Casino dominoes game
Poll
 | 11 votes (84.61%) | ||
| | 2 votes (15.38%) |
13 members have voted
I might go with EZ Tiles or EZ Dominoes if DEQ picks it up, but they're too busy right now with (ahem) something more lucrative. "Casino Dominoes" reminds me of the game Frank Catton (played by the late Bernie Mac) was pitching in Ocean's Thirteen called "Nuff Said: Casino Dominoes", and I'm not sure I want to draw that analogy so closely.
Quote: MathExtremistI might actually go with multiple side bets. It won't meaningfully slow the game down and it could bridge the gap between frequency and payout.
That may work if you had a frequent hit rate bet & a Progressive bet and the Progressive was clearly marked that way. Multiple side bets that are properly explained to players (or the explanation is in the name......like you know when it says "Progressive" this is a dollar and a prayer type bet) could work.
Maybe the progressive is the $1 optional bet and the more frequent side bet is the an optional table minimum bet. When players ask why do I have to bet $5 on that one, the dealer can say "that one plays more like Pairs Plus and wins more freqeuntly"
But it is one more thing to explain. Question is whether or not you feel the progressive/large pay out type side bet is required to get people to try the game? If you don't need it to get them to try the game, I can't see it as a reason to not like the game if it isn't there (yikes double negative...hopefully you get the point). You don't hear too many table game players saying "there is no progressive....that game stinks!" and as someone once told me "Very easy to add to a new game, much harder to take something away once the game is on the floor".
Quote: DJTeddyBearWait a sec...Quote: MathExtremistIn the event those aren't sufficient, I can use dual-tone tiles:
Dual tone, white and RED?
Didn't you JUST learn that red is invisible?
If the pipped side is ruby, that shouldn't be a problem, right. What about backing the bones using a material (lead?) which absorbs in that spectrum, so that the pip side doesn't show?
BTW, these are the most gawgeous doms I've ever seen! Thx for the link. I just bought a cheap (and I do mean "cheap" as in flimsy) tin of double-sixes to play this game, with color-coded faces, yellow for six, blue for one, etc. I intend to upgrade as soon as I can, but at least I'm playing, practicing best hand settings. People watch me playing "solitaire dominoes", then I teach them how to play it. (Don't worry - I give MathExtremist full credit for its invention.)
What's the best way to shuffle dominoes, anyway? I've been just swirling them around the table.
Quote: NowTheSerpentBTW, these are the most gawgeous doms I've ever seen! Thx for the link. I just bought a cheap (and I do mean "cheap" as in flimsy) tin of double-sixes to play this game, with color-coded faces, yellow for six, blue for one, etc. I intend to upgrade as soon as I can, but at least I'm playing, practicing best hand settings. People watch me playing "solitaire dominoes", then I teach them how to play it. (Don't worry - I give MathExtremist full credit for its invention.)
What's the best way to shuffle dominoes, anyway? I've been just swirling them around the table.
I think that's the only way. I wouldn't want to do anything other than a wash shuffle with tiles -- it's not like you can riffle shuffle them.
It sounds like you got the common Cardinal or ToysRUs set. Those will do to start with but they're usually smaller than the Jumbo size. Playing with full-size tiles makes a big difference. I have several Jumbo sets from the distributor of high-end inlaid-wood domino/cribbage boards (Alex Cramer) and they're around 1.1" x 2.2" x 0.45". I didn't know any of this before I started the game design process, but there are commonly five different sizes:
(from Engraved Dominoes.com)
Quote: MathExtremistQuote: NowTheSerpentWhat's the best way to shuffle dominoes, anyway? I've been just swirling them around the table.
I think that's the only way. I wouldn't want to do anything other than a wash shuffle with tiles -- it's not like you can riffle shuffle them.
Couldn't a perspicacious player track certain bones and thereby more or less "count" the game. I think of the old "shell game" and Three-Card Monte scrambling techniques as the only mainstay against "cheating".
Quote: MathExtremistIt sounds like you got the common Cardinal or ToysRUs set. Those will do to start with but they're usually smaller than the Jumbo size. Playing with full-size tiles makes a big difference. I have several Jumbo sets from the distributor of high-end inlaid-wood domino/cribbage boards (Alex Cramer) and they're around 1.1" x 2.2" x 0.45".
So a Twist-'Em table would use either the Pro or the Jumbo/Tournament size? Would red actually be a good choice, as it stands out being not the usual color for dominoes?
Quote: NowTheSerpentCouldn't a perspicacious player track certain bones and thereby more or less "count" the game. I think of the old "shell game" and Three-Card Monte scrambling techniques as the only mainstay against "cheating".
Well, the order is (1) bet, (2) shake the dice cup, (3) then get your tiles, so even if you knew where all the tiles were, you still wouldn't know what hand you'd have before you put your bet down. I haven't run the strategy on the game for if the player is omniscient (e.g. dealer's hand is face-up) but that'd be an interesting experiment. It's unlikely to make that much of a difference, however. In most cases, there is one obviously best way to set the tiles. In others, there are two which may be reasonable, such as 5/8 vs. 6/7. But even then, the result against most dealer hands would be the same regardless of your set. One where it wouldn't would be if the dealer also had 5/8, in which case you'd set 6/7 to push rather than copy and lose. Contrast this with blackjack, where if you know what the dealer has, your play strategy goes entirely out the window and you make all sorts of crazy plays.
Quote:So a Twist-'Em table would use either the Pro or the Jumbo/Tournament size? Would red actually be a good choice, as it stands out being not the usual color for dominoes?
Definitely the Jumbo size. Pai Gow uses tiles of similar thickness and that game has 4 tiles per hand, so handling 3 jumbo tiles wouldn't be a problem. Color-wise, I like red or blue with white pips or the traditional white or ivory with black pips. Or for the $1M front-money room at the Wynn, how about anodized aluminum with crystal pips from Billet Bones:
Too over-the-top?
Quote: FrGambleJust wanted to say how much I love playing the demo. What a neat, creative, and fun game. Thanks.
Glad you like it! Thanks for the kind words.
Quote: MathExtremistWell, the order is (1) bet, (2) shake the dice cup, (3) then get your tiles, so even if you knew where all the tiles were, you still wouldn't know what hand you'd have before you put your bet down.
I did forget about that dice roll. I should've thought of it, since it works much the same way as my (shameless plug coming) Tic-Tac-Toe "Flip" roll does - to neutralize omniscience.
Quote: MathExtremistDefinitely the Jumbo size. Color-wise, I like red or blue with white pips or the traditional white or ivory with black pips. Or for the $1M front-money room at the Wynn, how about anodized aluminum with crystal pips? Too over-the-top?
I'd hate to see the overhead bill on that one, considering how often they change out perfectly good bones. Honestly, I prefer red with gold pips myself. Something striking that impresses upon the mind, "Hey, this game of Dominoes is for real!"
Quote: NowTheSerpentI'd hate to see the overhead bill on that one, considering how often they change out perfectly good bones. Honestly, I prefer red with gold pips myself. Something striking that impresses upon the mind, "Hey, this game of Dominoes is for real!"
I don't think overhead is much of a concern in a private salon, but I get your point. I have at least one source for high-quality standard-appearance (white or ivory + black pips) jumbo dominoes at around $15-20/set. Depending on where you get supplies, that's around the same price or even less than a casino-quality Pai Gow domino set.
One wrinkle is that many gaming jurisdictions require approvals for gaming equipment, so any entirely new equipment like dominoes would need to be vetted before the game could be played. Interestingly, Nevada has no such rules. That's why I'm looking at Nevada as one of the first places to launch this game, assuming I ever find a break in my schedule. So many clients, so little time...
Quote: ParadigmI agree that the name Twist'em wouldn't have been my first choice. It is not terrible, doesn't tell you much about the game (i.e. dominos are used, form two hands, goal of game is to get both hands as close to 9 as possible, etc.).
The best score is 9 and game uses baccarat scoring system. "Domino Baccarat"....I hate that one because bacc is already a mysterious game to many and now you are introducing a new device to an already misunderstood game to the westerners.
You are dealt three dominos so I guess there could be a "Three Domino XXXXXX". Or maybe it is just "Three Dominos".....that seems like it would be the name of an easy game to learn even if I don't know much about dominos.
You do twist or flip the dominoes during play.....I like the term flip versus twist if you use one of those but again not sure the action tells you much about the game.
The logo shows that it is a domino tiles game, and a name like Twist-'Em or Spin-'Em (for the "spinner"device) is reminiscent of "hold-'em". But dominoes are often referred to as "bones", so a name like Bones of Fortune could work. Or just Spin Nine after "make nine", which is what pai gow allegedly means.
