L to R Sam's grandaughter Cambria Piersol (back to camera), grandaughter Tatiana Kendinian, Sam Torosian, and Sam's brother in law Hayik Kendinian.Ībout Sam and The Creation of Pai Gow Poker
The question for the poll is who do you think invented Pai Gow Poker?įormer Casino Boss Sam Torosian plays Pai Gow at his daughters house in South Pasadena with family members.
This version is what I've said on my Pai Gow Poker page for years, using this article as a source: Casino Boss Can't Cash In on Game He Developed (Los Angeles Times).Ĭan anybody provide any evidence to help clear up the muddy waters surrounding this game? My understanding was similar, but it wasn't Fred Wolf but Sam Torosian who invented it. The games of Pai Gow Poker and Super Pan-9 became immediate crowd favorites, quickly spreading to the entire Californian gaming market, and then, worldwide. Fred Wolf needed to innovate new gaming structures in order to overcome the competition of the larger Los Angeles area card casinos, such as the Bicycle Club and Commerce Casino. Fred Wolf decided to sublet a third of the casino floor space of the Bell Club, in the city of Bell, California, to introduce his new Super Pan-9 game. In addition to being a games inventor, Fred Wolf was the casino manager of the Commerce Casino in the early 1980s.
