‘The Hustler’ is 1961 drama film, produced by 20th Century Fox, directed by Robert Rossen and starring Paul Newman, Jackie Gleason, Piper Laurie and George C. Scott, each of whom received an Academy Award nomination. ‘The Hustler’ tells the story of ‘Fast’ Eddie Felson, a cocksure, but highly skilful pool player, who establishes a reputation as he travels the country with his manager, Charlie Burns (Myron McCormick) but, nonetheless, harbours the ambition of beating the best player in the country, Minnesota Fats (Gleason).
Shot on location, entirely in New York City, ‘The Hustler’ devotes roughly one-third of its 134-minute running time to two pool matches between Felson and Fats. In his first encounter with Fats, after 25 hours, despite drinking a whole bottle of JTS Brown bourbon, from the bottle, Felson is $18,000 ahead, but it loses it all by refusing to stop playing until the ‘Fat Man’ says the game is over. Dubbed a ‘born loser’ by Bert Gordon (Scott), a cold, vicious gambler and stakehorse, Felson accepts an offer to be taught how to play ‘major league’ pool; his ‘education’ involves, at one occasion, having his thumbs broken for flaunting his talents to a less hustler.
Nevertheless, the path inevitably leads him back to a rematch with Minnesota Fats and, in the final showdown between the two, a focused and sober Felson stakes his whole $3,000 bankroll on a single game. Felson wins that game and many more, so many, in fact, that as the hands of the clock reach six o’clock Fats concedes defeat. Felson launches into an emotional criticism of Gordon, which effectively costs him his future as a big-time pool player, but he and Fats part on gracious terms.
We’re living in an ever changing world and if we’ve learned anything from the difficulties of the past year it’s that we rely heavily on the online world. Whether it’s playing our favourite casino games, ordering food online or making various transactions of one kind of another, almost every aspect of life is now shifting from offline to online. Case in point, in thinking about it, it must be a good 6 months since I’ve even used physical cash!
At the forefront of digital payments are cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin. This is born out by the rocketing value of this and other crypto options over the past year or so (and consistent spikes in value prior to this). What once was viewed as a gimmicky is now well established with the likes of billionaire Elon Musk stating his support and putting money where his mouth is by with a $1.5 billion Bitcoin purchase via Tesla (and the decision to accept Bitcoin as a payment option). It’s changing the way that millions of people both do business, and spend money. Over time, it’s hard to deny that it goes from strength to strength in the realm of online casinos too, with countless new bitcoin games out there to play.
In a virtual environment (online gaming and gambling) it’s really surprising that it took so long for an equally virtual currency like Bitcoin to catch on, but now there’s no turning back. Of course the same casino experience is on offer no matter how to pay, and all top and trusted sites adhere to the same rules and regulations of the industry so your money is safe. With more and more sites allowing you be deposit cryptocurrencies it’s no wonder that it’s becoming a firm favourite with online casino fans. There can be so many hoops to jump through with debit, credit card or bank transfer gambler many people are now often opting for a more secure and efficient way to pay – and that’s what Bitcoin offers. Indeed casino sites make up a significant percentage of payments now made using the virtual currency – seen by many as the preferable option. There are now several exclusively ‘crypto casinos’ , as casino sites are moving with the times.
Once you’ve deposited your Bitcoin payment, it’s all about focusing on playing and winning. Lots of casino sites, in this highly competitive environment have sign up bonuses, free spins, and regular incentives for loyal players, and so that in itself is a big bonus when compared to ‘real life’ casinos. And of course, online, all of your favourites games (and then some!) and still available. So whether you’re a big fan of strategic games like poker, or rely more on lady luck with a focus on roulette, and slots there is something for everyone. With the latter example alone (slots) there are are so many more options online than off, with countless fun and themed slot games available to play right now.
So with this in mind, it’s well worth making Bitcoin casinos your go-to option for online gambling. Easy, convenient, secure, What’s not to like?
Baccarat is a simple casino card game in which players attempt to predict which, if either, of two hands, known as ‘Player’ and ‘Banker’, will reach a total of nine, or as close as possible, in two or three cards. All betting must be completed before any cards are dealt. A winning bet on the ‘Player’ hand or the ‘Banker’ hand pays 1/1 although, in the latter case, winning bets are subject to 5% commission, threby reducing the overall odds to 19/20. A winning bet on the tie pays 8/1, or 9/1, depending on the house rules. In terms of the mathematical advantage in favour of the casino, a.k.a. the ‘house edge’, the ‘Banker’ bet offers 1.06%, the ‘Player’ bet offers 1.24%, but the tie bet offers a much less competitive 14.36%.
The total of each hand is calculated by adding together the value of each card; tens and court cards count as zero, aces count as one and all other cards count as face value. However, the maximum total for either hand is nine, so if the individual cards total above nine the first digit is dropped, thereby leaving a single-digit total.
The ‘Player’ hand is completed first; if the first two cards dealt add up to eight or nine, no further cards are drawn and the ‘Player’ hand, known as a ‘natural’, wins automatically, unless the ‘Banker’ hand has an equal, or higher, natural, in which case the hand is tied, or the ‘Banker’ hand wins automatically. If the first two cards dealt add up to five or less, the ‘Player’ hand draws a third card, but stands pat if the first two cards add up to six or seven. If the ‘Player’ hand stands pat, the ‘Banker’ hand also draws a third card on five or less and stands pat on six or seven but, otherwise, the decision to draw a third card depends on the ‘Banker’ hand total, the third card drawn by the ‘Player’ hand and the strict rules of the game.
Originally titled ‘Sydney’, after the main protagonist, played by Philip Baker Hall, ‘Hard Eight’ is a 1996 crime drama film, written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson. For the uninitiated, in casino craps, a shooter can roll an eight with two dice in one of five ways, two and six, six and two, three and five, five and three or four and four, but only the latter is known as a ‘hard eight’ and pays odds of 9/1.
Although set in contemporary, modern times, ‘Hard Eight’ features a tough, morally ambiguous main protagonist and a bleak, cynical outlook, characteristic of the filmmaking style known as ‘film noir’. Indeed, Paul Thomas Anderson conceded that the 1956 French gangster film ‘Bob Le Flambeur’, which is considered a film noir, was a major influence on ‘Hard Eight’, which is sometimes described as ‘neo-noir’.
The aforementioned Sydney, an aging, but apparently affable and successful, professional gambler, first encounters confirmed also-ran John (John C. Riley) at a diner in the middle of the Nevada desert but, having befriended the younger man, offers to show him the tricks of the trade. Back in Reno, John initially earns himself a complimentary room with the so-called ‘rate card trick’ and, over the next year or two, develops into a successful small-time professional gambler in his own right.
John falls for, and eventually marries, Clementine (Gwyneth Paltrow), a cocktail waitress and occasional prositute, and befriends Jimmy, a vulgar casino security man. Jimmy later holds Sydney at gunpoint and threatens to reveal that he killed John’s father unless he pays blackmail. Jimmy demands $10,000, but Sydney agrees, and later pays, $6,000. Jimmy plays craps with the money, winning $18,000 courtesy of a $2,000 bet on a ‘hard eight’ but, on his return, Sydney reveals his treu colours, shooting him dead and recovering his money, with interest.