Strange casino games

We all know the fun of a trip to your local Gala casino; putting on your best suit for a trip to the nearest leisure complex in order to place bets on the usual games like blackjack, roulette and poker.

Though the games on offer have remained a consistent selection over the years, some establishments have a long and rich history of trying out new games – with mixed results. Here are a few games that you probably wouldn’t expect to see the next time you’re cashing in your money for chips.

War

Based on a childhood game, War is a kind of Top Trumps where two players deal out a card, and the highest card wins. The aim of the game is to win the whole deck, one card at a time. It’s exactly these rules which have graduated into some casinos; where a player simply bets money that his card is higher than the dealer’s. One would expect a more sophisticated level of gameplay from their trips to the casino; War does not provide that experience, but it’s a lot of fun nonetheless!

Rodent Roulette

Perhaps not the exact title of the game, but there are so many variants featuring different critters that it’s easier just to group them together like this! Take Gerbil Roulette for example; in which a gerbil is placed in a box on the middle of a roulette wheel that contains several more numbered boxes on the outer spokes. The wheel is spun, and the box removed from the middle, whereupon the furry feature walks around the wheel, eventually selecting one box in which it hides. This numbered box is the result of the spin.

The Chicken Challenge

At the Tropicana Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City, potential players line up for a game of noughts and crosses against its champion – and a chance to win $10,000. The only catch - the champion is a chicken. ‘Ginger’ has toured casinos around the country, taking on all comers with her commanding presence and tic-tactical genius. If you defeat her, you win the huge cash prize. But be prepared; when it comes to the big game, Ginger doesn’t cluck about.

Belgian Birdsong

It’s not over until the fat bird sings…or is it? It’s apparently a very popular custom in Belgium for gamers to stake their bets on birdsong; as a group of birds in separate cages take it in turns to sing for the punters. Betters place their money on the bird they think will sing the loudest and the longest; after which time it’s down to the performing pigeons to do their thing.