The number of games and manufacturers of coin-operated machines are almost end less. Choose from slot, gumball, cigar, music, clocks, cash registers, pinball, gun, and weigh machines, horse gaming and golf, to name a few. Slot authoritarian, Marshall Fey, author of "Slot Machines:
A Pictoral History of the First 100 Years," said the slot machine mushroomed into a premier collectible after 1976, the year that California legalized antique slot machine collecting. Many states have since followed suit. Robert Levy of Pennsauken, N.J., who has more than 250 antique slots, said he collects because "they increase in value every year. They are a good investment, very entertaining, they make wonderful banks, and they will never be made again." His oldest is dated 1893. Levy, who is for two price guides in the U.S. and one in England, said he has bought and sold slot machines for 14 years. For some collectors, "seek and find" offers the most enjoyment. The rare ones are difficult to locate because many of them were taken to the city dump and are lost forever. Some collectors like the "thrill" of owning an illegal item. Not every state condones ownership of a slot machine, and some states require that it be a certain age before it can be sold. Levy said the Attorney General's office of each state regulates the sale of slot machines, and it is best to check with that office before buying. Cosmetic changes over the years are not the only consequences of the modern world of gaming. "With the old machines, you played one coin at a time and it paid on the center line. You could have fun playing and watching and waiting for the symbols to come up. Today's electronic slots play up to 60 lines at one time; they will take $100 dollar bills and will, geometrically, take money unbelieveably quicker. You can sit down and in a matter of seconds, your money is gone, and so is the fun of the game.

Online roulette is an interesting proposition, one worth considering separately from good old casino roulette. Most pages discussing online roulette, or online gambling of any kind, focus on the effect of being taken out of the casino. This is worth noting because at home you have complete control over your surroundings. Online roulette lets you play without all of the noise and commotion of the casino. This enables you to take as much time as you need to think about your bets, consult outside resources, phone a friend, anything! Roulette isn't like blackjack though, where checking a basic strategy chart is a faux pas in the casino but easy from home. So what are the advantages for online roulette? Well, you're not going to find any biased wheels out there (well, actually you might, there are lots of bad programmers in the world, maybe one of them made a roulette game for an online casino at some point) You can, however, easily find yourself a single zero roulette wheel. A number of online casinos offer European roulette wheels so those of us who reside across the big pond can also enjoy the drop in house edge. Anyone interested in playing roulette online is usually curious about the odds. Are the odds at an online casino fair? Are they the same as Vegas? Who determines the odds? Classically, roulette is completely random. There are little pegs and obstructions strewn around the wheel in an effort to have the ball bounce around a good bit before coming to rest. This randomness can be comforting to the gambler as it provides some security that you are not likely going to be ripped off. You can lose this feeling pretty easily with digital games like video slots and video poker machines, and yes, with online roulette. If this makes you uneasy about venturing online, check out some forums on online gambling and talk to some roulette players. I myself have won more than once playing online, so I can assure you it is entirely possible. Although it may not be possible to determine the exact odds that an online casino offers, you can always call and ask. Check to ensure the online casino is licensed by a licensing board (most are, but its nice to be sure), and then check to see how strict that licensing board is. The quality of the online roulette games you find at an Internet casino is comparable to our

1. The Players to the left of the Dealer begin by posting the blind bets .

2. Four pocket cards are dealt to each Player - face-down

3. First round of betting - options are to fold, bet, or raise. Only one bet, and three raises per Player are allowed on the first round. Players cannot "check" in the first round, as Blinds are bets, and not antes.

4. Three communal cards (flop ) are dealt face-up in the center of the table. All communal cards are active for all Players and can be used in combination with each Player's two cards.

5. Second round of betting - options are to check, fold, bet, or raise.

6. Fourth communal card (Turn ) is dealt face-up.

7. Third round of betting - options are to check, fold, bet, or raise.

8. If, at this stage, there are still at least two vying Players, the fifth, and final communal card (River ) is dealt face-up.

9. Final round of betting follows.

10. The Showdown! All remaining Players then create the best five-card hand possible. You can only use: two pocket cards and three communal cards .

11. The best hand wins the pot! If two or more Players have the same winning hand, the pot is split equally between them.