The Gaming Table

Fortune and the God of War have a child—and she is Gaming, whose beloved twins are Duelling and Suicide. In Andrew Steinmetz’s opening allegory, her palace doors stand open day and night, but her visitors do not all leave with their fortunes intact.

Writing in the mid-nineteenth century, Steinmetz follows the appetite for games of chance across continents and centuries, from ancient gods and Roman dice to the gaming rooms of modern life. His subject is not merely cards or wagers, but the moment excitement turns to ruin: what can a player stake when money is gone, and what does the promise of one more chance conceal? As the tables draw in every kind of player, where does the game end—and who pays?

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