|
Roulette in Casablanca
One of the most famous (albeit fictional) roulette games in history took place in Rick's Café Americain in Casablanca, Morocco, in 1942. For one lucky young couple, the roulette wheel provided the ticket to freedom. We are referring, of course, to the great roulette scene in the classic movie "Casablanca."
|
The Background
For many refugees from Nazi-occupied Europe, Casablanca was a way station on the way to Lisbon, Portugal, and thence to America. To get from Casablanca to Lisbon, however, one needed an exit visa, which was not easy to obtain. One way to obtain an exit visa was to purchase one on the black market. Another way - a method available to attractive young women only - was to engage in sexual intercourse with the corrupt and lascivious chief of police, Captain Renault.
|
 |
One of the popular nightspots in Casablanca was Rick's Café Americain. Rick, portrayed by the inimitable Humphrey Bogart, liked to present himself as a man who was tough, cynical, and emotionless, a man who "stuck his neck out for nobody." The back room of Rick's Café Americain was a gambling room, featuring a roulette wheel.
The Desperate Refugees
In the Café, Rick is approached by Annina, an attractive young woman who seeks his advice. Annina explains the she and her husband, Jan, have been married only eight weeks, that they have come from Bulgaria, a place where "a devil has the people by the throat," and that they are desperate to get to America, but they do not have enough money for exit visas. She mentions that Jan is trying to win the money at the roulette table, but he is losing.
Alluding to-without explicitly stating- the lascivious offer by Captain Renault to provide an exit visa in return for sexual favors, she turns to Rick: "Oh, Monsieur, you are a man. If someone loved you very much, so that your happiness was the only thing that she wanted in the whole world, but she did a bad thing to make certain of it, could you forgive her?"
Rick's laconic reply: "Nobody ever loved me that much." He cynically advises her to "return to Bulgaria" and. with an apparent heart of stone, he terminates the conversation: "Everybody in Casablanca has problems. Yours may work out. You'll excuse me."
|
Casino Las Vegas Bonus Code: paris
|
The Roulette Game
Rick goes into the gambling room in the back and finds Jan sitting at the roulette table, down to his last three chips, looking despondent. Rick stands behind Jan and asks, "Have you tried 22 tonight?" Then, a little louder, this time for the benefit of the croupier: "I said 22." Jan puts his last three chips on 22, the croupier spins the roulette wheel, and - lo and behold! - 22 wins.
After the croupier pushes a pile of chips onto 22, Rick tells Jan: "Leave it there." The croupier spins the wheel and - wonder of wonders! - 22 wins again. The croupier shoves another huge pile of chips onto 22. Rick growls at Jan: "Cash it in and don't come back."
|
Casino King Bonus Code: paris |
"A Lucky Guy"
It is obvious to everyone in the room that Rick had rigged the roulette game so
that Jan and Annina could obtain the money for their exit visas. Rick, however,
still feigning the heart of stone, will have none of it. When Annina tries to
thank him, he brushes her off and says, "He's just a lucky guy."
Of course, Rick meant that Jan was lucky to win at roulette. But perhaps he
meant that Jan was a lucky guy to have a partner who loved him as much as Annina
did. Ambiguity is part of the beauty of "Casablanca."
"A Gesture to Love"
The only loser in the whole episode (besides Rick himself, who, after all, had given away a large sum of his own money) was Captain Renault, who had been cheated out of his erotic encounter with Annina. He accuses Rick of being "a rank sentimentalist" and demands: "Why do you interfere with my little romances?"
Rick responds: "Put it down as a gesture to love." And so we see how the great game of roulette has given one young couple a new life of love and freedom and escape from tyranny.
|
American Roulette:
Play roulette the way they play it in Vegas.
European Roulette
The European version has a single-zero roulette wheel.
French Roulette
The most sophisticated roulette game there is.
Roulette Royale
Roulette with a progressive jackpot of $500,000 or more.
American Roulette History
The development of the double-zero American game
Roulette Betting Systems
These systems claim that they can help you come out ahead in the long run.
Blaise Pascal
The 17-th century genius who invented the roulette wheel.
Ashley Revell
He demonstrated the true meaning of "double or nothing."
|
Tips to Win at Roulette
Tips to help you play roulette smarter and better.
Roulette Strategy
A good roulette strategy will help you win at roulette.
History of Roulette
From Pascal's perpetual motion machine to today's internet casino.
Online vs. Land-Based Roulette
The pros and cons of playing blackjack online or on land.
Roulette Bets
There are many kinds of roulette bets, from even-money bets to long shots.
The Roulette Wheel
The centerpiece of the roulette game, but how does it really work?
Joseph Jagger
The man who beat the bank at Monte Carlo.
Roulette in Casablanca
You must remember this: a fixed wheel and a gesture to love.
|
The roulette wheel has long been the classic symbol of sophisticated casino
gambling. Now you can experience the same sense of excitement and sophistication
with Wild Jack online roulette. Wild Jack Online Casino offers American
Roulette, European Roulette, French Roulette, and Roulette Royale, together with
articles on roulette strategy, tips to win, the history of roulette, and the
differences between online roulette and land-based roulette.
|
Blackjack Strategy:
Blackjack basic strategy, card counting, shuffle tracking.
Blackjack Rules:
Learn the rules of blackjack and the definitions of blackjack terms.
Blackjack Hall of Fame:
Profiles of the greatest blackjack thinkers, writers, and players.
Online vs. Land-Based Blackjack:
The pros and cons of playing blackjack online or on land.
|
Blackjack Tips:
Tips to help you play blackjack smarter and better.
Blackjack History:
The fascinating story of blackjack, from vingt-et-un to online blackjack.
Blackjack Betting Systems:
Progressive betting systems claim they will make you money.
Blackjack Variations:
Double Exposure, Pontoon, Triple Sevens, Spanish Blackjack, and more. |
| |
Magicbox Casino Bonus Code: paris |
|
Joyland Casino Bonus Code: paris |
|
