TOTO (1925)

This is a betting game in two parts: a colorful board with circular spaces and a small shaker "card" with three holes. The original version was probably the one themed around horse racing, but there are other variants, as described below. Players put stakes (colored counters) on one of ten colors on the board - each representing a different horse - to either win or place in the race. Then, the player nominated as Banker shakes up the card, rearranging the colored chits inside. The first-, second-, and third-place horses are revealed in the shaker holes by color, and flipping the shaker over reveals numerical odds against them (also randomized). The Banker then pays out stakes multiplied by the odds, plus bonuses listed on the board. The game comes in at least four near-identical varieties: the original horse race version with simple "Win/Place" spaces on the board; one themed around baseball, with baseball terms on the spaces (hit, foul, bunt, etc.); one themed around animals, with animal graphics on the colored spaces; and one themed around flowers, with flower graphics on the spaces. Each version includes an appropriate illustration on the box lid/shaker. —user summary