Saloons also took turns as churches. Itinerant preachers would often use the saloons for preaching, followed by drinks. The bar would be covered up during the sermon, but at other places, men still drank and played poker while listening to the sermon. The preachers usually did quite well when they passed the hat for donations. The patrons were also quite cooperative when it came to singing hymns. They weren't non-believers, they were just more casual about their religion.
Frontier court was also held in saloons. The bartender would often be called upon to act as judge. Few of these men had book learning or even any knowledge of law. But it didn't matter as long as they were fair. Sometimes a prominent resident would be elected as judge. Some of them would do it long enough to acquire some real legal knowledge. Some of the punishments would be simple fines. Other times miscreants would be ordered to buy a round for everyone in the saloon.
Of course gambling went on in saloons. Out west, gambling was not frowned upon as it was in the east. Indians had gambled for centuries with sticks and dice. Miners and trappers gambled on anything under the sun, from who would shoot a can off a fence to whose frog could jump the farthest. California gold rush days sparked the addition of gaming to saloons. The most popular games were faro, keno, roulette, and poker. Blackjack, craps, bunco, euchre, seven-up, and monte were also common. The El Dorado in San Francisco was one of the most famous in those days, for its opulent chandeliers, well-tended bar, and lively entertainment. Wyman's Saloon in Leadville, Colorado was a famous, as proprietor did not allow married men to gamble at his tables.
