as symbols on the reels, the popular cherry and melon symbols derive from this machine. The BAR symbol now common in slot machines was derived from a logo of the Bell-Fruit Gum Company. In these cases, a mint vending machine was declared to be a device because by chance the machine would occasionally give the next user a number of tokens exchangeable for more candy. Despite the fact that the result of the next use would be displayed on the machine, the courts ruled that he appealed to the players propensity to gamble
Slot machines
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Slot machines in the
Trump Taj Mahal
Slot machines
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1899 "Liberty Bell" machine, manufactured by Charles Fey.
Slot machines
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Plaque marking the location of Fey's San Francisco workshop, where he invented the three-reel slot machine. The location is a
California Historical Landmark.
Slot machines
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A row of "Wheel of Fortune" slot machines in a casino in Las Vegas. This specific slot machine is themed to the TV game show
Wheel of Fortune.
8.
Hard Rock Cafe
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Hard Rock Cafe International, Inc. is a chain of theme restaurants founded in 1971 by Isaac Tigrett and Peter Morton in London. In 1979, the cafe began covering its walls with rock and roll memorabilia, in 2007, Hard Rock was sold to the Seminole Tribe of Florida, and since then it is headquartered in Orlando, Florida. As of December 2015, there were 191 Hard Rock locations in 59 countries, including 168 cafes,23 hotels, and 11 casinos. The first Hard Rock Cafe opened on June 14,1971 at Gloucester House, Piccadilly, London, under the ownership of young Americans Peter Morton, Hard Rock initially had an eclectic decor but it later started to display memorabilia. The chain began to expand worldwide in 1982 with locations in Toronto, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Paris, Hard Rock Cafe locations in the United States vary from smaller, more tourist driven markets to large metropolises. Hard Rock Cafe typically does not franchise cafe locations in the United States, all US cafes are corporate owned and operated, except for cafes in Tampa and Four Winds New Buffalo casino. However, in the transition of the Las Vegas Hard Rock Hotel property originally owned, Morton retained hotel naming rights west of the Mississippi. When Morton sold his Las Vegas Hard Rock Hotel to the Morgans Hotel Group, he sold those naming rights. The Albuquerque hotel no longer pays for the Hard Rock rights, more hotels franchised from Morgans are planned for Sioux City and Vancouver. In 1990, The Rank Group, a London-based leisure company, acquired Mecca Leisure Group, Rank went on to purchase Hard Rock America from Peter Morton as well as Hard Rock Canada from Nick Bitove. After the completion of these acquisitions, Rank gained worldwide control of the brand, in March 2007, the Seminole Tribe of Florida acquired Hard Rock Cafe International, Inc. and other related entities from Rank for US$965 million. Most customers, it was argued, do not realize that they are subsidizing a low wage when they give the tip, HRC is known for its collection of rock and roll memorabilia. The collection began in 1979 with an un-signed Red Fender Lead II guitar from Eric Clapton, Clapton wanted management to hang the guitar over his regular seat in order to lay claim to that spot, and they obliged. This prompted Pete Townshend of The Who to give one of his guitars, Hard Rocks archive includes over 80,000 items, and is the largest private collection of Rock and Roll memorabilia in the world. Marquee pieces from the collection were displayed in a Hard Rock museum named The Vault in Orlando. After the closure, items were disbursed to various restaurant locations, the London Vault remains open and free to visitors, located in the retail Rock Shop of the original cafe. In 2005, Deep Purple launched its new album Rapture of the Deep in Hard Rock Cafe London and this show at the release party itself was released as a DVD. The Hard Rock Café is also in possession of a Bedford VAL6 axle coach used in the 1967 film The Beatles Magical Mystery Tour, the vehicle was completely refurbished after filming
Hard Rock Cafe
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Hard Rock Cafe located on
Broadway in the heart of
Times Square
Hard Rock Cafe
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Hard Rock Cafe International, Inc.
Hard Rock Cafe
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Jon Bon Jovi 's guitar on display at the cafe in Moscow
Hard Rock Cafe
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Hard Rock Hotel
Macau
9.
Connecticut Indian Land Claims Settlement
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The Connecticut Indian Land Claims Settlement was an Indian Land Claims Settlement passed by the United States Congress in 1983. The settlement act appropriated $900,000 to buy the lands and transferred those lands. The settlement act permits the state of Connecticut to exercise civil and criminal and this laid the foundation for the Mashantucket Pequot to create the Foxwoods Resort Casino, the largest casino in the world by revenue and floor space, and the most profitable. The Pequot War all but exterminated the Pequots, dividing the captives up between the Mohegan and Narragansett tribes who had allied with the settlers. In 1651, John Winthrop the Younger persuaded the Connecticut Colony to create a 500-acre reservation for the Pequots in Noank, by 1790, the reservation was only 1,000 acres. In 1855, Connecticut sold 800 of the remaining acres at $10/acre, advised by Crosby, the Pequots established a non-profit corporation—Western Pequot Indians of Connecticut, Inc. —in 1974. In April 1975, Crosby finished his research and presented his findings to the Pequots, the Pequots filed suit in May 1976 in the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut. The case was assigned to Judge Mosher Joseph Blumenfeld, the named plaintiffs were the Western Pequot Tribe and Richard Skip Hawyard, among the named defendants were Holdridge Enterprises and its president, David Holdridge. The 800-acre claim embraced only about a dozen to thirty-five landowner defendants, the state of Connecticut was sued, and declined requests from the defendants to become involved in the litigation. One of the lawyers for the defendants was Jackson King, a partner at Brown, Jacobson, HUD The Pequots pursued federal recognition in parallel with their land claims litigation. They applied to the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development to participate in HUDs Indian housing assistance program, in March 1976, Connecticut Governor Ella Grasso certified to HUD that the Pequots were an autonomous unit or government for the purposes of the revenue sharing program. At this time, there were tribal members. BIA On January 15,1979, the Pequots filed a petition for federal tribal recognition with the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Historian Jack Campisi, who had worked as an expert witness with attorney Tom Tureen. The Pequots did not submit a full application to the BIA until mid-1983. With the passage of the Maine Indian Claims Settlement Act in 1980, in October 1981, Tureen approached King regarding a federally legislated settlement. As part of the deal, the state would retain civil and criminal, the state approved the settlement in June 1982. The federal settlement bill included a $900,000 appropriation, the value of the 800 acres
Connecticut Indian Land Claims Settlement
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Foxwoods Resort Casino
Connecticut Indian Land Claims Settlement
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Senator Lowell P. Weicker, Jr.,(R-CT), who introduced the Settlement Act, later fought the creation of Foxwoods as governor.
Connecticut Indian Land Claims Settlement
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The
Mohegan Sun was created by a
similar settlement of an
aboriginal title lawsuit in 1994.
Connecticut Indian Land Claims Settlement
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Colonial era
10.
Lim Goh Tong
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Tan Sri Dato Seri Lim Goh Tong was a prominent wealthy Malaysian Chinese businessman. He was renowned for his vision and courage in transforming Genting Highlands from an unexplored hilltop into one of the worlds most successful casino resorts and he has an elder brother, three elder sisters, a younger sister and a younger brother. Lim was born into an environment in a village, during that time, China was in a period of turmoil and unrest after the 1911 revolution. He grew up peacefully and had the opportunity of studying in school, however, disaster struck and his father died when he was 16. Lim was forced to leave school and he and his brother had to take over the heavy burden of feeding his family. As Chinas situation was becoming worse, Lim Goh Tong decided to take the plunge in venturing out to Malaysia following his cousin and he left China through Xiamen in early February 1937 at the age of 19. He worked for his uncle as a carpenter in the first two years, learning the Malay language in the meantime, after gaining experience he went on to become a building sub-contractor and completed his first job of building a two-storey school. He returned to Anxi in 1940, but went back to Malaya the next year amidst a deteriorating war environment, the Japanese invaded Malaya in 1942 and caused Lim to have a few near-death experiences. During the early Japanese Occupation, he earned a living as a vegetable farmer, later on Lim ventured into scrap-metal and hardware trading. When the Japanese Occupation ended, there was an urgent demand for heavy machinery for resumed operations in mines, Lim seized the opportunity and engaged in second-hand machinery trading, making his first fortune. From used machinery trading, Lim strayed into iron mining, joining as a partner in a mining company which couldnt settle the outstanding payment of two bulldozers with him. This proved to be a venture, and he later went on to form a joint-venture company which was one of the first Chinese tin companies to utilise dredges. While dealing in heavy machinery, Lim accumulated a wide range of reconditioned machines as well as an amount of cash to move into construction. In the name of his construction company, Kien Huat Private Limited, Lim began taking on several contracting jobs with help. Kien Huat won accolades and became recognised as one of the construction companies, building the Ayer Itam Dam. The idea of building a resort was first conceived when Lim Goh Tong was having a dinner in the Cameron Highlands. After doing some research, Lim found Gunung Ulu Kali at a place called Genting Sempah to be a location for his plan. Upon conceiving this idea, many naysayers were sceptical of Lim turning a wilderness into a tourist resort, after getting approvals from the Federal and State governments, Lim began the project in the face of a colossal task
Lim Goh Tong
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Statue of Lim Goh Tong at
Chin Swee Caves Temple
Lim Goh Tong
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The Genting Highlands Theme Park
11.
Hartford, Connecticut
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Hartford is the capital of the U. S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960, as of the 2010 Census, Hartfords population was 124,775, making it Connecticuts third-largest city after the coastal cities of Bridgeport and New Haven. Census Bureau estimates since then have indicated Hartfords subsequent fall to fourth place statewide as a result of sustained growth in the coastal city of Stamford. Nicknamed the Insurance Capital of the World, Hartford houses many insurance company headquarters, founded in 1635, Hartford is among the oldest cities in the United States. In 1868, resident Mark Twain wrote, Of all the towns it has been my fortune to see this is the chief. Following the American Civil War, Hartford was the richest city in the United States for several decades, today, Hartford is one of the poorest cities in the nation with 3 out of every 10 families living below the poverty line. In sharp contrast, the Hartford metropolitan area is ranked 32nd of 318 metropolitan areas in total economic production, various tribes, all part of the loose Algonquin confederation, lived in or around present-day Hartford. The area was referred to as Suckiaug, meaning Black Fertile River-Enhanced Earth, the first Europeans known to have explored the area were the Dutch, under Adriaen Block, who sailed up the Connecticut in 1614. Dutch fur traders from New Amsterdam returned in 1623 with a mission to establish a trading post, the original site was located on the south bank of the Park River in the present-day Sheldon/Charter Oak neighborhood. This fort was called Fort Hoop, or the House of Hope, in 1633, Jacob Van Curler formally bought the land around Fort Hoop from the Pequot chief for a small sum. It was home to perhaps a couple families and a few dozen soldiers, the area today is known as Dutch Point, and the name of the Dutch fort, House of Hope, is reflected in the name of Huyshope Avenue. The fort was abandoned by 1654, but its neighborhood in Hartford is still known as Dutch Point, the Dutch outpost, and the tiny contingent of Dutch soldiers that were stationed there, did little to check the English migration. The Dutch soon realized they were vastly outnumbered, the House of Hope remained an outpost, but it was steadily swallowed up by waves of English settlers. The English began to arrive 1637, settling upstream from Fort Hoop near the present-day Downtown, the settlement was originally called Newtown, but was changed to Hartford in 1637 in honor of Stones hometown of Hertford, England. Hooker also created the town of Windsor. The etymology of Hartford is the ford where harts cross, the Seal of the City of Hartford features a male deer, which in full maturity was referred to by the medieval hunting term hart. The fledgling colony along the Connecticut River had issues with the authority by which it was to be governed because it was outside of the jurisdiction of the Massachusetts Bay Colonys charter. Historians suggest that Hookers conception of self-rule embodied in the Fundamental Orders went on to inspire the Connecticut Constitution, today, one of Connecticuts nicknames is the Constitution State
Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford, Connecticut
12.
Baccarat (card game)
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Baccarat is a card game played at casinos. There are three variants of the game, punto banco, baccarat chemin de fer, and baccarat banque. Punto banco is strictly a game of chance, with no skill or strategy involved, in baccarat chemin de fer and baccarat banque, by contrast, both players can make choices, which allows skill to play a part. Despite this, the odds are in favour of the bank. Baccarat is a card game played between two hands, the player and the banker. Each baccarat coup has three possible outcomes, player, banker, and tie, originally named Baccara, the game was introduced into France from Italy at the end of the 15th-century by soldiers returning from the Franco-Italian War during the reign of Charles VIII. Similar games include Macao, Oicho-Kabu, and Gabo japgi, in baccarat, cards have a point value, cards two through nine are worth face value, tens, jacks, queens and kings have no point value, aces are worth 1 point, jokers are not used. Hands are valued according to the rightmost digit of the sum of their constituent cards, for example, a hand consisting of 2 and 3 is worth 5, but a hand consisting of 6 and 7 is worth 3. The highest possible value in baccarat is therefore nine. About 91% of total income from Macau casinos in 2014 came from punto banco, in some countries, this version of the game is known as tableau. Punto banco is dealt from a shoe containing 6 or 8 decks of cards shuffled together with 8 decks being most commonly used, for each coup, two cards are dealt face up to each hand, starting from player and alternating between the hands. The croupier may call the total, If either Player or Banker or both achieve a total of 8 or 9 at this stage, the coup is finished and the result is announced, Player win, a Banker win, or tie. If neither hand has eight or nine, the rules are applied to determine whether Player should receive a third card. Then, based on the value of any card drawn to the player, the coup is then finished, the outcome is announced, and winning bets are paid out. If neither the Player nor Banker is dealt a total of 8 or 9 in the first two cards, the tableau is consulted, first for Players rule, then Bankers, Players rule If Player has an initial total of 0–5, he draws a third card. If Player has an total of 6 or 7, he stands. Bankers rule If Player stood pat, the banker regards only his own hand and that means Banker draws a third card with hands 0–5 and stands with 6 or 7. If Player drew a card, the Banker acts according to the following more complex rules, If Player drew a 2 or 3, Banker draws with 0–4
Baccarat (card game)
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Baccarat pallet and cards
13.
Punto Banco
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Baccarat is a card game played at casinos. There are three variants of the game, punto banco, baccarat chemin de fer, and baccarat banque. Punto banco is strictly a game of chance, with no skill or strategy involved, in baccarat chemin de fer and baccarat banque, by contrast, both players can make choices, which allows skill to play a part. Despite this, the odds are in favour of the bank. Baccarat is a card game played between two hands, the player and the banker. Each baccarat coup has three possible outcomes, player, banker, and tie, originally named Baccara, the game was introduced into France from Italy at the end of the 15th-century by soldiers returning from the Franco-Italian War during the reign of Charles VIII. Similar games include Macao, Oicho-Kabu, and Gabo japgi, in baccarat, cards have a point value, cards two through nine are worth face value, tens, jacks, queens and kings have no point value, aces are worth 1 point, jokers are not used. Hands are valued according to the rightmost digit of the sum of their constituent cards, for example, a hand consisting of 2 and 3 is worth 5, but a hand consisting of 6 and 7 is worth 3. The highest possible value in baccarat is therefore nine. About 91% of total income from Macau casinos in 2014 came from punto banco, in some countries, this version of the game is known as tableau. Punto banco is dealt from a shoe containing 6 or 8 decks of cards shuffled together with 8 decks being most commonly used, for each coup, two cards are dealt face up to each hand, starting from player and alternating between the hands. The croupier may call the total, If either Player or Banker or both achieve a total of 8 or 9 at this stage, the coup is finished and the result is announced, Player win, a Banker win, or tie. If neither hand has eight or nine, the rules are applied to determine whether Player should receive a third card. Then, based on the value of any card drawn to the player, the coup is then finished, the outcome is announced, and winning bets are paid out. If neither the Player nor Banker is dealt a total of 8 or 9 in the first two cards, the tableau is consulted, first for Players rule, then Bankers, Players rule If Player has an initial total of 0–5, he draws a third card. If Player has an total of 6 or 7, he stands. Bankers rule If Player stood pat, the banker regards only his own hand and that means Banker draws a third card with hands 0–5 and stands with 6 or 7. If Player drew a card, the Banker acts according to the following more complex rules, If Player drew a 2 or 3, Banker draws with 0–4
Punto Banco
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Baccarat pallet and cards
14.
Bingo (U.S.)
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Players compete against one another to be the first to have a winning arrangement for the prize or jackpot. After a winner is declared, the players clear their number cards of the tiles, alternative methods of play try to increase participation by creating excitement. Since its invention in 1929, modern bingo has evolved into multiple variations, there are also nearly unlimited patterns that may be specified for play. Some games require only one number to be matched, while cover-all games award the jackpot for covering an entire card, there are even games that award prizes to players for matching no numbers or achieving no pattern. The most common Bingo cards are flat pieces of cardboard or disposable paper which contain 25 squares arranged in five vertical columns, each space in the grid contains a number. A typical Bingo game utilizes the numbers 1 through 75, the five columns of the card are labeled B, I, N, G, and O from left to right. The center space is usually marked Free or Free Space, and is considered automatically filled. The number of all possible Bingo cards with standard features is P × P × P × P × P =552,446,474,061,128,648,601,600,000 or approximately 5. 52×1026. In U-Pick Em bingo and other variants of bingo, players are issued three 25 number cards which contain all 75 numbers that may be drawn, players then mark which numbers they wish to play and then daub those numbers according to the numbers drawn. In addition, double-action cards have two numbers in each square, a player wins by completing a row, column, or diagonal. The most chips one can place on a Bingo board without having a Bingo is 19, for example, in the illustration above, the 2×2 square of marked squares in the upper-right-hand corner would be considered a postage stamp. Another common special game requires players to cover the four corners, there are several other patterns, such as a Roving L, which requires players to cover all Bs and top or bottom row or all Os and top or bottom row. Another common pattern is a blackout, covering all 24 numbers, the numbers that are called in a game of bingo may be drawn utilizing a variety of methods to randomly generate the ball call. With the expansion of technology in bingo, electronic random number generators are now commonplace in most jurisdictions. All methods essentially generate a string of numbers which players match to their bingo cards. Single games often have multiple bingos, for example, the players first play for a line, after that, play goes on until a full card is called, then. Players often play cards for each game,30 is not an unusual number. Because of the numbers of cards played by each player
Bingo (U.S.)
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Bingo
Bingo (U.S.)
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A bingo winner in
Montreal,
Quebec in 1941
Bingo (U.S.)
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Bingo parlors in
Buenos Aires,
Argentina, where the game has become quite popular in the last twenty years
15.
Big Six wheel
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The Big Six wheel, also known simply as The Big Six or Wheel of Fortune, is an unequal game of chance, played using a large vertical wheel that can be spun. Since 13 May 2002, it can be played legally in licensed casinos in the United Kingdom, the game is also known in casinos in the United States. The wheel is divided into a number of segments separated by spokes or pins. Each segment is associated with a number, should the player stop the wheel, the segment at the top, is the winner. There are a number of variants of the game, that divide the wheel into a different number of segments, use different symbols in the segments and this variant is the most common in casinos in the United States. The symbols are $1, $2, $5, $10 and $20 bills —, the $1 bills pay at odds of 1 to 1, the $2 bills at 2 to 1, the $5 bills at 5 to 1, and so on. The joker and the pay at odds of 40 to 1 or 45 to 1. The house advantage or edge of this game is one of the highest of most casino games, in the United States it ranges from 11. 1% on the $1-bill bet to more than 24% on the joker or logo. In Australia the house edge is 7. 69% on all such that the payouts are,47,1,23,1,11,1,5,1,3,1 and 1,1 on a 52-segment wheel. The symbols on the wheel represent some of the 216 possible combinations of three dice, sometimes the same symbol appears in more than one segment. Players wager on the numbers 1 through 6, if the number appears on one of the dice in the winning segment, the dealer pays at 1 to 1. If the number appears on two of the dice, the dealer pays at 2 to 1, if the number appears on three of the dice, the dealer pays at 3 to 1. One example of a wheel, manufactured by H. C. Evans & Co. of Chicago, is divided into 54 segments. Each of the triples appears four times. The following doubles each appears four times,2,1,1,2,2,1,4,3,3,5,4,4,6,5,5, and 6,6,3. The following combinations each appear three times,3,2,1, and 6,5,4, in the example above, there are 54 possible outcomes for a single spin of the wheel. However, the advantage or edge is greater than for chuck-a-luck. This variety is seen in casinos, but frequently seen as a carnival game
Big Six wheel
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An example of the 'dice wheel' variant produced by
H. C. Evans & Co. of
Chicago.
16.
Pai gow
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Pai gow is a Chinese gambling game, played with a set of 32 Chinese dominoes. It is played in casinos in China, the United States, Canada, Australia. It dates back to at least the Song dynasty, the name pai gow is sometimes used to refer to a card game called pai gow poker, which is loosely based on pai gow. Pai gow loosely translates to make nine and was the basis for Baccarat, tiles are shuffled on the table and are arranged into eight face-down stacks of four tiles each in an assembly known as the woodpile. Individual stacks or tiles may then be moved in ways to rearrange the woodpile. Next, each player is one stack of tiles and must use them to form two hands of two tiles each. The hand with the value is called the front hand. If a players front hand beats the dealers front hand, if a players front and rear hands both lose to the dealers respective hands, the player loses the bet. If one hand wins and the other loses, the player is said to push, generally seven players will play, and each players hands are compared only against the dealers hands. There are 35,960 possible ways to select 4 of the 32 tiles when the 32 tiles are considered distinguishable, however, there are 3620 distinct sets of 4 tiles when the tiles of a pair are considered indistinguishable. There are 496 ways to select 2 of the 32 tiles when the 32 tiles are considered distinguishable, There are 136 distinct hands when the tiles of a pair are considered indistinguishable. The name pai gow is loosely translated as make nine or card nine and this reflects the fact that, with a few high-scoring exceptions, the maximum score for a hand is nine. The value of a hand is determined by adding up the number of pips on its two tiles and dropping the tens digit. Examples, 1-3 with 2-3, value 9 2-3 with 5-6, value 6 5-5 with 4-6, the double-one tiles and double-six tiles are known as the Day and Teen tiles, respectively. The combination of a Day or Teen with an eight results in a Gong, worth 10 points, while putting either of them with a nine creates a Wong, however, when a Day or Teen is paired with any other tile, the standard scoring rules apply. The 1-2 and the 2-4 tiles are called Gee Joon tiles, when used as part of a hand, these tiles may be scored as either 3 or 6, whichever results in a higher hand value. For example, a hand of 1-2 and 5-6 scores as seven rather than four, the 32 tiles in a Chinese dominoes set can be arranged into 16 pairs, as shown in the picture at the top of this article. Eleven of these pairs have identical tiles, and five of these pairs are made up of two tiles that score the same, but look different
Pai gow
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A set of Chinese dominoes. The top double-row of tiles lists the eleven matching pairs, in descending value from left to right. Below them are five non-matching pairs, worth less than the matching pairs, and also in descending value from left to right. The Gee Joon tiles, lower right, are the highest pair of all.
17.
Sic Bo
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Sic bo, also known as tai sai, dai siu, big and small or hi-lo, is an unequal game of chance played with three dice, and of ancient Chinese origin. Grand hazard and chuck-a-luck are variants, and of English origin, the literal meaning of sic bo is precious dice, while dai siu and dai sai mean big small. Sic bo is a game, popular in Asia and widely played in casinos in Macau. It is played in the Philippines as hi-lo and it was introduced to the United States by Chinese immigrants in the early 20th century, and can now be found in most American casinos. Since 13 May 2002, it can be played legally in licensed casinos in the United Kingdom, gameplay involves betting that a certain condition will be satisfied by a roll of the dice. Players place their bets on certain areas of the table as shown in the picture above, the dealer then picks up a small chest containing the dice which he/she closes and shakes. Finally the dealer opens the chest to reveal the combination, sic bo is one of two casino games involving dice, the other being craps. Sic bo is strictly a game of chance because every roll on the results a win or loss on any bet. In craps, some bets require certain rolls before they can become winning or losing bets, the most common wagers are Big and Small. Grand Hazard is a game of English origin, also played with three dice. The dice are thrown with a cup or rolled down a chute containing a series of inclined planes that tumble the dice as they fall. Threes-of-a-kind are known as raffles and pay out at 18 to 1, chuck-a-luck, also known as sweat cloth, chuckerluck and birdcage, is a variant in the United States, which has its origins in grand hazard. The three dice are kept in a device that resembles a bird cage and that pivots about its centre. The dealer rotates the cage end over end, with the landing on the bottom. Chuck-a-luck usually features only the single-number wagers, sometimes with a wager for any triple with odds of 30 to 1
Sic Bo
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A sic bo table
18.
Let It Ride (card game)
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Let It Ride is a casino table game based on poker, where the player wagers on a five-card poker hand formed by their own three cards and two community cards. It is a product of Bally Technologies, under its Shuffle Master brand, the game is played at a relaxed pace relative to other casino card games, which has made it attractive to older players and to table game neophytes. Initially found in casinos, the popularity of Let It Ride has waned over the past 15 years. With the standard pay table and optimal strategy, the edge is 3. 51%. The game was invented by Shuffle Master founder John Breeding, with the goal of fueling demand for the companys shuffling machine, Let It Ride is a variation of five-card stud, based on three player cards and two community cards. The two community cards are dealt face down. The most distinguishing feature of Let It Ride is that the player is given two opportunities to withdraw exactly one-third of their initial wager, the player may reduce their wager on either of these occasions, or on both, or neither. If the player not to withdraw part of their wager. In the event of a hand after the second community card is revealed. In order to ensure that the initial wager is divisible by three, each player must distribute their wager over three betting spots which must all contain the same chip value. Players are not permitted to show their cards or to see the cards of players at any point before the end of the deal. Like blackjack and video poker, player decisions in Let It Ride affect the house edge, the strategy outlined below assumes the standard payout structure shown above. With correct strategy, the edge in Let It Ride is about 3. 5% of the final. Common side bets for Let It Ride include, A bet on the hand formed by the players three cards. This is comparable to the plus side bet in the casino game of three card poker. A fixed payout scheduling based on the hand, typically starting with two pair or three of a kind. Shuffle entertainments official page on Let It Ride, wizard of Odds Let It Ride Odds and Strategy
Let It Ride (card game)
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Let It Ride logo
19.
Three card poker
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Three card poker is a casino table game based on poker. It is the most profitable proprietary table game ever when measured by win generated for casinos or by revenue generated for the rights owners, the casino variant of Three Card Poker was first invented by Derek Webb in 1994. He had a vision for a game that combined the excitement of poker, Webb established a marketing entity called Prime Table Games in an attempt to market the game in both the USA and Great Britain. The first person to adopt the game was Vice President of Grand Casino Gulfport, Barry Morris, after Webb had unsuccessful sales pitches with casino owners in Reno, Las Vegas, and Atlantic City. Webb sealed the deal with Morris after agreeing to train the dealers in his casino at no extra cost, Webb stood by the tables for hours daily, enticed punters to play and taught them the rules while making sure the dealers were dealing the game correctly. Prime Table Games continued marketing Three Card Poker until 1999, when Shuffle Master acquired the rights to the game outside the British Isles, United Kingdom gambling regulations were changed to allow the introduction of Three Card Poker in 2002. The sale of Three Card Poker to Shuffle Master by Prime Table Games was prompted by litigation by a company of Progressive Gaming International Corporation. Shuffle Master agreed to defend that litigation as part of the 1999 Three Card Poker purchase, subsequently in 2007, in United States Federal Court in Jackson, Mississippi, Prime Table Games proved that the 1999 PGIC litigation was based on fraudulent and invalid patents. Three Card Poker incorporates two modes of play, the Ante and Play wagers play in competition on the player hand against the dealer hand. The Pair Plus wager is paid on a pay scale basis that the hand will be a pair or better. In most casinos both the Ante and the Pair Plus are optional, but there are casinos in which the Ante is mandatory. After all Ante and Pair Plus wagers are placed, three cards are dealt to each player and the dealer, players that have placed the Ante wager have a choice to either fold or continue in the game by placing a Play wager equal to the Ante. Hands are then exposed and wagers resolved, the dealer hand must be Queen high or better for the dealer hand to play. If the dealer does not play, then there is no action on Play wagers, if the dealer does play, the dealer and player hands are compared. If the player loses, both the Ante and Play wagers lose. If the player wins both the Ante and Play wagers are paid 1 to 1. If the hands are tied, then there is no action on the Ante, an additional feature is the Ante Bonus, which is paid to the Ante wager for a straight or better. The Ante Bonus is paid on a pay scale and is paid regardless of whether the dealer plays, the typical Ante Bonus paytable pays 5 to 1 for a straight flush,4 to 1 for a three of a kind, and 1 to 1 for a straight
Three card poker
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Three card poker table located in the Dawn Club Casino on deck six
20.
Jai-Alai
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Jai alai is a sport involving a ball bounced off a walled space by accelerating it to high speeds with a hand-held device. It is a variation of Basque pelota, the term, coined by Serafin Baroja in 1875, is also often loosely applied to the fronton where the sport is played. The game is called zesta-punta in Basque, the Basque Government promotes jai alai as the fastest sport in the world because of the speed of the ball. The court for jai alai consists of walls on the front, back and left, if the ball touches the floor outside these walls, it is considered out of bounds. Similarly, there is also a border on the lower 3 feet of the front wall that is out of bounds. The ceiling on the court is very high, so the ball has a more predictable path. The court is divided by 14 parallel lines going horizontally across the court, with line 1 closest to the front wall, in doubles, each team consists of a frontcourt player and a backcourt player. The game begins when the player of the first team serves the ball to the second team. The winner of each point stays on the court to meet the team in rotation. Losers go to the end of the line to another turn on the court. The first team to score 7 points wins, the next highest scores are awarded place and show positions, respectively. A jai alai game is played in round format, usually between eight teams of two players each or eight single players. The first team to score 7 or 9 points wins the game, two of the eight teams are in the court for each point. The server on one team must bounce the ball behind the serving line, the ball is then in play. The ball used in jai alai consists of metal strands tightly wound together, teams alternate catching the ball in their cesta and throwing it in one fluid motion without holding or juggling it. The ball must be either on the fly or after bouncing once on the floor. A team scores a point if a player, fails to serve the ball directly to the front wall so that upon rebound it will bounce between lines No.4 and 7. If it does not, it is an under or over serve, points usually double after the first round of play, once each team has played at least one point
Jai-Alai
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Jai alai play in progress
Jai-Alai
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Long xistera.
Jai-Alai
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Jai alai arena in
Mexico City near the
Monument to the Revolution.
Jai-Alai
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Miami Jai Alai fronton, built in 1926 and known as "The Yankee Stadium of Jai Alai"
21.
Dog racing
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Greyhound racing is an organized, competitive sport in which greyhound dogs are raced around a track. There are two forms of racing, track racing and coursing. Track racing uses an artificial lure that travels ahead of the dogs on a rail until the cross the finish line. As with horse racing, greyhound races often allow the public to bet on the outcome, in coursing the dogs chase a lure. In many countries greyhound racing is purely amateur and solely for enjoyment, Animal rights and animal welfare groups are critical of the welfare of dogs in the commercial racing industry where, in some countries, dog trainers illegally use live baiting. A greyhound adoption movement has arisen to assist retired racing dogs in finding homes as pets, modern greyhound racing has its origins in coursing. The first recorded attempt at racing greyhounds on a track was made beside the Welsh Harp reservoir, Hendon, England, in 1876. The industry emerged in its modern form, featuring circular or oval tracks, with the invention of the mechanical or artificial hare, in 1912, by an American. O. P. Smith had altruistic aims for the industry to stop the killing of the jack rabbits, in 1919, Smith opened the first professional dog-racing track with stands in Emeryville, California. The certificates system led the way to parimutuel betting, as quarry and on-course gambling, in the United States during the 1930s. The oval track and mechanical hare were introduced to Britain, in 1926, by another American, Charles Munn, in association with Major Lyne-Dixson, a Canadian, who was a key figure in coursing. Finding other supporters proved to rather difficult however and with the General Strike of 1926 looming, eventually they met Brigadier-General Critchley, who in turn introduced them to Sir William Gentle. The industry was successful in cities and towns throughout the U. K. – by the end of 1927, Betting has always been a key ingredient of greyhound racing, both through on-course bookmakers and the totalisator, first introduced in 1930. Like horse racing, it is popular to bet on the races as a form of parimutuel gambling. Greyhound racing enjoyed its highest UK attendances just after the Second World War— for example, the industry experienced a decline from the early 1960s- after the 1960 UK Betting and Gaming Act permitted off-course cash betting. Sponsorship, limited coverage, and the later abolition of on-course betting tax have partially offset this decline. In addition to the eight countries where commercial greyhound racing exists, in 2016, a bill was passed through the government of the state New South Wales, in Australia to ban greyhound racing. This new law was to come into effect in the middle of 2017 but was reversed in late 2016, Greyhound adoption groups frequently report that the dogs from the tracks have tooth problems, the cause of which is debated
Dog racing
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Several greyhounds before a race.
Dog racing
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Greyhound during a race.
Dog racing
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Greyhounds rounding a turn on a track.
Dog racing
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Crated greyhound at Jefferson County Kennel Club
22.
Horse racing
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Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys or driven over a set distance for competition. Horse races vary widely in format, often, countries have developed their own particular horse racing traditions. Variations include restricting races to particular breeds, running over obstacles, running over different distances, running on different track surfaces, Horse racing has a long and distinguished history and has been practised in civilisations across the world since ancient times. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in Ancient Greece, Babylon, Syria and it also plays an important part of myth and legend, such as the contest between the steeds of the god Odin and the giant Hrungnir in Norse mythology. Chariot racing was one of the most popular ancient Greek, Roman, both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC and were important in the other Panhellenic Games. This was despite the fact that racing was often dangerous to both driver and horse as they frequently suffered serious injury and even death. In the Roman Empire, chariot and mounted horse racing were major industries, fifteen to 20 riderless horses, originally imported from the Barbary Coast of North Africa, ran the length of the Via del Corso, a long, straight city street, in about 2½ minutes. In later times, Thoroughbred racing became, and remains, popular with the aristocrats and royalty of British society, historically, equestrians honed their skills through games and races. Equestrian sports provided entertainment for crowds and honed the excellent horsemanship that was needed in battle, Horse racing of all types evolved from impromptu competitions between riders or drivers. The various forms of competition, requiring demanding and specialized skills from both horse and rider, resulted in the development of specialized breeds and equipment for each sport. The popularity of sports through the centuries has resulted in the preservation of skills that would otherwise have disappeared after horses stopped being used in combat. There are many different types of racing, including, Flat racing. Jump racing, or Jumps racing, also known as Steeplechasing or, in the UK and Ireland, National Hunt racing, Harness racing, where horses trot or pace while pulling a driver in a sulky. Breeds that are used for flat racing include the Thoroughbred, Quarter Horse, Arabian, Paint, Jump racing breeds include the Thoroughbred and AQPS. In harness racing, Standardbreds are used in Australia, New Zealand and North America, light cold blood horses, such as Finnhorses and Scandinavian coldblood trotter are also used in harness racing within their respective geographical areas. There also are races for ponies, both flat and jump and harness racing, Flat racing is the most common form of racing seen worldwide. Track surfaces vary, with turf most common in Europe, dirt more common in North America and Asia, individual flat races are run over distances ranging from 440 yards up to two and a half miles, with distances between five and twelve furlongs being most common. Short races are referred to as sprints, while longer races are known as routes in the United States or staying races in Europe
Horse racing
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Horse racing at
Arlington Park, 2007
Horse racing
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Steeplechase racing at
Deauville
Horse racing
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Harness racing in
Adelaide
Horse racing
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Riderless Racers at Rome by
Théodore Géricault
23.
World Poker Tour
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The World Poker Tour is a series of international poker tournaments and associated television series broadcasting the final table of each tournament. It was started in 2002 in the United States by attorney/television producer Steven Lipscomb, who served as CEO of WPT Enterprises, in 2008, the WPT started offering bracelets to its event champions. Players who won a title prior to the release of the WPT Bracelet were given one retroactively, in November 2009, PartyGaming announced its acquisition of the World Poker Tour from WPTE for $12.3 million. In December 2014, World Poker Tour announced an alliance with Ourgame, agreeing to license products, in June 2015, The World Poker Tour announced that it was acquired by Ourgame International Holdings Ltd. for a price of $35 million in cash. The year-round WPT television show, building on the annual broadcast of the World Series of Poker, has contributed to the Poker boom in American homes, in casino poker rooms. The key sponsors of the WPT are casinos and online poker sites, the WPT television show, which is syndicated internationally, features commentary and analysis by World Series of Poker bracelet winner Mike Sexton and actor Vince Van Patten. Interviews and sideline reporting are provided by a female host, shana Hiatt served as the show host and sideline reporter in its first three seasons. Courtney Friel took over the host role for the fourth season, layla Kayleigh and Kimberly Lansing began serving as hostesses in season six. Poker player and reporter Amanda Leatherman was the host for season seven, Kimberly Lansing returned as anchor for seasons nine through eleven. Lynn Gilmartin assumed the role for season twelve and remains the current anchor for season thirteen. Following the November 2009 acquisition of the World Poker Tour by PartyGaming plc and this series has, to date, focused on televising the European stops of the WPT. Mike Sexton continues to provide commentary, though he is partnered with Denmark-based American commentator Jesse May rather than Vince Van Patten, the role of female show host and sideline reporter has been served by a number of personalities, often from the country where the event is held. One exception is Canadian born poker player Kara Scott, who has served as host for a number of the Party Poker branded telecasts of these European WPT events. In 2014, the World Poker Tour launched a high roller tournament series, WPT Alpha8, the series originally featured commentary and analysis by Ali Nejad and Olivier Busquet, with Lynn Gilmartin serving as anchor. In later seasons, Vince Van Patten and Tony Dunst replaced Nejad, the tour had its debut season in the latter part of 2002 and early part of 2003, climaxing with the WPT Championship in April 2003 at the Bellagio in Las Vegas, Nevada. The first season aired on the Travel Channel on American cable television in the spring of 2003, the show made its network debut on February 1,2004 on NBC with a special Battle of Champions tournament, which aired against CBS coverage of the Super Bowl XXXVIII pre-game show. The Travel Channel aired the first five seasons of the Tour, in April 2007, WPTE announced that the series would move to GSN for its sixth season in the spring of 2008. The first WPT tournament to air on GSN, the Mirage Poker Showdown, in July 2008, WPTE announced that the series would move to Fox Sports Net for its seventh season
World Poker Tour
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World Poker Tour
24.
California
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California is the most populous state in the United States and the third most extensive by area. Located on the western coast of the U. S, California is bordered by the other U. S. states of Oregon, Nevada, and Arizona and shares an international border with the Mexican state of Baja California. Los Angeles is Californias most populous city, and the second largest after New York City. The Los Angeles Area and the San Francisco Bay Area are the nations second- and fifth-most populous urban regions, California also has the nations most populous county, Los Angeles County, and its largest county by area, San Bernardino County. The Central Valley, an agricultural area, dominates the states center. What is now California was first settled by various Native American tribes before being explored by a number of European expeditions during the 16th and 17th centuries, the Spanish Empire then claimed it as part of Alta California in their New Spain colony. The area became a part of Mexico in 1821 following its war for independence. The western portion of Alta California then was organized as the State of California, the California Gold Rush starting in 1848 led to dramatic social and demographic changes, with large-scale emigration from the east and abroad with an accompanying economic boom. If it were a country, California would be the 6th largest economy in the world, fifty-eight percent of the states economy is centered on finance, government, real estate services, technology, and professional, scientific and technical business services. Although it accounts for only 1.5 percent of the states economy, the story of Calafia is recorded in a 1510 work The Adventures of Esplandián, written as a sequel to Amadis de Gaula by Spanish adventure writer Garci Rodríguez de Montalvo. The kingdom of Queen Calafia, according to Montalvo, was said to be a land inhabited by griffins and other strange beasts. This conventional wisdom that California was an island, with maps drawn to reflect this belief, shortened forms of the states name include CA, Cal. Calif. and US-CA. Settled by successive waves of arrivals during the last 10,000 years, various estimates of the native population range from 100,000 to 300,000. The Indigenous peoples of California included more than 70 distinct groups of Native Americans, ranging from large, settled populations living on the coast to groups in the interior. California groups also were diverse in their organization with bands, tribes, villages. Trade, intermarriage and military alliances fostered many social and economic relationships among the diverse groups, the first European effort to explore the coast as far north as the Russian River was a Spanish sailing expedition, led by Portuguese captain Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo, in 1542. Some 37 years later English explorer Francis Drake also explored and claimed a portion of the California coast in 1579. Spanish traders made unintended visits with the Manila galleons on their trips from the Philippines beginning in 1565
California
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A forest of redwood trees in
Redwood National Park
California
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Flag
California
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Mount Shasta
California
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Aerial view of the
California Central Valley
25.
Commerce Casino
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Commerce Casino is a cardroom located in the Los Angeles suburb of Commerce. With over 240 tables on site, Commerce Casino is the largest cardroom in the world, established in 1983, the casino accounted for 38% of Commerces tax revenues for the 2006-2007 fiscal year. As of 2016, the casino was providing $22 million a year in licensing fees to the city, the Commerce is also home to several restaurants and host to live boxing, MMA and Professional Wrestling events. Commerce Casino opened a Playboy-themed gaming lounge in 2014, Commerce spreads holdem games as low as 2-3 and 2-4. 3-6, 4-8 & 6-12 exist on the floor, with 8-16. No Limit Hold em games have buy-ins as low as $40, there is a new $5/10 $500/$1500 spread No Limit Holdem game which was first created in 2008. The Casinos bad beat jackpots sometimes grow into six figures, Commerce Casino offers a $100,000 Super Jackpot for Hold em. Players can bring members of a game to the Casino and they will provide game instruction, dealers. The home games act as cash games and are eligible for jackpots. The casino offers free lessons on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at the Crowne Plaza Hotel. Beginner classes are Tuesdays from 8 pm to 10 pm and intermediate classes are held on Thursdays from 8 pm to 10 pm, registration is available at the company website. The instructor is Roger Rodd Poker Comedian and Poker Instructor to the Stars, the Commerce Casino is home to several poker tournament series, including, Los Angeles Poker Classic - Annual tournament beginning in January and running through early March. This is Commerces major tournament of the year, involving a World Poker Tour event, a Professional Poker Tour event and the celebrity event, California State Poker Championship - Annual tournament, held in May. Originally held in June, the tournament was moved to avoid conflict with the World Series of Poker, Commerce Hold em Series - Annual tournament held in September with smaller buy-ins where every event is Texas hold em. The L. A. Poker Open - Annual tournament held in November, the Commerce Casino is home to several eating establishments, including, Wood Dragon Restaurant - Chinese cuisine, the restaurant is located in the Main Lobby of the Crowne Plaza Hotel. The Arena Sports Bar & Grill - Offers a variety of International cuisine with entertainment, live sporting events, located in the hotel near the Hi-Limit Section. The Commerce Cafe - Near the Main Poker Room offering Traditional American cuisine, pastries and Starbucks hot and iced coffees. Tableside Dining Commerce also offers Pan, No Bust Blackjack,3 Card Poker, Let It Ride, Caribbean Stud Poker, 21st Century Baccarat, EZ Baccarat, Pai Gow Poker, Super Pan Nine and 13 Card
Commerce Casino
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Commerce Casino
26.
Bicycle Casino
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The Bicycle Hotel & Casino is a poker cardroom in California. Founded by George Hardie Sr. in 1984, located in Bell Gardens, California, The Bicycle Casino offers a selection of games and Asian games. The casino features games including, Blackjack, Texas Hold Em, Seven Card Stud, Omaha hold em, Mexican Poker, Pai Gow Poker, Three Card Poker and Baccarat. Financing to build the original Bicycle Club casino was provided by Sam Gilbert, the casino is home to the Legends of Poker, a tournament series established in 1995 that now includes a stop on the World Poker Tour. Prior to the Legends, the main tournament series was called the Diamond Jim Brady. In 1987, Sam Gilbert was the subject of an investigation into money laundering and racketeering charges. According to the investigation, a scheme to launder the money received from smuggling marijuana was put together to finance the construction of the Bicycle Casino in Bell Gardens, according to one criminal complaint, Gilbert was indicted in Miami 4 days after his death. His son Michael also was indicted, the U. S. Government seized the casino in April,1990, after a jury found that $12 million of the $22 million used in its construction came from Florida drug smugglers. The clubs profits were frozen and placed in a special U. S. marshal account until the court held civil hearing to determine which partners knew that the club was built with drug money. George Hardie and The Park Place Associates ownership were exonerated in 1990, in July 1991 a Florida federal judge ruled that at least one of the partners, former Los Angeles Westside banker M. Dale Lyon, knew about the clubs financing. Eight other partners in the LCP Associates, the named for Lyon, Coyne and Pierson. LCP partners Julianne Coyne and former California Assemblyman David C, Pierson settled before the civil hearing. In 1991, they agreed to give up half of their interest in LCP. By the time it sold its share of the casino in 1996, as a partner in the club, the government also contributed to political campaigns to defeat the proposal to build a rival card club in Orange County. The Bicycle Hotel & Casino was the first brick and mortar casino to broadcast live games over the Internet. It ran five nights a week, and was accessible via the casinos website, the show sometimes featured guest commentary from professional players like Barry Greenstein and Kenna James. Live at the Bike became a service in mid-2006. The live broadcast was canceled in March 2007, but returned in January 2011 on PokerNetcast. com, the Bicycle Hotel & Casino underwent a major hotel expansion in the Fall of 2015
Bicycle Casino
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The Bicycle Hotel & Casino
27.
Mixed martial arts
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Mixed martial arts is a full-contact combat sport that allows both striking and grappling, both standing and on the ground, using techniques from other combat sports and martial arts. The first documented use of the mixed martial arts was in a review of UFC1 by television critic Howard Rosenberg in 1993. The term gained popularity when newfullcontact. com, then one of the largest websites covering the sport, the question of who actually coined the term is subject to debate. During the early 20th century, various mixed-style contests took place throughout Japan, in 1980 CV Productions, Inc. created the first regulated MMA league in the United States, named Tough Guy Contest, later renamed Battle of the Superfighters. The company sanctioned ten tournaments in Pennsylvania, however, in 1983 the Pennsylvania State Senate passed a bill prohibiting the sport. In 1993, the Gracie family brought vale tudo, developed in Brazil from the 1920s, later, individual fighters employed multiple martial arts into their style. MMA promoters were pressured to adopt additional rules to increase safety, to comply with sport regulations. Following these changes, the sport has increased popularity with a pay-per-view business that rivals boxing. In Ancient Greece there was a sport called pankration, which featured a combination of grappling and striking skills similar to found in modern MMA. Pankration was formed by a combination of the already established wrestling and boxing traditions and, in Olympic terms, All strikes and holds were allowed with the exception of biting and gouging, which were banned. Fighters, also known as pankratists, fought until a fighter submitted, according to E. Norman Gardiner, No branch of athletics was more popular than the pankration. From its origins in Ancient Greece, pankration was later passed on to the Romans, the mid nineteenth century saw the prominence of the new sport savate in the combat sports circle. At that time, French fighters wanted to test out the sport against the traditional styles of its time. However, the English team still won the four other match-ups during the contest, since then other similar contest also occurred by the late 19th to mid-20th century between French Savateurs and other combat styles. The next publicized encounter occurred in the late 1890s when future heavyweight boxing champion Bob Fitzsimmons took on European Greco-Roman Wrestling champion Ernest Roeber. In September 1901, Frank Paddy Slavin, who had been a contender for Sullivans boxing title, knocked out future world wrestling champion Frank Gotch in Dawson City, Canada. The judo-practitioner Ren-nierand who gained fame after defeating George Dubois, would again in another similar contest against Ukrainian wrestler Ivan Poddubny. Another early example of mixed martial arts was Bartitsu, which Edward William Barton-Wright founded in London in 1899, merikan contests were fought under a variety of rules, including points decision, best of three throws or knockdowns, and victory via knockout or submission
Mixed martial arts
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Junior dos Santos, in white shorts, and
Shane Carwin, in black shorts, during an MMA match at the main event of
UFC 131 in
Vancouver,
British Columbia, on June 11, 2011.
Mixed martial arts
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Two fighters grappling in a mixed martial arts event.
Mixed martial arts
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Women competing in an MMA event.
Mixed martial arts
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A ring-side doctor attends to a fighter following a loss.
