riverboat gambler

Legends of America

Traveling through american history, destinations & legends since 2003., george devol – old west card sharp.

George Devol

“I don’t know just how thick my old skull is, but I do know that it is pretty thick, or it would have been cracked many years ago, for I have been struck some terrible blows on my head with iron dray-pins, pokers, clubs, stone-coal, and bowlders, which would have split any man’s skull wide open unless it was pretty thick. Doctors have often told me that my skull was nearly an inch in thickness over my forehead.”

– George Devol, Forty Years a Gambler on the Mississippi

George H. Devol was the greatest riverboat gambler in the history of the Mississippi River. He was also a con artist, a fighter, and a master at manipulating men and their money.

Born on August 1, 1829, in Marietta, Ohio, George Devol was the youngest of six children. His father was a ship carpenter and was often away from home. Though Devol had good opportunities for early education, he didn’t like school and spent most of his time playing hooky. The unmanageable boy was also prone to fighting, coming home almost daily with scratches and bruises from his numerous scuffles. When a teacher attempted to discipline him with a hardy whipping, he would turn on them, hitting them with stones that he carried in his pocket. While his father was away building boats much of the time, his mother would be forced to call in a neighbor or passerby to help with his punishment.

Devol ran away at the age of ten, serving as a cabin boy on a riverboat steamer called the Wacousta .  Evidently, Devol did a good job in this capacity as he soon took a better-paying job on a boat called Walnut Hills .

Another boat came soon after – the Cicero , where Devol learned to play “Seven-Up” and the art of bluffing. Seeing the high lifestyle of the professional gamblers on the boat, Devol was determined to follow in their footsteps, and by the time he was in his teens, he could deal seconds, palm cards, and recover the cut.

Fighting would continue to be a natural part of his life, and he soon developed skills with a gun, never hesitating to pull it.

By the time the Mexican War broke out, he was on a boat called the Tiago . Soon, Devol thought it a good idea to go to war and got a job as a barkeeper on the Corvette , bound for the Rio Grande and Mexico.

While aboard the Corvette, he met a man who taught him how to “stock a deck.” Upon reaching the Rio Grande and joining the forces, he quickly utilized his newly learned skills to swindle the other soldiers. But he grew bored with soldiering, and with his pockets filled with his ill-earned gains, he returned to New Orleans, although not for long.

At the tender age of 17, Devol’s pockets were filled with almost three thousand dollars as he headed back home to Ohio, laden with gifts for his family.

While back in Ohio, he mastered the games of Faro and Rondo.  Devol continued to hone his skills and made hundreds of thousands of dollars in the years before the Civil War .  Working the steamboats of the South, he joined in with other card sharps, including Canada Bill Jones , Bill Rollins, Big Alexander, and many others over the years.

Playing Faro

One trick that Devol liked to play was betting against ministers, who inevitably lost their meager wages to the professional gambler. However, Devol would always return their money, along with this advice: “Go and sin no more.” But to the many soldiers, paymasters, farmers, thieves, and businessmen, he was not so kind.

When the war was over, the railroads began to head west, with settlements sprouting up all along the way.  Many of these burgeoning towns, often filled with railroad workers, miners, and cowboys provided all manner of vices, including prostitution , numerous saloons , and the ever-present gambling halls. Supplying perfect opportunities for Devol’s operation, he followed the railroad expansion between Kansas City and Cheyenne in the early 1870s.

According to his account, Devol was working the Gold Room Saloon in Cheyenne when he encountered Wild Bill Hickok .  Devol tells the story that when Hickok placed a $50 bet, he lost.  He then placed another $50 bet, winning the hand that time; however, the dealer handed him back only $25.  When Wild Bill protested, the dealer stated that the house limit was $25. “But you took 50 when I lost,” said Hickok, to which the dealer responded, “Fifty goes when you lose.” The quick-tempered Hickok wasn’t about to accept those terms “sitting down” and quickly whacked the dealer on the head with his walking stick, turned over the table, and stuffed his pockets with the till.

On another occasion, when Devol was working the railroad route, he beat a railroad director out of $1,200.  This one-time winning game resulted in Devol’s profession being quickly curbed when the outraged official prohibited gambling on trains.  Further, the Pinkerton agency was hired to be on the lookout for the most notorious professional gamblers, including Devol.

In 1892, Devol published his autobiography, Forty Years a Gambler on the Mississippi , telling of his life and probably exaggerating much of it. Shortly after he published his book, the great days of railroad and riverboat gambling were over. At his new wife’s insistence, he retired from gambling for good in 1896 and spent the last years of his life selling his book.

It is estimated that Devol won over two million dollars in his forty years of gambling.  However, when he died in Hot Springs , Arkansas , in 1903, he was nearly penniless.

Reno, Nevada Gambling, 1910

©  Kathy Weiser-Alexander / Legends of America , updated November 2021.

Old West Poker

Saloons of the Wild West

Scoundrels of the Old West

Riverboat Gambler 17+

64 casino table games, riverboat gambler, llc, designed for ipad.

• 4.6 • 1.9K Ratings
• Offers In-App Purchases

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Description.

Riverboat Gambler contains 66 casino games. All of these games can be found in a casino somewhere in the World, but no casino in the World has all of these games! Climb aboard The Riverboat Gambler and enjoy some of the hottest casino games around! This app serves up 65 different games and there are more planned. You will be amazed at the realism of your experience. Players are saying that they are becoming more proficient at the live games by practicing with Riverboat Gambler. Please read the reviews from loyal Players and professional casino Dealers who are using RBG for training purposes! Games Include: 1. Mississippi Stud 2. Three Card Poker 3. Ultimate Texas Hold’em 4. Criss Cross 5. Double Draw Poker 6. Let It Ride 7. Blackjack 8. Crazy 4 Poker 9. High Card Flush* 10. Pai Gow (tiles) 11. Pai Gow Poker 12. Asia Poker 13. Caribbean Stud Poker 14. Texas Hold’em BONUS 15. Baccarat 16. DJ Wild Poker 17. Tequila Poker 18. Red Dog Bonus! 19. Casino War 20. Keno 21. Roulette (American) 22. Craps 23. Lunar Poker 24. Cajun Poker 25. Four Card Poker 26. Heads Up Hold'em 27. Omaha Hold'em 28. Texas Shootout 29. Farobank 30. Face Up Pai Gow 31. Face Up Blackjack (Double Exposure Blackjack) 32. Jackpot Hold'em 33. Down Under Blackjack 34. Zombie Blackjack 35. Three Card Blitz 36. Casino Over/Under 37. Money Wheel 38. Three Card Fury 39. Four Card Frenzy 40. Big Raise Stud Poker 41. Single Deck Blackjack 42. Three Card Blackjack 43. Three Card Draw Poker 44. Deuces Wild 45. Bonus Six Stud Poker 46. 3-5-7 Poker 47. Chase the Flush 48. Fish, Prawn, Crab 49. Boule 50. Spanish 21* 51. Wild Five Poker (Poker with a Joker) 52. Boston 5 Poker 53. Deuces Wild Bonus! (Deuces Wild Hold'em Fold'em) 54. Sic Bo - IPad only 55. Six Card Poker 56. Rabbit Hunter 57. Cali Lowball 58. Deuces Wild (Video Poker) 59. Jacks or Better (Video Poker) 60. Joker Poker (Video Poker) 61. Royal Flush (Video Poker) 62. Double Double Bonus (Video Poker) 63. Triple Double Bonus (Video Poker) 64. Three Card Sabotage 65. Wild Card Stud Poker 66. Three Shot Poker * These games are not currently available on the smaller legacy SE devices. The limited screen real estate makes it difficult to display the large number of cards that are required to play the game. These games were designed & developed by an ardent casino player who plays 3-4 times every week. No worries if you do not know how to play. Each game includes detailed instructions and rules as well as descriptions of the possible poker hands and the related payouts. Already a player? You're going to love being able to "sit at the table" and practice your technique. Each game includes its own separate set of achievements for you to tackle as you are building up your bankroll and you will periodically be rewarded with bonus chips throughout the day. You are sure to have hours of fun improving your understanding of the games! To top it off, the developer personally reviews ALL feedback and acts upon it. If you have suggestions, submit them! Many of the current games were introduced in response to Player feedback. Note: some games may not be available on devices with smaller screens because you would need a microscope to view your cards!

Version 62.5.4

This is a quick release to fix a "bug" in Single Deck Blackjack. This bug was pointed out to my by a new friend "in the 586" who was too shy to take credit. As the name implies, Single Deck Blackjack deals from a single 52-card deck. Well, when I originally copied it from Classic Blackjack, I didn't properly adjust the Achievement to remove the "Suited Triple 7s" that would obviously never happen. Doh! In this release, I've removed that Achievement and I've included a reconciliation routine to make sure that if that was the sole remaining Achievement that someone needed in order to collect the "Super Bonus", they will get those chips! Thanks to my new friend for using "Send Feedback" to call this out. I love the "Send Feedback" option and I hope folks will continue to use it to help me make RBG the best that it can be. More enhancements and games are coming. Please continue to post reviews and share with your friends. You, the Player Community, are my sole marketing strategy and I appreciate your help and loyalty! Please stay safe! ~Danny

Ratings and Reviews

1.9K Ratings

Perfect BUY

This app is amazing but I have one major gripe, and I only say this cause I personally work at a casino, but the Spanish 21 I’m familiar with is not depicted on your version. From my knowledge the play should be able to “Double Down” three time, each time doubling the wager placed for instance original bet being 5$ could be doubled down with another 5$ (first double) now if the player wanted again they could double down again called a “double double” which they would then have to match the current wager now being 10$ (second double) and finally if they do wish for the final time they’d be able to perform a “double double double” in which on this hand they’d wager an additional 20$ as they have a current wager of 20$. The other complaint I have is that when splitting. Both card do not immediately receive a card only one card at a time for instance A,A being split would give the play the option to hit again on the first ace after the first initial card, only when they stand or bust would the next ace receive a card. Besides this one thing I noticed the game is amazing. They’re are also bonuses that maybe you did not include due to the complexity of the bonuses and difficulty displaying them to the play, I am unsure. I appreciate your time and any response you provide. Great work keep the amazing communication and attention to your fan base.

Developer Response ,

Hey There! Thanks so much for the 5 Star review and the detailed comments. There is definitely an issue with Double Down in Spanish 21 and it's on my list to address. It should happen in the next few releases. I'll have to dig deeper into your comments about Split Aces. If possible, reach out to me using "Send Feedback" so that we can discuss via text. As to bonuses: different casinos have different bonuses and I've based many of the games on the casinos down here in South Florida; my assumption has always been that the payout odds are influenced by the wagers that are made available. My gut tells me it's part of how they ensure their "House Edge". I could be wrong, though. It would be great to have a Player Preference option to "pick your favorite casino" and have rules and pay tables adjust accordingly, but that will take a lot of work, research, and probably some amount of travel! Thanks again for posting. I appreciate you! Updated: I just released an update to Spanish 21 that is more inline with what many Players expect. It turned out that my local casino was playing by their own set of rules. Thanks again for reaching out and please let me know if the update is more of what you expected. ~Danny

Completely satisfied

Admittedly, I’m a dinosaur. I’m never going to be a gamer, on my phone or computer. But I do want to play plain ol’ video poker on my kinda old iPhone, to kill time. I don’t want to buy an app (period), especially without knowing that it’s good. I don’t want to have to pay real dinero to get fake money to keep playing a game that only pays back an occasional endorphin hit. I don’t want to get blasted with ads every minute, and I HATE those ads that ignore my mute settings and wake up my spouse. Lastly, I surely would rather somehow support a fellow human rather than any MegaCorp. This completely free River Boat Gambler(RBG) ticks all my boxes. Danny, the talented developer, is super responsive, obviously committed to providing the best app and service that he can, and refreshingly honest about the need to show an occasional ad to generate some modest revenue for his efforts, while working hard to make them as benign as possible. Via regular (every few hours) “loyalty bonuses”, RBG keeps you supplied with free chips when your luck inevitably runs out. RBG offers every casino card game you’ve ever heard of (and fun variants thereof. The app is aid out effectively and everything functions perfectly (if anything doesn’t work as it should, send feedback and Danny will fix it ASAP). I couldn’t be happier. Get it - you’ll be happy too!

Wow! I'm feeling a bit like a donkey right now! I apologize for not having responded to this review that you posted over three months ago! 😮 I honestly only noticed it tonight because I filtered my dashboard to see reviews I'd missed - I wasn't expecting to see any! 🤷‍♂️ Thank you for posting it, for the kind words, and for the 5 Stars! I feel really bad given that you emphasized my responsiveness; something I try to be very good about and I quite obviously failed on miserably here. I'm so glad you found RBG and I'm happy that you like it! I've developed the app to my standards; meaning I personally don't like a lot of ads, a lot of noise, and I have no patience for special effects that add no value. Personally, I just want to play the games and practice my strategies. Please don't hesitate to let me know if there is something I can do that will improve it for you. Again, I'm very sorry it took so long to reply; there's no excuse for that! I hope you're doing well! ~Danny

Just scroll, people!

Tl;dr at the bottom. I recently reached out to the game designer (Danny, who is ridiculously responsive) because I wasn’t able to access all the games. I was convinced of this because of a pop-up telling me my display was zoomed and so some games may not be accessible. I was further convinced of this because I had a strong recollection of trying (and failing) to scroll past the few games I could see on my screen. But it was a lie. It’s all a lie! [insert unnecessary maniacal laughter here] The pop-up is a minor algorithm oopsie and easily ignored. The real issue is I’m occasionally vexed by simple things. There’s a very good chance I didn’t scroll at all or tried to in the wrong direction. 🤦‍♀️ The good news is that being “limited” to just the few games I could immediately see, I discovered a fondness for Boston Five Poker - a game I didn’t know existed. And now I’m off to play the 50 or so games I didn’t know I could actually get to. tl;dr Really solid app, fun games, really responsive gamer designer, I’m an idiot.

😘🥳🤣 I loved our text chat; you totally made my day! And thank you very much for posting a review! I respond to every review and every support text and you may be right; I may be ridiculously responsive 🙃 Your chat came at a particularly low point during my day and I am even more grateful for that than am I for the 5 Stars. You're a gem! Thank you! ~Danny

App Privacy

The developer, Riverboat Gambler, LLC , indicated that the app’s privacy practices may include handling of data as described below. For more information, see the developer’s privacy policy .

Data Used to Track You

The following data may be used to track you across apps and websites owned by other companies:

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The following data may be collected but it is not linked to your identity:

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Privacy practices may vary, for example, based on the features you use or your age. Learn More

Information

• 1,200 Chips $1.99
• 8,000 Chips $9.99
• 4,000 Chips $5.99
• 8,000 Chips (Bonus Add-On) $4.99
• 15,000 Chips $11.99
• 500 Chips $0.99
• 4,000 Chips (Bonus Add-On) $2.99
• 1,200 Chips (Bonus Add-On) $0.99
• 20,000 Chips $24.99
• 20,000 Chips (Bonus Add-On) $12.99
• Developer Website
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Functionality introduced in IOS version 60.3.5 to address EU country requirements related to ads broke the app for non-EU countries; all games are disabled. A fix is pending.

Bishop bryan ouellette of "vestiges after dark" & "ghost adventures", robin "binbin" aubin from ne time gambling, read release notes, all of these games can be found in a real casino somewhere, but no real casino anywhere has all of these games, table games:.

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• money wheel
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Riverboat Gamblers

• X @thegamblers
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thanks for playing!

How Riverboat Gambling Became Riverboat Gaming

Kevin has been involved in the gambling industry since the ‘80s. From winning tournaments to casino management, he’s ultimately done it all. Throughout the years, he’s written for various iGaming publications on topics such as the legal landscape of online casinos and strategies behind winning. His favorite game is blackjack.

Cash-strapped states across the South and Midwest in the late eighties and early nineties were desperate for a new source of cash revenue that didn’t raise taxes. Gambling seemed like an easy way out, but it was going to be a hard sell to dubious voters.

But what if they used the allure of the old riverboat gambling myths and the promise of using the riverboat casinos to keep the gambling scourge at arm’s length from impacted communities? Could they sell this new, sanitized riverboat gaming to their constituents?

The Evolution of Gaming on America’s Rivers

We will explore the history of riverboat gaming in America from the early 19th century right into the 21st. We will discuss how it morphed and was delicately managed to become a product that a broad number of people could support a few decades ago, before starting another slow decline, and we take a closer look at some of its few bright remaining stars.

• ⛴ The History of Riverboat Gambling
• ⛴ The Beginnings of Riverboat Gaming
• ⛴ A Few of the Best Riverboat Casinos Remaining
• ⛴ Conclusion

The History of Riverboat Gambling

The first steamboat to make the trip down the Ohio and then the Mississippi was aptly named New Orleans, and she made her inaugural trip in 1811. For the next 100 years, these boats would define commerce along the nation’s mighty rivers. And with commerce comes con men.

The huge sums of money that came from moving much of the fledgling nation’s goods up and down the rivers would prove to be a powerful temptation. While much of the gambling that soon developed on these long, slow trips along the river was legal, many of the men who came to play were on the wrong side of the law .

Not even two decades into the new steamboat trade and there were articles in the Eastern papers about the con men, card sharps, and confidence scams being run on every bumpkin that set foot on a boat. In 1835, the townsfolk in Vicksburg had had enough; they lynched 5 of the “professional gamblers” and burned every Faro table in town, which was stated to be in the dozens.

Much like the frontiersman who preceded them and the Wild West lawmen who would come later, these sharply dressed, supremely confident riverboat gamblers who plied their way on the steamboats of the Mississippi using only their luck and some “skills” they’d picked up along the way were the subject of many salacious headlines and stories in their day. Despite their many obvious flaws, an almost reverence was bestowed on them as archetypical American heroes.

The Beginnings Of Riverboat Gaming

The hay day of the Riverboat gambler started to fade in the 1860s during the Civil War, and then with the advent of railroads, they were soon all but forgotten. But in the early 1990s, states desperate for tax revenue and looking at the success of Las Vegas and Atlantic City decided to retest the waters of riverboat gambling.

This time, it was a way of introducing limited casino operations only along the waterways of the State’s rivers, selling it to their constituents as a diversion and pastime. Thus, the term riverboat gaming was needed . This was to be entertainment and frivolity, none of those card sharps and hustlers from the good ole days. So, a new term was coined.

Iowa led the riverboat race with the Diamond Lady in Bettendorf in April 1991. But riverboat gaming would soon come to Illinois, Mississippi, Missouri, Louisiana , and other states along the Mississippi and other large rivers like the Missouri and Ohio and even the Fox and Red Rivers.

Used mainly as a stalking horse for the eventual opening of land-based casinos in most of these states, many gamblers found the cramped quarters, the limited selection of slots and tables, and most egregious of all, the ability to only embark or disembark while the boat was at the pier, to be a let down from the Las Vegas style experience that they had been promised.

In Iowa, the first land-based casinos made an appearance in just three years. In every State, some accommodations were made , from no longer having to cruise the dangerous rivers to being allowed to move on to barges over the river to being able to move to land as long as you were adjacent to the river. This was a push generally called dock-side gaming, which meant that the actual return of elegant paddle wheelers with blackjack, roulette, and slot machines prowling the Mississippi again lasted less than a decade.

Dock-side gaming was far safer and allowed gamblers to come and go as they pleased , which drove casino revenues much higher. Also, the ability in some states to move either onto barges or land-based casinos adjacent to piers saw some spectacular casinos get built that could finally meet the promise of a Las Vegas experience.

A Few Of The Best Riverboat Casinos Remaining

If you are going to visit one of the grand old ladies of the river, we think that you should start with the actual riverboats that once traveled the Mississippi, and of these, the Amelia Belle is one of the most iconic .

Situated about an hour and a half outside New Orleans, deep in Cajun Country, this beautiful riverboat gambling hall has over 30,000 square feet of gaming space , 800 slots, and a dozen table games. Before she was damaged during Hurricane Katrina, she sailed up the river from the port of New Orleans several times a day in the mid-90s, but she now sits permanently in Bayou Bouef, her expedition days behind her.

Since Louisiana has kept its premise of at least gambling on a boat, even if its moored in a giant pool or cemented to the dock, longer than most other of the original riverboat casino states, it’s no wonder we can find most of the truly breathtaking and best riverboat casinos there.

Another of the must-see gambling boats sits on the Red River in Shreveport, Louisiana. Chosen for its 20-minute proximity to the Texas border and only two and a half hours drive from Dallas, Shreveport was once a thriving riverboat gambling town and one of the country’s premier riverboat casino locations. But the Indian tribes in Oklahoma, which sit only an hour outside of Dallas to the North, have taken some of their business.

Still, there are several other riverboats operating in Shreveport, but what we think makes the Sam’s Town Property, one of the best riverboat casinos in Louisiana , is that they’ve turned a 30,000-square-foot gaming boat into a destination resort. They have a 500+ room hotel directly adjacent and tied into the property with four restaurants including a really nice steak house and lots of other amenities. The boat itself has over 1000 slots and more than 27 table games.

One of the best riverboat casinos outside of Louisiana is the Grand Victoria in Elgin, Illinois. Built back in 1995, she was spared the dangers of cruising the Fox River in 1999, when Illinois was one of the last states to end their riverboat gaming rules that required the boats to leave their docks. Today, this 30,000-foot boat has room for 1100 slots and almost 30 tables and even sports an onboard buffet and three other restaurants. She is one of the prettier examples of the early 1990s boats that you will see as well, and it is well worth your time to get a good vantage point and take in her lines.

While both the age of riverboat gamblers and its more recent short-lived renaissance of riverboat gaming are now a thing of the past, the allure of cruising the mighty Mississippi while making your living playing cards and shooting dice will probably live on into the distant future. There is something about the water flowing past and the land slipping by out the window that just seems to call for a quick hand of poker or a spin on the roulette wheel.

It’s a call back to a time when the men and women who traveled these waterways were used to risking everything in order to follow their dreams. Get out there and check out some of those boats, wander the decks, play a hand or two of blackjack, and contemplate that river streaming by while you still have a chance to see a dying American breed , the last of the riverboat casinos.

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Riverboat Gambler – Rule Sheet

Rule Sheet (PBL) by SPiehler

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There are various areas of the world that just seem synonymous with gambling. When people hear the name Las Vegas they picture gambling of a flashy, mass entertainment proportion. Macau ’ s gambling culture brings a real Asian flavour to gambling, with many inevitably comparing it to Vegas. Monte Carlo delivers gambling connotations of wealth and prestige. Obviously, it is not just physical areas where gambling has a strong presence, with the web and mobile space being  dominated by PartyCasino  and other big names in the industry.

Another, yet somewhat less spectacular, sight that can only be associated with gambling is the steam propelled riverboat of certain states in the USA. How did these iconic vessels come to be known for hosting casinos, and what is the current status of riverboat casinos today?

On Water, But Not Land

There is a network of rivers that penetrate inland from the Gulf of Mexico up through the United States,  most famously the Mississippi River . In the 19 th  Century the rivers provided a fantastic way to transport goods from town to town up and down the bodies of water. This in turn became a popular method of passenger transport, with travellers using the boat to socialise. One of the most popular forms of entertainment was  play at online Irish casino , and therefore this pastime became highly popular aboard the vessels. 

There were also, and still are today, laws that prohibited gambling on land. However, the proprietor s  of these boats took advantage of the loophole not extending these laws to establishments on water. Even today,  riverboats are still to be found on the Mississippi  and is still considered one of the best for cruises. Certain rivers acted as state lines, so it was sometimes argued that the gamblers could not be classified as being in one state or another while steaming down a river.

Railroads and War

As mentioned, the riverboats were first and foremost a means of transportation and enjoyed such success due to it being the quickest and most reliable means of travel and delivery of goods. However, when railroads started to spread across the country, they opened up new routes that got people around in a more direct manner. The trains also cut days off travel and therefore started to overtake the riverboats in popularity.

Around the same time the  American Civil War  broke out, a period where much of the fighting was done in the Southern States which defied the laws laid out by the North. This meant that riverboat entertainment almost came to a complete end.

The Riverboats of Today

Unlike the boats of old, which used to set off on long journeys to various destinations, the vessels of now mostly remain docked and very seldom actually take to the open waters. However, one will still be able to undergo the traditional experience that thousands enjoyed before casinos became what we are familiar with today.

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Steve Kerr: Team USA must raise intensity for Paris Olympics

Steve Kerr shares how it's time for Team USA to lock in as it prepares for its first matchup in Paris against Serbia. (1:18)

• ESPN.com NBA writer since 2010
• Covered Cleveland Cavs for seven years
• Author of two books

PARIS -- After games on three continents and a whirlwind of ceremonies and travel, Team USA has finally arrived in the Olympics' host city.

And coach Steve Kerr had a corresponding message: It's time to act like it.

After a sobering film session Thursday that showed clips of some lackadaisical play, Kerr put Team USA through its most aggressive practice since coming overseas, hoping to ignite more spirit ahead of its Olympic opener Sunday against Serbia.

"That's what today is about. It's the reminder. It's time. We're here," Kerr said. "So it's got to be 40 minutes of force and attention and focus, and we can't let teams outplay us effort- and energy-wise like we did the other night against Germany, like we did against South Sudan."

Kerr specifically felt the team played slowly and didn't take advantage of its depth in those two games. Germany especially was beating the U.S. to loose balls, and the extra possessions were a major factor. The U.S. won by just four points against Germany after surviving three last-second shots to beat South Sudan.

The Americans are significant favorites in Paris, as usual, but Kerr and the coaching staff are emphasizing how fragile the nature of the Olympic tournament can be. The U.S. could likely afford a loss in the three-game pool play -- it had them in 2004 in Athens and 2021 in Tokyo and advanced to the medal round both times -- but after that, it's single-elimination for the gold.

The way Team USA played in London was not the type of energy required for such a reality.

"It's literally six games and, watching the tape, we're jogging through some possessions," Kerr said. "We're not hitting bodies on boxouts. And so it's time. It's time to lock in on that."

The Americans began their preparation for Serbia by walking through some sets Wednesday. Serbia is a legit threat to win the gold with Nikola Jokic at center and NBA-quality guards.

In the exhibition games, there wasn't as much attention placed on opponent personnel as Team USA focused on its own operations. But that is at an end as well. Team USA deployed scouts around Europe to watch and evaluate pre-Olympic matches to help prepare game plans.

Kerr, a four-time champion as NBA coach and an assistant on the gold medal-winning team in Tokyo, and his staff are raising their games and expecting the players to follow.

"We have another level. I think we have another two levels that we can get to, but it's a collaboration always," Kerr said. "So we can show the strategic stuff on the tape walk-through. We can show them, 'Let's do this, let's do that. Let's learn personnel.' We got to know the shooters, know the non-shooters, all that stuff. So that's where we can help them. Where they can help themselves is just effort and energy play after play, after play. This is different."

Friday will be a special day as the players will visit the Olympic Village to spend time with their fellow American Olympians. Then they will ride on the Team USA boat for the opening ceremony down the River Seine through the heart of Paris in a truly unique and historic event.

Then it will be all basketball.

"You tend to just stay in the moment and realize this is a special time," Kevin Durant said Thursday. "It's just been cool being around all of these great players and seeing 'em in a different element outside of just being competitors. As teammates, you always got that competitive fire."

Said Kerr: "This should be one of the great experiences of our lives. But the best way to make it an incredible experience is to win a gold medal."

Ohio State standouts react to EA Sports' College Football 25 rating: Buckeye Breakast

• Updated: Jul. 24, 2024, 11:55 a.m.
• | Published: Jul. 24, 2024, 5:00 a.m.

Jack Sawyer addresses the media at Big Ten Media Day. Andrew Gillis

• Andrew Gillis, cleveland.com

INDIANAPOLIS — EA Sports’ latest game, College Football 25, has taken the sports community by storm as nearly three million players took advantage of early access to the game last week.

As it turns out, some of those players are Ohio State players, playing as themselves. And some aren’t necessarily happy with their ratings.

Latest Ohio State Buckeyes news

• Ex-Ohio State star excited for fresh start with LA Chargers: ‘I’m on a new journey’
• 2024 Big Ten Network football streaming guide: How to watch games for free
• What’s up with Ohio State’s old rival and a new one that could be forming? Buckeye Talk podcast
• Jim Harbaugh’s Michigan football shadow is impossible for Sherrone Moore to shed quickly — Jimmy Watkins

Defensive end Jack Sawyer said he grew up playing the game, and that it was “surreal” being able to play the game as himself. He knew his overall was a 92, correctly guessed his speed was an 86, but was stunned at his strength only being rated an 85.

“85 strength?” Sawyer questioned, while chuckling. “I need to get in contact with some of those guys from EA.”

Sawyer also cracked that he’s trying to get J.T. Tuimoloau, who is not currently in the game, to allow his likeness for the game.

Wide receiver Emeka Egbuka feels the same connection to the game.

“It’s amazing,” he said with a big smile. “I’m constantly texting my teammates when they don’t make a play for me. ‘If you don’t make a play for me, I’m subbing you out.’”

While he played coy, he knew his ratings down to the exact number. He commented his 93 overall rating, which he knew exactly, sounded pretty solid. But he was a little upset about the strength number, too.

“A little disappointed on that one,” Egbuka continued. “I’m not naming names, but there’s wide receivers around the nation where they might be 190 pounds, I’m 205, kind of a strong guy, and I got lower strength than them. So I don’t know what that’s about.”

Fanning for Lanning?

An Oregon duck found its way into the White River outside of Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis on Tuesday.

A literal giant inflatable duck.

The massive duck was seen floating in the river on Tuesday, scaring/surprising/humoring passersby in the city where Oregon was set for its first introduction into the Big Ten.

Talk about making a grand entrance.

• Chelsea vs. Manchester City soccer match at Ohio Stadium:  10 days, Aug. 3
• 2024 opener vs. Akron:  38 days, Aug. 31
• Ohio State at Oregon:  80 days, Oct. 12
• Ohio State at Penn State:  101 days, Nov. 2
• The Game 2024:  129 days, Nov. 30

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Flocking To

An Australian Island With ‘Wild’ Saunas and Pagan Festivals

A local’s guide to Tasmania, with tips on where to sleep, eat and surf.

Great Oyster Bay backed by the Hazards mountain range on Tasmania’s Freycinet Peninsula. Credit... Anna Pihan

Supported by

By Doosie Morris

• July 25, 2024

T’s monthly travel series, Flocking To , highlights places you might already have on your wish list, sharing tips from frequent visitors and locals alike. Sign up here to find us in your inbox once a month, and to receive our weekly T List newsletter. Have a question? You can always reach us at [email protected] .

Before Australia’s East Coast burnished its reputation as a haven of sun, sand and sea, it was the temperate climate of Tasmania, the country’s largest island, that lured visitors from across the British Empire. Sometimes called the “sanitarium of the south,” it was noted for its salubrious climes, which were considered an antidote to havoc wrought on delicate constitutions by tours in the equatorial colonies. Some two centuries later, the heart-shaped landmass 150 miles off the mainland’s southeast coast is still seen as a place of invigorating isolation.

Roughly the same size as West Virginia, with a population of just over half a million, Tasmania is a patchwork of pastures and wilderness surrounded by rugged coastlines and windswept bays. About 50 percent of the island is protected from development; nearly a quarter is World Heritage listed.

The island’s antipodean charms and violent history have long captured the imagination of artists. William Charles Piguenit, born a convict’s son in Hobart, the Tasmanian capital, in 1836, saw his depictions of the island’s landscape shown in Paris and London around the turn of the 20th century and is widely regarded as one of Australia’s first artists of note. Throughout the 20th century, fine art continued to flourish in Tasmania. The Polish sculptor Ewa Pachucka and the Czech painter Tom Samek were among a slew of international and interstate artists who took up residence there.

In recent decades, a new wave of creative professionals have descended on the remote island. In its West Coast region, Queenstown, a former mining town of fewer than 2,000 residents, has become an unlikely hub for artists and home to the Unconformity, a biennial contemporary arts festival. But it was the improbable addition of MONA (the Museum of Old and New Art), which opened in Hobart in 2011, that cemented the island’s credibility as an international art destination. The brainchild of David Walsh, a prodigious professional gambler and irreverent art collector who grew up in the nearby suburb of Glenorchy, this concrete and steel bastion on the banks of the Derwent River currently contains more than 450 antiquities and avant-garde artworks.

Here we ask four locals for their tips on how to make the most of a sojourn to the real deep south.

The Insiders

Originally from New Zealand, the chef Analiese Gregory cooked at Le Meurice in Paris and Quay in Sydney before moving to Tasmania in 2017. She plans to open a 10-seat restaurant on her property in the island’s Huon Valley later this year.

A native Tasmanian, Jane Haley is the C.E.O. of Design Tasmania , an exhibition center and organization that has been championing local designers and makers for nearly 50 years.

The architect Lara Maeseele , originally from Belgium, moved to Hobart in 2012, where she works as an associate at Tanner Architects.

The American musician Brian Ritchie , the bassist for the alternative-rock band Violent Femmes, moved to Hobart in 2007. He served as the artistic director of Mona Foma (Museum of Old and New Art Festival of Music and Art) from its inception in 2009 through its final edition, held earlier this year.

Illustrations by Richard Pedaline

“ Stillwater Seven [in Launceston] is a collection of luxurious suites in a redeveloped flour mill. It sits on the banks of the Tamar River and is right next to the Cataract Gorge, which is an extraordinary natural wilderness in the heart of the city. It’s contemporary and moody, and the restaurant is fantastic. In advance of your visit, they’ll ask about your favorite music and drinks, so when you arrive at your suite you’ll be greeted with an appropriate playlist and your preferred tipple.” (Rooms from about $270 a night) — Jane Haley

“The rooms at MACq 01 [in Hobart] are really calming — they make you want to cozy up for a snooze and then have a little pre-dinner cocktail. The hotel bar downstairs is like a museum, finished with Tasmanian timbers and glass cabinets full of fossils and artifacts. Hobart is a port city, and [from the bar] you can look out onto the waterfront and see working crayfish boats with all the pots on them.” (Rooms from about $200 a night) — Analiese Gregory

“My wife and I sometimes go to Saffire Freycinet after we finish a festival or to celebrate an anniversary. It’s one of our special getaway spots. The cuisine is excellent and you can eat and drink as much as you like. There are spa treatments and boats that can deposit you on a nearby island to explore. Wineglass Bay [about six miles south of Saffire Freycinet in Freycinet National Park] is one of the most famous spots in Tassie and with good reason: It’s incredibly beautiful.” (From about $1,900 a night, including meals) — Brian Ritchie

“The Moss Hotel has lovely interiors. It strikes a perfect balance between the historic architecture of Hobart and really soft, timeless new finishes.” (Rooms from about $150 a night) — Lara Maeseele

Eat and Drink

“ Ogee is a new wine bar from the Hobart hospitality stalwart Matt Breen, who opened Templo and Sonny . It’s loosely French and Italian, cozy and warming, with great food — the perfect neighborhood spot. They make a good dirty martini and a solid negroni.” — A.G.

“ Stillwater in Launceston is one of the best restaurants in Tasmania. I’ve been going there since it opened [in 2000]. It was one of the first of a genre that I guess is called Mod-Oz. They continue to make incredible use of the Tasmanian produce, like the quail, the oysters, the lobster, the squid. It’s laid back, not very formal, with views of the river.” — B.R.

“ Wide Awake Coffee does the best coffee in Hobart. I just love how Australians make coffee. When I go back to Europe, to be honest, it’s often a disappointment.” — L.M.

“I remember going to Stelo at Pierre’s in the center of Launceston as a little girl when it was just Pierre’s. [Stelo restaurant took up residence at Pierre’s in 2020.] I’d go there to have a chocolate royal — basically a fancy iced chocolate with all the trimmings. These days I’m more likely to order homemade pasta and a glass of pinot. They also own a little bar right next door with a brilliant list of Tasmanian wines, gins and whiskeys. The Agrarian Kitchen in New Norfolk [half an hour from Hobart] is a remarkable experience. The ingredients for the degustation-style menu are sourced from their walled gardens, local fisheries, farmers and producers. They also have the Kiosk, which serves sweet and savory treats to be enjoyed on the picnic tables or rugs on the lawns.” — J.H.

“I’m a patriotic Hobartian, so I go to the downtown shopping area. The home goods and clothing store the Maker designs its own stuff and also imports things from Japan. That’s probably the place where I get the most clothes.” — B.R.

“There are lots of little [thrift] shops all over Tasmania. For vintage clothing [in Hobart], the Finders is one of my favorites, as is Goodbyes . I always walk out with something.” — L.M.

“In New Norfolk there’s a family with three shops. One’s called the Drill Hall Emporium , which is an antiques store [selling] a lot of stuff they’ve brought back from France. Next door is Miss Arthur , which is full of niche homewares: everything from Opinel knives to brass pepper grinders from Greece to Japanese incense. They also have a stationery store, [ Flywheel ], where I spend too much money on things I didn’t know I needed.” — A.G.

“There’s a Tamar Valley vineyard called Delamere . It’s a family enterprise, with all the growing, production and bottling done on-site, and their pinot noir is a top-notch drop.” — J.H.

“ Heartwood Malt Whisky gets its whiskey from distilleries all over, but its magic is in aging the whiskey in barrels for the right amount of time and shifting from one barrel to the other. There’s a lot of alchemy involved. Also, anything made of endemic Tasmanian wood is worth taking home. Huon pine especially. I had a guitar made of native sassafras and other Tasmanian timbers by a guy named Mark Gilbert that played incredibly.” — B.R.

“ Mongrel Socks makes beautiful merino socks. I get mine from the Salamanca Market in Hobart; the company’s baby socks are adorable too.” — L.M.

“The owner and distiller of Belgrove Distillery built his own malting machine out of a [laundry] dryer. He rigged it with sprinklers so that it would warm and tumble the grain and wet it at the same time. He grows his own rye and grains.” — A.G.

“The Tasting Trail , in northwest Tasmania, is a self-drive food and wine adventure that includes more than 40 producers of wine, cheese, beer, chocolate and spirits. It winds through the rolling agricultural landscape of the North West coast. You can grab a map and do it any time of year, but during the last weekend of April all the producers put on special events.” — J.H.

“Tassie is about exploring the outdoors. Winter is an amazing time to do that: Embrace the cold. My favorite day trip is Bruny Island . You see quolls [nocturnal marsupials] there, which are endangered, but at Bruny they’re everywhere. On an evening walk, they’ll scatter around you.” — L.M.

“Over the past year or so, a wild sauna culture has popped up in Tasmania. I can think of about five saunas right now in very odd, out-of-the-way places. My favorite is Elsewhere [a retrofitted box trailer] made by two women, Selena and Nanna. Nanna is a Finnish ceramist and they handmade all the tiles.” — A.G.

“The South West wilderness is one of the most forbidding places in the world. It’s mainly accessible by plane or helicopter, or you can hike around the coast. There’s a glamping area [ Southwest Wilderness Camp ]you can stay at, but it’s far from touristy.” — B.R.

Practical Matters

“The surfing in Tassie is really good. I go to a place called Goat’s Beach , but one of the most famous surf breaks is Shipstern Bluff . It’s too much for me, but if you were a serious surfer, you’d go there.” — B.R.

“Winter in Tasmania is fabulous — as long as you’ve got the right clothes. We’ve really turned the ‘off-season’ into an asset. Enjoying a nice mulled wine or a warm whiskey in front of a roaring log fire while you’re listening to a bit of music isn’t a bad way to spend your time. Clear nights in winter are common and it’s relatively easy to find dark sky and see satellites, falling stars, planets and all sorts of marvelous things.” — J.H.

“When I was thinking about leaving Sydney, I came to Hobart and cooked at the winter pagan festival Dark Mofo ’s Winter Feast for two weeks — it was what made me decide to move down. You can just walk around town and [find] public events — art, music, performance. There are also crazy parties and all kinds of wild shenanigans.” — A.G. These interviews have been edited and condensed.

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