The Basics of Fan Tan
The word "Fan Tan" was something I had not heard of before. I searched for "Fan Tan" on Google. It returned few results. There were a couple of websites that showed images of what it looked like, but not much other than that. It seemed odd that there wasn't much information on it. I decided to go further into the source of the word so I could know more about it.
According to the Dictionary of Etymology The word's root is "a streak or tan in dark brown." This suggests that the term came from the gambling game long played by Egyptians. If you look back in time, you will find that the Egyptians used the same Fan Tan formula as we use to play this game. You probably know that black and brown are good luck colors for those who play the game. If you violate this rule, or simply disregarding this rule could cost you the game.
The earliest writings I found that discussed the origin of "fan-tan" were from ancient Chinese newspapers and books. I'm not certain if they meant the Taninese version of the word or the original Chinese Fan Tan however it does give me an idea as to where the name came from. This is crucial because the majority of people associate the source of the term with betting or Chinese games of a certain type.
The earliest writings speak of the history of "fan tan-tan" and they originate originated from Northern China. This is the area that is typically found in most of the gambling games inspired by the old Chinese theme. For instance, all of the roulette games are performed within the Northern Chinese style. This means that you'll be able to find lots of players betting on these games in Chinese Chinatown.
The Northern regions of China are where the roots of "Fan Tan -tan", the name for the phrase, actually lies. Locals would gamble on high-stakes games. It would typically mean that the game was an online gambling game or a similar game. These bets were placed to make money if they won.
The problem with the Northern Chinese style of gambling is that the payout was not very substantial. One might think that luck would be wild if you won lots of money. However, as there wasn't much money to make, this wasn't the situation. It was only during times when the wage rates weren't as excessive that people started placing larger bets. The principle behind this was still the same though it was to make sure that you at least had the chance of winning something with your Fan Tan.
In order to place bets on several places, we have now adopted the term Fan Tan. It's a variant of the original betting game. But there's a rule that has been changed that is: bets have to be placed on at most four bets. You can't do Fan Tan with just one hand and you can't play it with just four pieces of equipment. The rules are a bit technical, but it's easy enough to grasp - the object must be longer or shorter than four inches. Every bet has its own category, which makes it easy to track.
There's no need to quit playing Fan Tan however, it is necessary to take it on a smaller scale. If you're playing just only one hand at a given time, then you can easily concentrate on more important matters such as doubling the amount of chips you have, winning big pots, or getting credits for the games you participate in. It is important to ensure that you are at least twice as likely to win if are playing five hands. The exception is the odd numbers. Make sure to only place your bets on three cards from the same suit when you're playing a full five-card game.