Games of chance in ancient Greece
Betting has a rich history in the Mediterranean country of Greece. It is even in Ancient Greek mythology. Zeus, Hades, and Poseidon decided who rules over what part of the universe by shaking lots. It is an ancient game of chance where one puts numbered sticks in a tube and shakes it. The winner depends on which stick stays in the container the longest.
All social classes in ancient Hellas also enjoyed betting. Throwing dice and heads or tails were the most popular games.
Betting in today’s Greece
Today, about nine casinos are operating in Greece. These target tourists rather than the locals. Only three of these casinos have poker rooms.
When it comes to online betting, OPAP has a legal monopoly in the country. It is a state-owned company that offers sports betting and lotteries. They do not provide Poker99 or PartyPoker, which means the Greek government has no real incentive to go after players who play on international sites. Online poker rooms from abroad are not competitors. It is not legal, but there is still a large number of people playing online poker because there is no online poker ban in Greece. Before the early 2010s, foreign private companies held Greek licenses. It was okay for them to give action to Greek players.
Greek Hold’em
The original name for this game is Tight Hold’em. It is a community-card poker game variant of Texas Hold’em and transitioned into the evolution of Omaha Hold’em. This game combines the rules of Texas Hold’em and the current day Omaha Hold’em.
Rules
The game follows the same rules as Omaha’s. The difference is that each player only gets two cards like in Texas Hold’em. Each player must use both hole cards along with three of the total available community cards. The goal is to make the most substantial five-card hand.
History
People in the 1960s often played this game in Memphis at the Greek club. Spit in the Ocean is also an early variation of Omaha like the Greek Hold’em. Robert Turner introduced Greek Hold’em to Golden Nugget’s manager, Bill Boyd, in the late 1970s. In 1982, the two decided on four hole cards instead of two.
Laws in 2018 made a step and incentivized new investments into the gaming sector. It allowed the abolishment of entrance tickets to casinos, and also simplified the approval processes for new games. The municipality tax rate was at two percent.
