The Big ' Little Known' Fact List Of Gambling

Here at GamblingPhD, when it comes to online gambling we are firm believers that the more you now, the less money you blow! With this in mind, we have come up with a complete list of little known facts that are sure to be helpful when making decisions during any online gambling session and every trip you take to a land casino.

Listed below is an interesting compilation of little known - or slightly off kilter facts that we are sure you will find amusing if not helpful in winning lots of cash when gambling. Enjoy!

 - While no one is really sure where the die or dice originated, it is largely believed by many that old-time witch doctors, for entertainment, used to toss the knucklebones of sheep (yup, and they even have four sides) or cows to see which side they would land on. Then it is believed that the Greeks enhanced this pass time by adding markings to the bones and playing a game similar to the dice game we know now. After that, the Greeks passed it on to the Romans, who ate them -just kidding! Really, when the Romans got a hold of the idea, they are believed to have evolved the dice into wooden or stone cubes having six sides. Some where even made from teeth (we won't speculate who's) and ivory. These days, dice are made of colored plastic, the dots on them now indicated numbers, and they are tossed two at a time!

  -  The 52-card deck of playing cards we know today are a direct descendant of the cards first made in France, way back in the 1400's. At that time, it is said that the deck contained four suits. Each suit had 13 cards, plus four wild cards. Each suit represented one of the four classes in French society. For instance, ranked highest, hearts represented the church. Next, spades represented the army. Diamonds were said to represent merchants. Lastly, clubs represented farmers and peasants alike.

Later on, the English were said to have taken the credit for making an improvement to playing cards by printing the suit and rank at the top AND bottom of the cards. This way, players were able to read their cards much easier. For example, they no longer had to arrange the cards or tip them upside-down in order to read them easily.

  - There really is a lot of Psychology involved in gambling, at least as far as the casino is concerned. For instance, when you arrive at any gambling table and want to gamble, the first thing you do is lay down the money you want to bet with, the dealer then gives you chips that represent your cash. It is much easier for dealers to collect bets and make payouts with these chips than is is to use actual money. Plus, psychologically, players are way more likely to blow off the fact that they just lost a piece of plastic than they would if a one hundred dollar bill changed hands at the end of a hand! We are not likely to regard the (always) brightly colored chips as our hard earned money! Quite simply, we are likely to wager more each hand as well. Come on, the free cocktails are flowing too!

 - When was the last time you walked into a casino that had carpeting in one solid color? Oh yes, I mean that wild pattern on the carpet is there for a reason folks. The ceiling is pretty boring too. This is because the casino wants you to focus on the table and the game. When you are sitting there (or even walking though) you look at the busy carpet, yuck, then your eyes wander to the boring ceiling. There you have it, you don't want to look at the carpet too long - or the ceiling. This way, you are more likely to focus on gambling!.

Even the positioning of the slots and tables are taken into serious consideration when designing a casino properly.

 - Recently, a twenty year study of casino design showed that areas in casinos with lower ceilings created much more traffic. Yes, it is now known that areas in the casino with a more intimate vibe make gamblers feel (subconsciously) more at ease, causing them to stick around longer and spend more money! I guess that explains why the last time I was in MGM Grand, no one was playing in the huge domed-roof area just inside the main entrance where all these slot machines were positioned. It is such a beautiful area and the slots were always vacant. Not to worry MGM Grand, there where plenty of people playing in the areas with lower ceilings. Imagine the revenue they could be generating if the area was renovated. The price we pay for beauty.