- Monte Bank
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Monte Bank 
John David Borthwick, a Scottish artist portrayed the gambling element of Monte in this lithograph.
Origin Spanish Alternative name(s) Monte Type Gambling Players 2+ Skill(s) required Chance Cards 40 Deck Spanish Play Counter-clockwise Playing time 5–10 min. Random chance Easy Related games Baccarat Monte Bank, Mountebank, Spanish Monte and Mexican Monte, sometimes just Monte, is a Spanish gambling card game and the national card game of Mexico.[citation needed] It ultimately derives from basset, where the banker (dealer) pays on matching cards. Because the odds favor the house (the banker or dealer), the term mountebank has also come to mean a con artist, as in three-card monte. The term "monte" has also been used for a variety of other gambling games, especially varieties of three-card poker.[1]
Contents
History
The two card version Mexican monte, and the four card version Spanish monte, are a type of card game played in Spain before coming to the American Southwest via Mexico. They were originally played with a Spanish deck (40 cards) and later with cards made expressly for the game, known as Monte cards, as well as modified standard decks. These games became popular in the United States, specially in Texas, after they were brought back by returning troops from the Mexican–American War in 1848.[2][3] They remained popular through the end of the century particularly in the American West,[4] and even among the American Indians.[5][6]
The play
Monte uses a deck of 40 playing cards (removing the 10’s, 9’s and 8’s from a standard 52 card deck). One or more people may play against the house, known as the "bank" or "banker", and who is the dealer.[6][7]
Mexican Monte
In some versions, the monte banker, or dealer, must have the whole of his bank, or money which he risks at the game, in sight upon the table.[citation needed] The play begins with the dealer drawing one card from the bottom of the deck and placing it face up on the table, this card becomes the “bottom layout”.[7] Similarly, another card is drawn from the top of the deck, known as the “top layout”,[7] and placed face up on the table, usually closer to the dealer. The remaining stack of cards, called the “monte” is placed face down in front of the dealer. Sometimes a monte box was used to hold the monte.
The players, sometimes known as punters, place bets on the layout of their choice, or on both. Starting with the player to banker’s right and proceeding counter-clockwise, each player has one chance to place his stake on the layouts. After the last player has placed his stake, the banker turns the monte face up. The card now showing is known as the “gate”. The banker pays, one for one, any bet on a matching suit. The banker takes all the bets from a layout if the “gate” did not match the suit in the layout.[7]
Spanish Monte
The play in four-card monte is similar. Instead of one card in the bottom and top layouts, the dealer takes two cards from the top and two more from the bottom of the deck and place them all slightly apart upon the table to form the "bottom layout" and the "top layout", respectively.[8] The deal is valid whatever suit appears, even if all four cards are of the same suit. Except for the banker, each player may bet on either pair or both, by placing the bet between that pair. If the “gate” card's suit matches one or both of the cards in a layout, or even cards in both layouts, the players win any bets, but if no card is matched all bets are lost.[8] This decreases the house-odds somewhat, as there are frequently two suits in a layout, increasing the possibility of a match.
Coup
After the hand, known as a "coup", the banker collects all losing bets and pays on a one to one basis[7] all players whose bets matched the “gate” card in the layout and take both layouts off the table placing them aside to form a discard pile. Turning the "monte" face down he takes the next “gate” card from the bottom of the deck and puts it on the discard pile. He then deals for the next layout cards without shuffling or cutting the cards.
Change of banker
The bank and deal remain with one player up to a maximum of five "coup",[7] six, or any previously agreed amount of hands,[8] when all of the cards are reshuffled together and in friendly play the bank (dealer) passes to the left. At least ten cards should remain unplayed so as to prevent players calculating which suits still remain in the deck. If at any time the bank is emptied, bank and deal pass to the left. In casino play, the house retains the bank.
Popular culture
- John Wesley Hardin killed a man over a game of monte.[9][10]
- MacKenzie, Pierce (1987) The Spanish Monte Fiasco (Series: T.G. Horne, No. 4) New American Library, New York, ISBN 0-451-14863-0, is an adventure novel set in the American Old West.
- According to JD Borthwick, Indians always disposed of their money in two ways: playing "Monte" with Mexicans and purchasing articles of clothing.[11]
Notes
- ^ Oxford Dictionary of Card Games, pg. 162, David Parlett – Oxford University Press (1996) ISBN 0-19-869173-4
- ^ Carson, Bridget and Rhodes, Sue (2002) "The Soldier's Respite Civil War Gambling, How to Play Faro, Monte & Dice"
- ^ Dictionary of American regional English by Frederic Gomes Cassidy & Joan Houston Hall vol. 4 pg 376 Belknap Press of Harvard University Press (2002) ISBN 0674008847 – 1851 Alta California 19 July DA.
"A singular genious... was "pongaling down" huge piles of gold at a monte table." - ^ "Monte" Frontier Gamblers
- ^ Wayland, Virginia (1973) "Princeton's Apache Playing Cards" The Princeton University Library Chronicle 34(3): pp. 147–157, pages 149–150
- ^ a b Nelson, Walter (1998) The Merry Gamester or Games Through the Ages (4th edition) Merchant Adventures Press, Reseda, California, page 52, OCLC 51859146
- ^ a b c d e f Arnold, Peter (1989) "Monte Bank" The Complete Book of Card Games Gallery Books, New York, page 214-215, ISBN 0-8317-1530-8
- ^ a b c "The Little Giant Encyclopedia of Card Games", pg. 278 Diagram Group 1995 ISBN 0806913304
- ^ Metz, Leon C. (1996) John Wesley Hardin: Dark Angel of Texas Mangan Books, El Paso Texas, page 36, ISBN 0-930208-35-8
- ^ Hardin, John Wesley (1961) The Life of John Wesley Hardin as written by himself University of Oklahoma Press, Norman, Oklahoma, page 34, OCLC 79951233
- ^ Bringing them under subjection: California's Tejón Indian Reservation and Beyond, 1852–1864 pg. 208, George Harwood Phillips – University of Nebraska Press 2004 ISBN 0803237367
See also
Categories:- Gambling games
- Comparing card games
- Lottery card games
- Spanish card games
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