Barrelhouses were mostly illegal houses of gambling with skewed odds, prostitution, cheap corn liquor and a house pianist. As the barrelhouse became the only place men could romance women somewhat without fear of retribution, its popularity rose steadily and a circuit was established for travelling musicians - soon this began rivalling gambling as the main attraction. Barrelhouses were usually staked by farmowners hoping to sieve their workers' wages back rather than letting them spend it up north in the barrelhouses of Beale Street (Memphis).