I have always been fascinated by horse racing. Not by the race itself, but by the whole “mis en place”, the stage, the scenery, the agitation from the betting offices, the sweat of the players, the moment of hesitation, the mechanical signs as well as those of brokers in the great stock exchange tenders, the money count.

And then, the horse’s hoof stamping against a concentrated wait- out. The walking slightly bent, masking the thrill of emotion pulsing in the butt muscle, just for a moment there. The road from the pad- dock to the post, in an apparent calm, seemingly listening to the crowds rumoring. The obvious awareness of the horse of the fact that he is a star, that he is the important, if not decisive element of a lifetime. And, once more, the transcendental relation is defined between the horse and the rider. The atavistic need of the man to bet on “his horse”, become a symbol, regardless of the means of connection. Intention, thought, fact, intuition. In the tribunes the better can feel his blood pulsing in the carotid, his eyes focused, analyzing the impressive jump of his horse… Inevitably, the pos- session instinct becomes exacerbated when money is at stake.

Unfortunately, betting on real flesh and bone horses has nearly succumbed. Horse maintenance costs, not to mention the con- struction and administration of a hippodrome… Land is far too ex- pensive to build stables and dependencies on it, instead of resi- dential living areas. The nostalgias of old horse betters has deter- mined software and electronic slot machines manufacturers to transfer the big challenge in casinos. I learnt that there is a casino horse race, “concentrated”. Toy horses can get the money out of your pocket, or bring it there, as if they were pure-blood speci- mens. Real money, buying memories, moods, sensations. One thing was irrevocably lost – the neigh, as a battle cry of the winning horse for his prize.

Card playing has given birth to legends, fables, lessons, a slang of its own, a million movie scenarios, theater, novel plots. Poker has created a special world, with its good and bad sides. And, undoubtedly, it has given birth to fascinating characters who have “written”, volens-nolens, spicy stories, full of humor.

For instance, John Montagu, the 4th Earl of Sandwich. The man was born on November the 13th 1718 and passed away on April the 30th 1792. John was an enthusiast of traveling, occupying twice the position of first-lord of the British Royal Admiralty. In the naval history, of both Great Britain and the USA, he is remembered as the admiral who insisted to keep the most part of the English fleet in Europe during the American War of Independence, for fear of a possible French attack (allied of the USA) on the British islands. As far as literature is concerned, he left a travel journal describing his travels around the Mediterranean Sea, published in 1799. And for gastronomy he left his name: Sandwich.

In his personal life, John Montagu was a passionate card player.

In those times, games were interrupted for meal breaks, due to the fact that food could not be preserved for too long, given that refrigerators were not around, nor were there semi-prepared dishes.

One day in 1762 he got so caught up in a game, that he did not allow his partners to leave the table, himself remaining stuck to the chair.

Finally, starved to death, he asked for the food dishes to be brought at the playing table. Annoyed for only having two hands – one holding the bread, the other the meat -, not having a spare third one for the cards, he put the meat on top of the bread, thus offering himself the possibility to eat and play at the same time. Legend has it that he kept on playing for 24 hours, after which he left, upset on account of not winning too much.

John continued practicing this eating&playing style only during very intense games. But his game partners remembered the method as the “Sandwich style”.

PAPER CALCULATION

Another prominent figure of card playing was John Law, as Scottish as John Montagu. Law lived between1671-1729 and was very keen on numbers. That’s where his talent for mathematics and accounting. And card games, of course. He won very frequently because he calculated the cards and knew with relative accuracy what his odds were. For him, gambling was a matter of playing with numbers. For nine years he won significant sums of money. After that, the story does not say why, came the downfall. Loosing as much as he had won, in the year 1700 he had to mortgage the family mansion in order to cover his debts. Chased by creditors, he fled to France, where he tried to refrain from playing, mostly dealing with finances. Endowed with a bright mind, he managed to gain access in the entourage of the regent of Philippe the Second, Duke of Orleans, the administrator of French finances. He presented him a project according to which crediting businessmen, foreign investments and paper money would revive French economy. He remained in the history of this country on account of the fact that in 1716, subsequent to his idea being imposed, the first paper bills were issued. John Law left France and settled in Venice. The money he spent until his death was won in casinos.

ON THE DEAD MAN’S HAND

Just as important for history is James Butler Hickok, also known as “Wild Bill”. The character, of American origin, lived in the Wild West between the years 18371876. Back then, any town had a saloon where gunmen would play poker, bartenders would keep a flint under the “counter”, where the sheriff was the most respected person and where the most popular newspaper was the one displaying wanted criminals. Hickok named the card combination “dead man’s hand”, as a pure fact of life which occurred in the town of Deadwood in the Dakota Territory. Wild Bill was a fast gunman, with myopia and no glasses. On August the 2nd 1876, around 16:00, according to the report of the local police, Wild Bill entered a saloon where he was invited to a game of poker. The table had only one spare seat. He would never find out that it was actually a plot that lead to his assassination. Gunman Jack McCall, hired by the underworld heads who wanted Bill dead entered the pub and shot him in the back. The cards fell from his hand, spreading all over the floor; two eights and two aces, (spades and clubs). The combination was called, in the spirit of black humor, the “dead man’s hand”. Regarding the fifth card, there are two versions of the story.

The first would be that it fell a bit farther, as Wild Bill was just on the point of changing it, thus holding it in the other hand, and, in the mixup, it got lost on the table, or stuck under someone’s shoes. The second version has it that the dead man had already succumbed, without getting the chance to receive another card.

Angelo Barbato is an Italian who declares to be a man in love with Brasov and with the people living there. He also started a business here, out of passion, and, especially, out of the wish to recreate the atmosphere of relaxation and emotional involvement he lived along the years in various casinos of the world.

MR BARBATO, DID THE BUSINESS YOU BUILD HAVE AS STARTING POINT THE PASSION FOR GAM- BLING?

In a way, yes. I became a fre- quent client of the casinos many years ago, and I here I found a very nteresting and extremely heteroge- neous environment.

Not only the passion for gambling brings people in the casino, but also he pleasure to spend time in a place where the atmosphere is bivalent:.you can relax while having a glass of co- gnac or enjoying the flavor of a cigar, or you can try strong sensations, when adrenalin reaches the climax in he moment when, at the gambling able, you can win or loose significant sums. The passion for this atmos- phere, as well as the will to preserve it as I myself have experienced it, have determined me to build the Vesuvius casino in Brasov.

HOW DID YOU INITIATE THE PROJECT?

I contacted some specialists who analyzed thoroughly the idea, which seemed to be only a dream at the beginning. Then, we elabo- rated a complex business plan. This plan and the specialists who advise us constitute the orienta- tion compass of this business.

HAVE YOU ACTIVATED IN THIS DOMAIN IN OTHER COUN- TRIES AS WELL?

No, for the moment we are ac- tive in Romania and Italy with other activities, collateral to gambling.

DID YOU BEGIN THOSE ACTIVI- TIES HERE?

No. The casino was my first business in Romania. The collater- al businesses beside the casino which are: the restaurant and ex- change office, created afterwards.

The project does not end here.

Next we will build a 5-star hotel with a spa center and with com- mercial galleries. This structure will cover a surface of 17.000 sqm, and the hotel will have 100 rooms and will be important for the devel- opment of the town as far as tourism is concerned, beside cre- ating new working opportunities for the people in Brasov.

WHY ROMANIA? WHY BRASOV?

After a careful study, we con- sidered Romania to be the ideal country for starting this sort of business, which, I repeat, is for me a passion before everything else.

The town of Brasov was identified as the prefect place after only 18 months of field research. It was considered a favorable area for several reasons, among which: there were no other live casinos, it had the greatest economic growth, it will constitute an important high- way conjunction and it will have an airport. Also, I want to mention that the local authorities have been careful and prompt without com- ing across the cases of corruption often referred to abroad, but on the contrary, we received assis- tance in all our actions. On this oc- casion I would like to thank them for the kindness shown to us.

IS THIS BUSINESS DEVELOP- ING IN ROMANIA?

The climate compared to cer- tain EU countries is more favor- able. I particularly refer to the pos- sibility that commercial companies have to obtain the license neces- sary for the development of the casino activity.

WHICH ARE THE NEGATIVE POINTS OF THIS ACTIVITY IN ROMANIA?

Due to the fact that it is fairly simple for anyone to start such a business, we find ourselves in the situation of meeting all sorts of casinos which, in fact, fail to main- tain any atmosphere as well as to provide quality services or guaran- tees. Another negative aspect is that even those structures which have only slot machines are called casinos. This name should, in my opinion, belong only to those casi- nos which have classic gambling tables, those which are usually called live casinos.

WHAT ABOUT THE POSITIVE ONES?

The existence of a favorable en- vironment.

HOW DO YOU PERCEIVE THE CONSEQUENCES OF LAW ENFORCEMENT IN THE DOMAIN?

The current legislation seems to me fairly accurate with regard to the control activity which a casino should be subjected to. However, I am looking forward for the approval of the new law project which should help to solve the problems I men- tioned in the previous answers.

ARE YOU SATISFIED WITH THE FINANCIAL RESULTS REGIS- TERED SINCE YOU STARTED THE BUSINESS?

Yes. And I am very fond of the atmosphere and originality I man- aged to create together with my col- laborators, at Vesuvius.

WHICH ARE THE MOST RELAX- ING HOBBIES YOU HAVE?

To travel and discover what’s beautiful.

IS THE CASINO A PART OF THEM?

Yes. Its beauty consists in the fact that it summarizes man’s fate of always struggling against it in or- der to make it better.

WHAT WAS THE BIGGEST SUM YOU EVER WON OR LOST?

A real player always claims to have won more or lost less then the actual facts. I used to be a player, so I prefer not to answer.

Because he represents it, because he fights for it and because he is always an elegant sight, a charming presence and why not say it? an intelligent man.

MISTER RUDEL OBREJA, YOU ORGANIZE AND TAKE PART, WITH THE SAME INTEREST, IN BOTH PROFESSIONAL BOXING EVENTS FOR WORLD TITLE BELTS AND AMATEUR TOURS. DON’T YOU SENSE ANY DIFFERENCES OF LEVEL?

There is, indeed, a great difference. Unfortunately, nowadays, one can notice a huge distance between the professional and the amateur boxing; this is, mainly, the result of the rules in amateur boxing. These rules are opposed to the show and against the public, as the beauty of a sport consists of the way it is received by the audience.

IS THE INTERNATIONAL TOUR, “THE GOLDEN BELT“, A BRAND WIDELY KNOWN IN THE WORLD OF PUGILISM?

It used to be a prestigious international tour, but, unfortunately, it is losing importance. This happens exactly because of what I was saying earlier: the amateur boxing has become less and less spectacular.

THE PARTICIPANTS COME FROM COUNTRIES FAMOUS FOR THEIR BOXING. DOES THE ABSENCE OF THE CUBANS MAKE THE TOUR LESS VALUABLE THIS YEAR?

If Cuba had been present at the start, perhaps the interest would have been greater. It is not that the boxing would have been different, but the country itself is a brand in amateur boxing.

ARE THERE ANY IMPORTANT SPONSORS, INTERESTED IN THE FUTURE OF ROMANIAN BOXING?

If we are talking about professional boxing, yes, there are! Many millions of euro are invested in this. In the amateur boxing, on the other hand, there is less and less money. It is true that we have a trustworthy partner, Mercur Casino, for both types of boxing. Despite this, when the public is not interested, the sponsors aren’t either; this is why all the problems occur. For instance, while in professional boxing, for a gala, we gather millions of euro, for amateurs we have an annual budget for 2008 of about 650-700,000 euro, divided to four national teams.

IN THESE CIRCUMSTANCES, DO YOU BELIEVE THAT ROMANIA WILL HAVE IN YEARS TO COME OTHER WORLD CHAMPIONS SUCH AS BUTE AND DIACONU?

It most certainly will, because we have an unbelievable potential regarding sportsmen’s value. The system in which they are brought up is critical in our country, but when I say this I am talking about the amateurs. It is a pity that, after the revolution, no major changes were brought to boxing, or to Romanian sport in general. We need fundamental improvements but, until now, we couldn’t find support at people with decisional power, especially the executives.

YOU KEEP IN TOUCH WITH OUR WORLD CHAMPIONS, RECOGNISED AT INTERBOX, DON’T YOU?

Of course. I go to Canada, we meet in Mexic sometimes, we talk a lot on the phone. Every single week, I get in touch with the Romanians who work outside and who are now preparing intensively. Yesterday, as a matter of fact, I talked to Lucian Bute interviewed in the last number of your magazine. Then to Diaconu and to Jojo Dan.

HOW DO YOU MANAGE YOUR TIME, TO BE ABLE TO ATTEND ALL THE MAJOR COMPETITIONS?

If it wasn’t possible, I wouldn’t make it, obviously. I am, without question, very busy. Sometimes I have to be in two places at once and this is a bit more difficult, but not impossible… I’m kidding, but since I have accepted this job, I need to face the consequences, the drawbacks.

Boxing has been the most important sport competition at the Romanian seaside, early this summer. The international tour “The Golden Belt” continues to be of great interest, although the Olympic Games are just about to start.

In mid-June, the third round o the international boxing tour “The Golden Belt” took place, in Con stanta. When we say ‘the third round’, keeping the pugilistic term we refer to the fact that the 37t edition of the competition is also the third in a row at the Black Sea seaside, according to the contrac signed between the Romanian Boxing Federation and the loca authorities – Constanta Distric Council and Constanta City Hall Among the organizers were also included DSJ Constanta SPORTIN Foundation, the Distric Boxing Association and CS Alutus Mangalia Seaside.

Even if there wasn’t a top par ticipation, due to the great numbe of European tours scheduled in this period (intended to be the las test before the Olympic Games in Beijing), the organization was once more, exceptional. Petrica Munteanu, the director of the De partment of International Affairs and Events Organization, as part of Constanta Local Council, who was the main organizer of “The Golden Belt”, stated that it is very possible to sign a new contract with the City Hall. ‘Rudel Obreja expressed his wish to continue here, Radu Mazare and Nicusor Constantinescu agreed, in the main; all that’s left is to establish the terms’, he said.

ROMANIAN HONOURS LIST

In the final matches of the Constanta competition, three Ro- manian pugilists asserted them- selves: Iulius Pozco, for the 51 Kg category – who gained more points than the Moroccan Nehaila Abdelillah-, Georgian Popescu, for the 60 Kg category – who defeat- ed, also with points, the Russian Vladimir Saruhanian and Petrisor Gananau, for the 91 Kg category – winner of the match with the Hun- garian Janos Fekete, who gave up in the second round.

Dan Teodorescu, whom people fail to recognize through the windshield of his Taxi perfectly customized in the city crowd is a remarkable guy. Through humor, style, intelligence. Actually, this is what separates people from the world and cars from traffic jams.

AT WHAT SPEED TRAVELS A ROMANIAN TAXI TOWARDS EUROPEAN SHOWBIZ?!

For now, we only have routes in Romania. We are still looking for the exit from the gyratory. WHEN YOU GOT BEHIND THE WHEEL WAS IT FOR THE MONEY OF JUST FOR STRETCHING THE CORD?

I never imagined someone would be that irresponsible so as to pay me and I could not afford to stretch the cord, because, wearing glasses, it would have been dangerous. So, for neither of the two reasons. I guess out of sheer madness.

AFTER ALL THESE SINGING PERFORMANCES AND DEMONSTRATIONS OF YOUR TALENT, CAN YOU SAY YOU HAVE COLLECTED ENOUGH FOR A FILL OR DO YOU REFUEL DEPENDING ON THE CIRCUMSTANCES?

As soon as I manage to make a fill-up, I immediately wish for a car with a bigger tank and then the filling ordeal begins again. I probably should stick to a tank matching my talent.

JUDGING BY THE WAY YOU SING, YOU SEEMS LIKE A SENSITIVE GUY, A BIT SHY, WITH LOTS OF HUMOR. IS IT JUST AN OPINION?!

How could it be just an opinion? It’s an important opinion, since it belongs to you.

DOES THIS PERSONALITY HELP IN THE DESPERATE, VIOLENT AND RUDE TRAFFIC OF URBAN AGGLOMERATIONS (ONE COULD HARDLY CALL THEM CITIES…)?

In order to get by in such a traffic, you have to adapt and be exactly like it – desperate, violent and rude. I don’t manage to pull it off that good with the desperation and violence part, but I try real hard as far as rudeness is concerned; I take daily lessons of rude behavior from my cat.

DO YOU LIVE YOUR LIFE IN SONGS OR JUST AS MUSIC DICTATES?

I explain my life through songs. First of all to myself, because, many times, I find it hard to understand what my life is about.

WOULD YOU TRADE A TENDER EVENING IN TWO FOR A BEER WITH YOUR FRIENDS WHO DON’T KNOW HOW, NOR WHAT?

My friends always know how, why, which, when and where, but I still wouldn’t give up a tender evening. There’s too little tenderness in this world as it is, for me to waste it on some beer.

HOW DO YOU GET INSPIRED BY A WOMAN, A WORD AND A GLASS OF WINE, THE DAILY TENSIONS, POLITICS, ECONOMY, STRAY DOGS? OR SOMETHING ELSE?!

It inspires me to see a woman who, trying to get rid of the daily tensions, talks to me, over a glass of wine, about anything else but politics, economy, while petting a stray dog.

AFTER YOU FINISH SINGING, DO YOU RELAX WORKING?

Yes. But please let’s keep this between you and me! Some are still under the impression that I work when I sing…

HAVE YOU EVER BEEN TAKEN TO A CASINO BY THE WHEEL (OF LIFE, CAR, TAXI)? HAVE YOU CONSIDERED LOOSING SOME MONEY AT THE ROULETTE IN ORDER TO BUY YOUR FORTUNE IN LOVE?

If only things worked that way…

DOES GAMBLING SEEM TO YOU MORE THAN IT IS?

Absolutely. It doesn’t seem to me that we are talking about a game when you win or – especially – loose a million dollars.

YOU ARE THE MAN WHO SPOKE THE MOST BEAUTIFUL WORDS ABOUT HIS EXWIFE. IS THAT GOOD, BAD?!

Both, it depends on the perspective. I say that the wife was the good part and the divorce the bad one, but some of my friends put it the other way round.

BEING THE THIRTEENTH, TELL US ABOUT THE MISFORTUNE OF NOT BEING CONTEMPORARY, WE THE ROMANIANS, WITH THE FIFTH ICE AGE!

Still, we may get lucky! If we were to consider what the Maya culture said, it is possible to become contemporary with the fifth and greatest catastrophe on Earth, in the year 2012. But we would probably try to bribe our way out of it.

Caesars Palace, property of Harrah Entertainment, is situated in Las Vegas Strip, Paradise, Nevada, an autonomous district in the metropolitan area of Las Vegas

AND how else, it is a part of the golden trio of Las Vegas, made up from the well known Bellagio and Mirage. The history of Caesars Palace goes back to 1962, when the owner of a small motel, Jay Sarno, borrowed money from Teamsters Central States Pension Fund in order to begin the construction of Caesars Palace. Started in 1962 and finished in 1966, the construction had 14 floors and the first tower covered 138 thousand square meters, with a count of no less than 680 rooms. The name chosen by Sarno for what would become one of the most famous hotels in the world came, obviously, from the name of the great emperor and somehow reminds of the luxury and opulence of the Roman Empire. The Caesars Palace of present time has five towers: Augustus, Centurion, Roman, Palace and Forum. The correct name of the hotel is Caesars and not Caesar’s because each visitor who comes here should feel just like a Caesar.

A GAMBLING ARSENAL And that happens from the first moment he steps on the carpet laid down at the entrance. There is no shadow of a doubt that this is the most prestigious place in the world. Impeccable services, luxury. Both these elements make the difference between an ordinary life and a spectacular experience; both will be at visitors’ discretion.

Caesars Palace offers them one of the most famous casinos in Las Vegas. The game area has two wings – an older

section, for serious players with high bets, and the newer Casino Olympic, destined to conservative players who have less money to spend in Vegas. More than 2000 slot machines, video-pokers and gambling tables placed in opulent locations, they are all part of the gambling arsenal from Caesars Palace Casino. The guests will not be able to help gambling even a small amount of money in this modern Roman Empire. They will find here blackjack, dice, roulette, baccarat, min-baccarat, Spanish 21, pai gow and pai gow poker. Caesars offers visitors a great variety of coin machines where they can place bets ranging between 1 cent and 500 dollars, either just for fun, or to become millionaires.

In fact, Caesars Palace is reputed for being the one place in the world where most jackpots worth millions were won.

The poker room is the largest but also the most captivating in Vegas, satisfying the demands of the most pretentious poker addicts, thus reflecting the true value of the complex is it part of. One can find here tables with big limit for 100% adrenalin, but also tables with small bets, destined for relaxation.

The Poker room is adjacent to a tour area, which makes Caesars Palace one of the few casinos to offer a private competition area. THE CONSTRUCTION GOES ON

After the construction of The Pussycat Dolls Lounge, an extension of the Pure nightclub, in February 2006, a part of the casino was fitted out so as to match Pussycat Dolls, this part being called Pussycat Dolls Casino. What does it offer? Female entertainers in bronze cages, plump looking girls with flamboyant aspect as dealers, and armchairs with leopard print cushions for gamblers. For the future, the company Harrah plans to extend the casino space by 3.400 square meters , to build a new tower with 29 floors and 1.017 rooms, adjacent to Palace Tower, and also to build an extension for the current Convention Center. Furthermore, there will be built an additional 10.000 square meters of shopping centers and restaurants, covering the area in the vicinity of Strip, replacing Roman Plaza.

Betting on sport competitions is based on an elementary logicthe intention to guess a fact that is going to happen. Regardless whether it is about the final result of the competition, the various stages of the competition, the number of goals scored, the exact score or the simple scheme winner/defeated.

It all began back in the Middle Ages, during tournaments of knights. It is not known exactly who was the first to place a bet, because the “habit” was common especially among the simple people. But they did not take part in the tournament, not even as spectators! And then? How could they find out the result, as long as for that period, the only press specimens were the chronicles and annals? At tournaments participated knights, horse owners. As spectators – various noblemen in the region or from the respective kingdom. The simple people we are talking about were either pages, or servants or horse attendants, workers building the scene, soldiers ensuring security, servants waiting for a sign from their master in case they needed something.

So, after all, beside the noblemen’s gallery, there was a fairly significant number of secondary persons participating, in one way

or the other, in the tournament. And since the noblemen focused on the event, the servants had plenty of spare time. And, at some moment, it was found that they bet sums of money on the tournament’s winner. Regularly, all servants would bet on their master, being under the same blazon. The bet would be made with the team of another participating knight. Each party would bet the same sum, made up from the contributions of those interested. At the end of the championship, the winning team would collect all the sums put at stake, and the money would then be split between the participants.

But how did they get to betting on matches? Well, at a certain point, a noble found out of the huge sum won by his servants and thought that, by increasing the stake, he could get a fabulous prize for himself. The bets would be placed through the servants, in order for the other noblemen not to discover his vice. But, surprise!! All noblemen were betting, keeping the fact from the others. And thus appeared the “booking agent”, the man taking care of closing the deal on behalf of the person placing the bet. And given the fact that, over time, the bet on the final winner became a bet for noblemen, the simple people went on another level, which is betting on match.

THE STAKE ON PEOPLE AND WOLVES

After 1600, the bets of the servants were related to animals shot by the nobles and his companions during various hunting sessions.

You should not consider those times as being cynical, the social norms and principles were simply different. Cynicism, as far as betting is concerned, can indeed be attributed to bets placed between commanders of armies, before the battle. The period of recovering the dead was the moment when sums were settled between the commanders, as well as the soldiers, who had been death enemies just hours before. And that is how people found everywhere the idea of competition, generating maximum interest for the winner. At its turn, the adrenalin caused by taking the risk kept awake, throughout centuries, man’s temptation to try his luck.

HIGH-STAKE BETTING

But where and when did quote betting appear? Answer: USA, the second half of the 19th century. Reason? Well, after the Civil War, horse racing was no longer an entertainment exclusively for the rich. Spectators resumed betting in the system of equal sums, placed on a competitor. But the format would no longer provide satisfaction, and many enthusiasts remained without an object for their activity due to the abundance of participants.

So, booking agents came up with the idea of selling the same horse several times, then creating a quotes system, depending on the sums bet on the horses. If the sums increased (sums which were equal at the time), then the quote would implicitly decrease, the horse having the possibility of winning in the opinion of more players.

AND ONLINE CAME ALONG

Sport betting has evolved: lately, bets can be placed over the Internet, now a sort of intermediary between the person placing the bet and the booking agency just as the old booking agent.

Booking agencies have also developed; they no longer sell tickets with matches already selected, players having now the possibility to make their own ticket with various matches. The participation means payment in advance, betting on debt not being allowed.

The booking agency calculates the possibility of winning of a team/player etc, fact reflected in the quote. At a football match, for instance Brazil – San Marino, it is obvious that a quote on Brazi would be of 1.01, this meaning that many players would bet on Brazil and almost nobody on San Marino.

The only element left intact along the years is the mystery regarding the final result. Obviously when we there is no foul play/ arrangement involved.

There is no such person who has not heard of Blackjack, referring either to players and casino addicts, or to beginners in games of all sorts. Blackjack is undoubtedly, the most popular card game.

HISTORY

Even though exact data on the appearance of Blackjack are not available, it seems that its birthplace is somewhere in XVII century France. Back then, the so called Vingt et Un (21) was played in French casinos. And even if the rules of Blackjack do not resemble those of the famous 21, it is clear that these are the origins of the game we are talking about today. The British name Blackjack also comes from the 21 game, representing a hand with Knave and Ace of spades, this being the ideal hand.

An extremely important moment in the history of Blackjack was recorded after the French Revolution, when the game migrated to North America. Here it gained a huge popularity, given the context that, in those times, there were no laws forbidding card games. Professional players understood the great potential of blackjack and developed the base strategy, in order to ensure important prizes for themselves. In the 19th century, when the American government prohibited gambling, Blackjack, already having a huge popularity, went on to being an underground game. Its popularity was increased even further as regulations against it became tougher, in the 20th century.

In 1931, Nevada chose to make gambling legal, and so Las Vegas became the hottest destination for gamblers worldwide.

BASIC RULES

Blackjack

can be played from 1 to 8 card decks. However, fewer cards means more chances of winning. Most casinos offer blackjack tables where the game is played with one or two decks. At a table a maximum of 6 persons can participate, and the action begins from the dealer’s left, to the right. In blackjack, the dealer will always be the one to make a move.

Bets are placed and cards are dealt. They will be laid down, face up. Whereas the purpose of the game is to gather a number of points lower or equal to 21, players can ask for as many cards as they want in order to reach this limit. Normally, if the sum of the cards already received is lower or equal to 11, the requests for receiving other cards will continue; if the sum ranges between 16 and 21, the player will hold (this is not a rule, but a custom).

Each card smaller or equal to 10 has the value written on it. Big cards (knaves, queens and kings) receive all the value of 10 points. The ace carries a special value in Blackjack: it can have either the value of 1 point, or of 11, the option being up to the player. A hand with a big card and an ace means Blackjack.