Free bet Blackjack intro - Golden Nugget
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14 members have voted
Quote: UCivanGame designers are never short of good ideas. Here is one: "player pushes on 22, or 23 or 24, or..." Go find a good game to package it.
Oh yes we are. It is a struggle, trust me.
Quote: buzzpafftwo of my favorite TV shows are dragon's Den and Shark tank. Most UK versions and some canda version of Dragons are on UTUBe. Many are complete episodes. It is absolutely amazing what some people have put their living savings into. I remeber one mad who had invested $500,000 , 2 mortgages on his house , all family savings , etc. on what tlooked like a giant tablet, 6 of which plugged into a giant stand, so people in doctors offices could check email or view books. Units cost $77,000 each but ad revenues were supposed to
pay for them. Guess he never heard of a nook or checking email on the phone.
Worse yet he left with no investment, but looked determined to invest what little money he had left, rather than admit it was a dumb idea.
If you watch any episodes, you will see almost all the ideas are so simple you will often ask yourself " Damn, why didn't I think of that ??
Shark Tank is one of my absolute favorite shows also. I agree with you in the notion that the simplest ideas are the ones that sell because they're easiest to understand. However, if you call yourself an entrepreneur, "if it don't make money, then it don't make CENTS!"
Quote: PaigowdanNo.
First of all, to get an install of your new game, AND at a serious Las Vegas property such as The Golden Nuggent, is a call for Dom Perignon, even for a game like Zero or Rupert's Island Draw. VERY few people alive can say their game design saw action under the light of ANY bona-fide casino.
Secondly, this BJ variant got a LOT of action when the table went live. Great sign, that people took to it.
Third, Industry executives were impressed by the game. Another Really, really good sign.
Fourth, the inventor of this game already invented and distributed Blackjack Switch, another strong game with hundreds of installs. Suffice it to say he's already made good money at game design.
Yes, the future will bring more new game designs.
Some will get live casino installs and great notices, and others will end up in the anonymous piles of broken dreams. And this ratio is about a thousand to one. Ask any gaming mathematician how many table game designs has he worked on: he may tell you dozens.
Then ask him how many table game designs got prominent installs and contracts from reknown game distributors like Shufflemaster. Often zero or one is the answer.
You're right, Dan. There are a whole lot more people in the "Game Designer's Graveyard" than in the "Game Designer's Hall of Fame"!
Game designers are never short of good ideas. Here is one: "player pushes on 22, or 23 or 24, or..." Go find a good game to package it.
Oh yes we are. It is a struggle, trust me.
I believe Switch's patent covers pushes on 22,23,24,24, and 26.
But push on 27 is definitely still up for grabs.
Unfortunately, there's one thing you're not considering. Since this is a leased game, it's unlikely that casinos will be rushing to replace all their BJ tables with this game. First off, the Strip is heading towards worse and worse games, with 6:5 popping up on shoe games all over the place. Even Switch is getting harder and harder to find on the Strip. Casinos are going to be hard-pressed to want to pay for a game with a relatively low house edge, that once counters get their hand on it, will be easily exploitable.
Even if it gets a good local following in Vegas, it's unlikely to do well everywhere else in the country. Most jurisdictions have long processes to get games to the floor, so they have to have a relatively high house edge to make it worth it for the operators. Switch had installs at Hollywood (2-3 tables) and 2 tables at Grand Victoria. Now it's got one table at GV (now Rising Star) and even that's not open all the time. I wouldn't be surprised if they eliminate it after a time.
The newest installs of Ultimate Texas Hold Em have the worst paytable available for the Trips bet. To me, this says that House Edge doesn't make a difference to the customers or at least in the eyes of those casino managers. Side bet layouts cost money too, but those can be switched out to something more popular; for example, in Indiana, the Royal Match bet is getting a lot of installs, taking the place of Lucky Ladies which never gets much action.
I hope the casinos pick up on this game. It sounds like a lot of fun, and if played with proper strategy, can be a good game for the players. I just think realistically it will be a tough sell, even if it's wildly popular.
pays the mortgage. Hopefully that will be overcome by the games popularity!
Since the RULES say i can double down on a hard 9,10,or 11 composed of any number of cards,
can i now get 4 free doubles of my 3 free splits 9's. ?
Quote: buzzpaffGee, now I will not get anybody to bite on that one. SIGH
Actually, is there a difference if the push is on 22, 23, 24, 25 or 26?
Still waiting to find out if I can double on my 4 9's ?
Well, you don't really have to open Excel to figure out that if the dealer busts, more often than not, he's gonna bust with 22.Quote: FinsRuleActually, is there a difference if the push is on 22, 23, 24, 25 or 26?
Quote: buzzpaffOf course there is, but I believes Geoff has all those bases covered !
Still waiting to find out if I can double on my 4 9's ?
Yes, you could potentially have 7 free bets out there - 3 splits and 4 doubles.
Quote: buzzpaffI am sure Geoff has not put the champagne on ice yet. But I think he deserves to toast the game with a beer at least. Unless he is one of those Brits who likes his beer warm. What's wrong with those blokes ?
You're right Buzz, I'm always cautiously optimistic.
I actually had a few tequillas on Wednesday night to celebrate - my head told me it was not the best thing to do the following morning :-)
I may be overly cautious but the champagne only comes out if the game hits 100+ tables. Loooooong way to go yet :-) However, Shuffle Master may have a few installs in Washington and I have 5 in the UK to date so it's getting close to double figures already.
Quote: UCivanI wonder if Geoff would have been discouraged by this type of assessment before he started working on Free Bet Blackjack. I bet he did not. I am sure he knew the market is narrowing down as everything else, but when he felt good about his invention, he just faced it head on. Eliot and Wizard published many similar articles on game design some years ago, yet good games still came out after their articles.Quote: Paigowdan3. I also believe the day of the independent game designer is really numbered. I got in at the tail end. The casino pit "real estate" will settle as the gaming market matures (Big Time commcercial gaming is relatively new). New game developers will be motivated by others success, but this does not mean the clock isn't ticking and the door isn't closing, and products will become more refined and almost impossible to improve upon. You can't squeeze onto the bus if it is filled and the doors are now closed. Only stellar designs will replace the current products so highly refined, and many will sadly be just deamers. While exhuberance is admirable, realism is better.
I think you have that spot on UCivan.
I'm still thinking of the next game ... even now ... :-)
Quote: SwitchYes, you could potentially have 7 free bets out there - 3 splits and 4 doubles.
So if I'm understanding this correctly, the game allows one-card doubles.
Quote: SwitchI may be overly cautious but the champagne only comes out if the game hits 100+ tables. Loooooong way to go yet :-)
What happens when the game hits double digits? What's between Tequila and Champagne? ;)
Quote: RogerKintSo if I'm understanding this correctly, the game allows one-card doubles.
What happens when the game hits double digits? What's between Tequila and Champagne? ;)
Not quite - you have 3,3 so you split and get 3, so you resplit and get another 3 (all free). You now have 4 3's and the dealer gives you a 6,7 or 8 on each 3 so you 'Free double' on each one. So you have 3 free splits followed by 4 free doubles.
Double digits?? - maybe Asti Spumante? :-) (actually I prefer that to champagne).
silly
I guess I should change "more often than not" to "more often than any other bust total".
While I never meant to imply that more than 50% of dealer busts would be with 22, I really hadn't expected the numbers to be so close.
The game is getting excellent action so far and was the only table left open in the pit when I was there late Saturday night. Drops and hold % have both been very strong so I hope that the trend continues.
Quote: SwitchI was there :-)
The game is getting excellent action so far and was the only table left open in the pit when I was there late Saturday night. Drops and hold % have both been very strong so I hope that the trend continues.
Excellent Switch.....very exciting to see the good action continue through the weekend. Was thinking good thougths for you this weekend :-)
Had a question for you, what is the frequency that a player gets either a 9/10/11 that they can "Free Double" on or one of the pairs that they can "Free Spilt" on? Just trying to get a sense of how often players are able to take advantage of the lammer bets on their behalf (i.e. either in percentage or "1 in X hands" terms).
My guess is around 15% or 1 in 6.5 hands which means at a 7 player table that is full, everyone would see one of those opportunities happen on average every round on a full table. Is that accurate?
Quote: UCivanIs it a field trial now?
At Golden Nugget
Quote: ParadigmExcellent Switch.....very exciting to see the good action continue through the weekend. Was thinking good thougths for you this weekend :-)
Had a question for you, what is the frequency that a player gets either a 9/10/11 that they can "Free Double" on or one of the pairs that they can "Free Spilt" on? Just trying to get a sense of how often players are able to take advantage of the lammer bets on their behalf (i.e. either in percentage or "1 in X hands" terms).
My guess is around 15% or 1 in 6.5 hands which means at a 7 player table that is full, everyone would see one of those opportunities happen on average every round on a full table. Is that accurate?
I calculated it to be around 15% as well:-
Around 3.5% for each of the 9 & 11.
Around 4% for the 10.
Around 4% for the splits.
Quote: DJTeddyBearHmmm....
I guess I should change "more often than not" to "more often than any other bust total".
While I never meant to imply that more than 50% of dealer busts would be with 22, I really hadn't expected the numbers to be so close.
I feel sort of vindicated for asking the question. I figured it would be close.
What's the reason (using words not numbers) for why busting is more likely at 22 than at 26?
Quote: FinsRuleI feel sort of vindicated for asking the question. I figured it would be close.
What's the reason (using words not numbers) for why busting is more likely at 22 than at 26?
Think about it, you can only reach 26 if you start at 16. to get a 25 you need to start with 15 or 16, to get to 24 you can have a 14, 15, or 16, etc. You can hit 22 form any stiff total.
Blackjack Switch down from 3 tables to 1 in Blackhawk and that one's days are numbered. Will report more tomorrow on that and
Buffalo Bonus blackjack spreading almost as fast as the wildfires in Colorado.
Quote: RogerKintSomething tells me even a large spread and good pen. won't bring this game close to even.
Does anyone have the strategy for counting this game correctly (like is their a way to calculate when free doubles our splits are likely) and would a level 2 count be mandatory because of the push 22. Also I can’t find the answer or formula on how much variance is lowered do I can figure the proper bankroll and ROR for the version of this game at my local casino. House Rules are 8D, H17, no surrender, DAS up to 4 hands, and you are allowed to free split 4s. I’ve been “goofing around” with backcounting until a TC (using HiLo with no Ace tracking (yet)) of +3 and wonging out when TC goes down to +1.
So far it has been VERY successful, but I have no clue as to wether this is a real +EV strategy out just a winning streak.. Table minimum is 15 and I’ve been ramping up to max bet of 2 hands of$75 at TC +5 or higher.
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Quote: PaigowdanFree Bet BJ is not a side bet.
It is a PURE Blackjack where WHERE your splits and double-downs are on the house, non-standard or advanced AP exceptions aside.
In fact, FB BJ has no side bets, and you know, NO one noticed their absence.
That last part is not entirely accurate. At least at my casino, both Free Bet and Switch have the Push 22 side bet, one that pays extra if the dealer's cards on a 22 draw are the same color or the same suit.
However, I am not aware of any other side bets that are associated with either game.
For completeness some Perfect Pairs have been replaced by "Bonus Pairs" ( see http://www.ukcasinotablegames.info/blackjackbonuspairs.html )
http://www.ukcasinotablegames.info/blackjackfreebet.html
