Pastimes Ledger

an amateur's notes on cards, dice, draws and fairground games

The games people played, and how they got here.

Short histories of cards, dice, lotteries, fairground stalls and introductory offers, written by an amateur collector.

CardsHow Playing Cards Reached EuropeThe pack in a kitchen drawer is the end of a long journey. Its suits, its numbers and even its court cards changed shape as it crossed continents.
DiceDice Before History: From Knucklebones to the Six-Sided CubeDice are older than writing in many places. The cube we roll today grew out of animal bones, and its familiar pattern of spots is a rule, not an accident.
LotteriesLotteries and Public Works: A Short History of the DrawLong before lottery tickets were sold at newsagents, governments and towns used draws to raise money for walls, bridges and harbours.
FairgroundsFairground Stalls: Hoops, Coconuts and the Art of the AlmostFairground games look like tests of skill, and some genuinely are. Their design, though, is built around the shot that very nearly works.
OffersFree Goes and First-Time Offers: A History of the Introductory DealFrom the shopkeeper's free sample to trading stamps and the matched first stake, the introductory offer is one of the oldest tricks in trade. Reading its conditions is part of the history too.
ScreensOld Games on New Screens: How Card and Table Games Moved OnlineBaccarat, roulette and dice games were once tied to a table in a particular room. Today the same rules run on a phone, and the questions a player should ask have changed shape.