Sacramento gamblers tired of driving to Las Vegas to get their gaming fix can breathe a sigh of relief. The Sacramento History Museum is bringing the games to Old Sac with the first-ever Gold Rush Gambling Day. Although the dealers may be playing Three Card Monte instead of Texas Hold 'Em and the sinning might give way to educational outreach, it still promises to be a fun day.

The event, which will be held on Aug. 22 at 1 p.m. at the Sacramento History Museum (101 I St.), is one of the weekend events that the museum holds every second and fourth Saturday. It is expected to last about one hour.

The day will begin with a lecture about Gold Rush-era gambling games and life in the typical saloon by one of the museum's docents. This will be followed by an opportunity to give the games a try, although the official game list will depend on the day's attendance.

Although this is the first time the museum has had a formal Gold Rush Gambling Day, the museum has held numerous gambling activities.

"We've had classes before, and we've had events at the Gold Rush Days event which is coming up," said Janessa West, a museum educator at the Sacramento History Museum.

Citizens hoping to participate will simply have to pay the normal entrance fee, which is $4 for youth and $5 for adults. But West certainly didn't want the fee to discourage potential attendees. "If you like to gamble, if you like to play cards, then this is a great way to learn the roots of many of the games we play today," she said. Besides, it's a lot cheaper than Vegas.