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Popular games before the ban (roulette, blackjack, poker) (Cuba)
In the 1940s and 1950s, Havana was the heart of the Caribbean entertainment industry. Game rooms in modernist hotels and legendary cabarets offered a short, bright "evening scenario": dinner - show - game - night bar. Three disciplines set the rhythm of the halls: roulette, blackjack and poker. Below - how they were arranged, by whom and where they were played, what rates and expectations formed the "economy of the evening," and why this chapter ended in 1959.
1) Where and how they played
Venues: large icon hotels and cabarets with playrooms, separate VIP rooms of "high stakes."
Layout halls: roulette and slots - closer to the entrance; card tables - deeper, at bars and stages; private rooms - behind blank doors.
Clientele: American tourists, local elites, entertainers and business guests
Service: comp policy (drinks, snacks, late dinners), hostess, quick "landing" at the tables after the show.
2) Roulette: Showcase Queen
Essence and pace. One of the most spectacular offers - the course of the game is visible, the stakes are clear. The pace was dictated by the croupiers and "marshals" of the table, rounds went every 45-90 seconds.
Popular bets.
Simple: red/black, even/odd, low/high.
"The Dozen" and "Columns."
"Numbers" and neighboring sectors (regulars have favorite combinations).
Economics. The advantage of the institution is fixed (on the European wheel with one "zero" lower than on the American with "00"). For the guest, roulette is "emotion now," for the audience - a stable turnover.
Cuban specificity. Roulette often coexisted with the stage: after the final cabaret chord - a surge of bets, flashes of cameras, toast and applause.
3) Blackjack: "fast maths" to music
Rule in one phrase. Collect the amount of cards closer to 21 than the dealer, without "going through."
Why I fell in love.
Low entry threshold: explained in a minute.
Sense of control: Player decisions (take/stand/double/pair share).
Sociality: the table unites strangers, the "team" spirit against the dealer.
Home advantage. Determined by a set of rules (6-8 decks, dealer delivery to "soft 17," doubles, splits). Mavericks tried to "keep score" in their heads, but to the music, conversations and comp-drink, units did it.
Etiquette. Gestures are more important than words: knock - "take," draw a card - "stand," two fingers - "double"; even pace, respect for other hands.
4) Poker: a scene for characters
Formats. Cash games and mini-tournaments; 5-card draw and stud versions are popular, later - hold'em-like formats in separate "closed" rooms.
Who came. Regulars, guest performers, artists after the show, entrepreneurs - the audience is older than that of roulette, with less "showcase."
Dynamics. Not house versus player, but player versus player; the establishment takes rake/time. Psychology, reading pace and patterns, "stories" of giveaways made poker the most "narrative" table.
Table Codex. Clear maintenance of the bank, announcement of rates, prohibition of "thongs" and tips to outsiders; respect for the dealer and silence at key moments.
5) Bets, bankroll and "evening check"
The range of rates: from "tourist" minimums on roulette to tangible "maximums" in private boxes.
Bankroll management: The unspoken "three parts of the evening" rule: cocktails/dinner, main game, "final chord" (last bets or cigar at the bar).
Comp Economy: Loyal Guests - Drinks, Snacks, Best Seats on Show; high rollers - improved rooms and private service.
6) Safety and grey areas
The quality of dealers and supervision reduced the chance of mistakes, but in the era of "gray agreements" everything depended on the administration.
Poker games could be regulated by "home" rules (rake, timer), which were worth clarifying before boarding.
Cheating and arguing were rare but became high-profile stories; the reputation of the site was protected, conflicts were extinguished quickly.
7) Portraits of players
Roulette romantic: Chooses numbers "by date" and likes toast at the table
Rational "blackjacker": knows basic solutions, catches a flow.
Poker narrator: comes "to people," "reads the table," conducts the pace of the conversation.
8) Why these games have become symbols of the era
Roulette is a visual celebration and instant dramaturgy.
Blackjack - a sense of skill and "fair" chance for short money.
Poker is a mythology of characters and stories, "cinema inside the evening."
9) 1959: Sudden ending
The political turning point led to the closure of the casino and the cessation of gambling. Tables and wheels disappeared from the legal field, and the scenes moved to a concert format without bets. Professionals left or retrained, and Havana's "evening script" changed to cultural programs.
10) Legacy
The architecture and brands of the halls remained in the city's memory.
The cultural myth of the "golden era" continues to fuel books, films and sightseeing stories.
Game literacy (rules, etiquette, jargon) lives in the nostalgic stories of regulars of that era.
Conclusion
Roulette, blackjack and poker in pre-war Havana are more than games. This is the language of night culture, the mechanics of the entertainment economy and the visual style of the "short golden decade." Their popularity was explained by a simple formula: entertainment, a sense of participation and social theater. The 1959 ban quickly cut short practice, but not memory - and today it is these disciplines that are most often remembered when they talk about the Cuban "game showcase" of the past.