Faro

Faro, or Faro Bank, was a card game of in the late 18^th century. The name comes from the Pharos on the back of French cards, which the game originated, but quickly spread across England and America.[1] Unique to other games in the 18^th century due to the use of a dealer, box, and board, Faro was more popular than poker today because of its simple rules; it can be learned quickly. Additionally, it had the most favorable odds for the players.[2] In fact, the odds for the house were so slim that many dealers cheated by rigging the dealer box, the deck of cards, or with slight-of-hand trick.[3]

To start, each player places a bet on one of the thirteen different spades on the board. The Banker draws two cards. If the first card matches any of the bets the banker wins, but if the second card matches, the player wins his bet.[4] A device similar to an abacus kept track of which cards have been played.[5] With 3 cards left at the end of the game, players had the opportunity to bet on the order of the three cards, and if right, they would quadruple their money.[6]