Let s assume you re a researcher, a historian, or you work in some capacity within a casino or regulatory agency where you d be expected to be knowledgeable. Your supervisor or peers might look to you to be able to answer questions about the history, evolution or traditions of gambling which have evolved in the past 200 years.
Most books are the how-to variety.
They contain little background on the games and virtually no substantial information on their origins and growth. Published in 1990, it is both a history and sociological analysis of gambling through the ages. Published in 1990, it examines gambling in 19th Century America and explores the games which entranced players and vexed moralists. All the characters, legends, hustlers and Western heroes are chronicled here, including Wyatt Earp, Wild Bill Hicock, Bat Masterson, Poker Alice and Doc Holliday. Must reading for those who love the Old West and gambling history.