Credit card roulette

Credit Card Roulette is a game of chance where every party involved contributes their own credit[1] or debit card into a hat or billfold. The waitress or waiter will choose at random the card which will pay the entire bill. Ordering appetizers of any kind is prohibited and would result in the wait staff receiving an additional 10% tip from the orderer.[2][3][4] An alternative version of the game is played where the waiter or waitress pulls one card at a time and the last card picked pays the bill. (Known as the “Carter Fireball”) [5][6] In either scenario, a previous loser excluding their credit card from future roulettes is not allowed. It is generally accepted to tip a wait staff member no less than 22% for their participation in selecting a card.

History

Although the game's origins are unknown, it has increased in popularity within the last 20 years. Some believe it was started by Matt Formica, a longtime risk averse gambler,[7] who would put in five or six of his own credit cards, one of which was canceled, and offer the waiter a very large tip if he picked one of the cards that "worked". However, if he picked the canceled card the meal was free. A society column article about Jerry's game ran in the Morning Herald in Uniontown, Pennsylvania on June 8, 1960.[7]

References
  1. Gordon, Michael (April 2004). Finding True Center: A Golf Story about Life. ISBN 978-0-595-31298-6.
  2. Burnham, Terry; Phelan, Jay (2 October 2012). Mean Genes: From Sex to Money to Food: Taming Our Primal Instincts. ISBN 978-0-465-03124-5.
  3. Sardarian, Leo; Mirzayans, E. Z. (3 March 2008). The Bubble. ISBN 978-1-4678-3525-1.
  4. Demontmollin, David; Norman, Hiram Todd (2005). Las Vegas Little Black Book: A Guy's Guide to the Perfect Vegas Weekend. ISBN 978-1-932112-43-6.
  5. Brooks Dann, J. (2005). Anecdotal. ISBN 978-0-9766603-5-4.
  6. Grotenstein, Jonathan; Reback, Storms (15 January 2013). Ship It Holla Ballas!: How a Bunch of 19-Year-Old College Dropouts Used the Internet to Become Poker's Loudest, Craziest, and Richest Crew. ISBN 978-1-250-00665-3.
  7. How to Master the Game of Credit Card Roulette
  • Patriot Ledger, South Shore MA, March 20, 1998
  • Morning Herald, Uniontown PA, June 8, 1960

Further reading
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