4 Lost Gambling Games You Can Still Play at Home

I’m always looking for new ways to gamble, but sometimes the best thing to do is find an old game that everyone has forgotten about. I used to play three of the games listed in this post decades back and recently started playing them again with friends and family.

The fourth game on the list, Faro, is a game played over 100 years ago in the wild west. It is a fun and different way to play a casino table game. It’s not quite as easy to learn as the other three games, but it’s still a fairly simple gambling game you can enjoy with your friends.

1 – Street Craps

Street craps is a simplified version of craps, something like the game called craps the casinos offer. But when you play street craps, nobody has an edge, so it’s a good game for a group of friends or family to play.

Each player takes a turn throwing two dice against a wall or curb, and the players bet against each other. The person throwing the dice chooses one of the following two bets and how much they want to risk.

Pass – If the opening roll is worth 11 or seven, the person throwing the dice wins. If the roll is worth 12 or two, the person throwing the dice loses. Any of the other seven numbers create a point. When a point is created, the person throws the dice until they roll the point again or roll a seven. Rolling the point wins for the dice thrower, and rolling a seven makes the roller lose.

Don’t Pass – When the dice thrower chooses to bet don’t pass instead of pass, the dice thrower loses if the first roll is worth 11 or seven. If the dice are worth 12 or two, the thrower wins. Otherwise, a point is created. After a point is created, the thrower wins when they roll a seven before rolling the point and loses when they roll the point before rolling a seven.

The other players can split the bet against the thrower, or one player can accept the bet. The other players can also make bets with each other during each round of rolls.

You can add many different types of wagers when you play street craps. All you need to play is two dice and at least two people willing to bet on the rolls.

2 – Quarter Pitching

Quarter pitching is a fun way to waste some time without risking too much money. All you need is at least two people with some quarters and a wall or something else to pitch the quarters against.

Each layer takes turns pitching a quarter against the wall. After each player has pitched their quarter, the quarter that’s closest to the wall wins all of the quarters.

With a little bit of practice, you can learn how to stop your quarter close to the wall but be warned that this game does rely on skill. You aren’t going to win often when you play against someone who has more skill than you.

On the other hand, you can practice your quarter pitching skills and get an advantage. For example, when I used to pitch quarters frequently, I spent a little time practicing, but now I don’t practice because I rarely play. And when I do play, it’s just for fun.

You can even have a quarter pitching tournament where each player starts with the same number of quarters, and players continue pitching until one player has all of the quarters.

If you want a truly fair game to play with family and friends, pick one of the other three games. But if you’re good at pitching quarters and want to win a little money, find some people willing to pitch quarters with you.

3 – Acey Deucey

Acey Deucey is a simple game I learned how to play when I was in college. Nobody has an edge in this game, so it’s good to play with friends.

You use a full deck of playing cards, and each player starts by placing an ante wager into the pot. Then, players take turns from left to right and can bet any amount up to the total amount of the pot.

The cards are ranked from a low of two, or deuce, and a high of ace. The dealer deals two cards, and the player bets, and then a third card is turned over. If the third card ranks between the first two cards, the player wins the amount they bet from the pot.

When the third card isn’t ranked between the two cards, the player places their bet in the pot. If the third card is the same rank as one of the first two cards, the player has to place twice their bet into the pot.

When a player wins all of the money in the pot, each player antes again and starts a new round of play.

It might not seem like a game of Acey Deucey will cost much money to play, but I don’t recommend playing for more than a quarter ante unless you’re willing to risk $100’s to $1,000’s. I’ve routinely seen pots over $50 in quarter Acey Deucey games, so if you play for $1 or higher antes, the stakes can get big.

If a player wants to bet the pot, they simply say pot when they make a bet. If you want to bet a smaller amount than the pot, you state the amount you want to risk. When you bet, you need to make sure that you have at least twice the value of your bet because if the third card matches one of the first two cards, you’re on the hook for twice your bet amount.

You can play with only two people, but the maximum number of people who can play is only limited by how many people can see the action. And it’s a lot more fun with more people than when there are just a few people playing.

4 – Faro

Faro was played in the old west and can be seen in movies like Tombstone. A variation of Faro was offered in a few modern casinos in the past, but I don’t know of anywhere it’s still being offered.

Place one of each of the 13 ranks of cards out where bets can be placed. You can use an old deck of cards and attach one suit to a board or just place cards on a table. Then, use a full deck of cards to deal the game.

One player deals and banks the game, and the other players can bet on any of the cards on the table or board. After all wagers have been placed, the dealer deals two cards face up. The first card is the banker card, and the second card is the player card.

The banker collects all bets made on the banker card, and all bets made on the player card are paid out on a 1 to 1 basis by the banker. If the first and second cards are the same rank, the dealer collects half the best on that number.

A few other rules can be used that give the dealer a slight edge, but when you’re playing with friends and family, these rules make a fun game for everyone.

Conclusion

If you don’t get bored playing casino games, you might not be interested in the four lost casino games in this post. But if you’re like me and enjoy a little more variety when you gamble, these games are a fun way to gamble with friends and family.

Street craps and quarter pitching are easy to play, and it only takes a few minutes to learn how to play Acey Deucey. Faro is a little more complicated, but once you get the hang of how it works, it’s an easy game to bring out and play from time to time.