Global Gaming Expo 2018

I just got woken up by a text message… from Angela. SHE’S IN TOWN! She’s working the NTR booth, 4046.

I invited her to join us for dinner by saying, “When the gang finds out you’re in town, you will be expected to attend!” She quickly agreed to join us. 😁

Thanks! See you all then.

Quote: DJTeddyBear

She quickly agreed to join us. 😁

That's great news!

I'll be at Galaxy around 4:30 and we'll figure out the details from there. This will be my last post of the day.

Hey, while y'all are at this gaming expo, tell somebody to bring Pai Gow Tiles to Oklahoma.

Quote: TigerWu

tell somebody to bring Pai Gow Tiles to Oklahoma.

Okay, the ante is $200.00.

Has anyone seen any new games (Table Games or ETGs) at the show worth sharing?

Quote: mrsuit31

Has anyone seen any new games (Table Games or ETGs) at the show worth sharing?

Good question.

Awful quiet in this thread given that a bunch of people met up last night. Reports, guys? What's the Expo like? What did you play after dinner?

Quote: beachbumbabs

Good question.

Awful quiet in this thread given that a bunch of people met up last night. Reports, guys? What's the Expo like? What did you play after dinner?

It's barely thirteen hours since the dinner got started. Surely the debauchery has yet to abate.

I bet half the attendees are still hunched over a BJ table somewhere!!

Still trying to sleep. Always fun when you wake up at two in the morning to "Love me, Daddy!"

Quote: Venthus

Still trying to sleep. Always fun when you wake up at two in the morning to "Love me, Daddy!"

Depends how deep the voice is.

Quote: Venthus

Still trying to sleep. Always fun when you wake up at two in the morning to "Love me, Daddy!"

Oh was that you? I thought you said your username was "Menthis" or something and I was like wtf idk who that is. But Venthus makes a lot more sense.

Quote: billryan

Depends how deep the voice is.

Artificially squeaky. Like Barbie, from Aqua's Barbie Doll song.

Also, I got a reprise at 5AM, so, yay...

Quote: RS

Oh was that you? I thought you said your username was "Menthis" or something and I was like wtf idk who that is. But Venthus makes a lot more sense.

Well, at least I'm not from Memphis?

-----

So a few ACTUAL thoughts from a first timer to G2A:
It's tiny. I'm used to JCK and E3, that have multiple convention halls that are each larger than the main room here.
Swag is lackluster.
Everi tends to have a rather flat looking aesthetic that just turns me off. One slot caught my eye specifically-- conceptually, it's an updated Hundred or Nothing. That I hit 5k on my first press, and then lost it in 5min. Woo! (Not set to any special win mode.)
IGT underestimated how much people like free stuff. Ran out of the good swag by 1PM on the first day. Two people ahead of me. Go figure. Got a photo with Drew Carrey.
Does Konami always have such a large presence? I noticed that they've been leveraging a lot more of their video game properties lately.
That Sir MixALot slot theme is... quite something. And so is their giveaway. (A stress ball peach... in a thong.)
4$ for a slice of pizza in a convention Hall is amazingly cheap. (Last expo I went to, it was 35$ for a cooked frozen pizza.)
Lots of sports betting stuff. Probably related to the recent legal changes.
Lots of iGaming literature.
There's some pretty cool bingo-based machine games. Not sure who actually would play them though. One that caught my eye had a physical hopper and scoop, and would pull 10(?) balls... Depending on how many balls it took to Bingo, your payout went from 4-1000x. I believe this was made possible by only going to 25, as opposed to whatever normal bingo is.
Lots of stadium-style game installations were being pushed... I'm inclined to believe that'll be the way of the future for onsite gaming, eventually.

Oh, and I grabbed way too much random literature, including industry mags. If anybody wants them (lightly thumbed), you're free to 'em for shipping, FCFS.

I was in and out of town in 20 hours for this years show, so missed the gathering. Here is what I saw that I thought was good/noteworthy:

Sci Games :

U Turn Blackjack - All cards read by a smart shoe and allow all the dealer's hit cards (if any) to be dealt out immediately face down (smart shuffle allows dealer to continue to deal cards face down to his/her hand until locking). So before you act on your hand, players will see the dealer's normal upcard and how many additional face down cards will complete the dealer's hand. Game continues as normal with Push 22 rule in effect.

TriLux Runner - not sure why they used the "Tri Lux" name on this bet as that is Sci Games 21+3 knockoff, but this appears to be a side bet you could use on any BJ game where the payout is determined by the number of cards needed to determine the dealer's hand outcome. Kinda like Buster BJ, but the whether the dealer busts is irrelevant. Pay Table started at 5 cards paying 9-1, 6 cards 70-1, etc., so I assume hit frequency is low. Had the "Lucky George" dealer participation feature included.

I Love (insert heart symbol instead here) Suits - looked like a High Card Flush knock off...did not see any differences in the game vs. HCF.

Cover All Bonus - this poker side bet was on the I Love Hearts table, but could be attached to any poker variant game. Basically an envy bet on all other players and dealers hand, pay tables depend on number of other players at the table.

AGS:

Dragon Poker - as described in another thread...I just can't see a game that requires a special/new deck of cards to be popular.

Vegas 3 Poker - basically three card poker with a community fourth card that can be used by player and dealer to make their best 3CP hand. Dealer qualifies with A/Q high if I recall correctly (ante push on NQ hand). Raise 2X before community card is revealed, 1X of fold after community card is revealed. There were three card (Vegas 3) and four card (Vegas 4) side bets, but I didn't take a pic of the pay tables there...I do know that Vegas 3 paid on any pair so likely similar to Pair Plus wager as it was based on your three hole cards only.

Pai Gow Linx - Only uses 6 cards with one card used in both the high and low hand. Card were set in a line of 5 cards with the 6th card being placed above the 1st card of the 5 card line. The 6th card and the 1st card in the line of 5 cards makes your low hand and must beat the hand made by the line of 5 cards. Claim to fame was a bonus pay for a two card PGP poker hand...I guess. Not sure what the draw to this form of PGP would be.

Galaxy:

Only new item I saw there was a device that allowed player's to chose which pay table they wanted to use for various Galaxy side bets. As an example, you could chose between the "all events pay 9-1 pay table for 21+3 or play the Extreme pay table. Allows players at the same table to use different pay tables on their side bets. Seemed like a bit of a dealer nightmare, but they do have a dealer screen which locks in the pay tables and tells dealer the payoff odds and player location of wins. Not sure there is a huge amount of players that want to change the pay tables on their side bets, but who knows.

The show felt smaller and a lot less crowded than usual. I was having back issues so I only spent about three hours there. Sadly, nothing really stood out to me this year.

Thanks for the reports Drich and Paradigm!

So mad I missed it. I had planned on going but I have a cmwork convention in vegas starting on Thursday next week. I cant be out of town for 2 weeks. I will be going to this conference every year and it is always the week after.. sigh

Quote: mrsuit31

Thanks for the reports Drich and Paradigm!

+1

Although I was at the show, I really didn't look at anything; I'm there for the networking and visiting clients. I did play 3 games, though:
1. Gamblit Pacman. This was fun, though I doubt it will make much money in the casino. This was much more fun than the Candy Crush-esqe game that I played for real money at the Linq. The problem is that it takes 3 or 4 players to really make it fun, and everyone needs to agree on which bet to make. If one player chooses a lower bet, then everyone will play at that bet. Currently, there were only 2 choices, $2 or $4, although they said it is configurable.
2. Gamblit Deal or No Deal. This is the slap poker game where players claim cards as they are dealt to make their best hand. The winner got to choose a single deal or no deal round. I really thought it would keep eliminating cases, but it only did it once. I didn't like this one as much, but probably because I was more skilled at Pacman. The betting is the same as Pacman.
3. NextGen Bust a Move (90s bubble popping arcade game). I really liked this game because it wasn't too rushed. I lost slightly faster than the quarters I spent in college on this game.

I only attended the meet-up for a short time and met one new member. I had to leave to go do some business.

The other highlights of my trip: got Diamond in a Day, hit 2 royals, one on 25 line penny and the other on single line quarter, which was nice and made up for my DIAD losses. DIAD was a lot of fun, especially because I didn't lose too much. I did it mainly at Planet Hollywood on a 100 play 9/5 quarter machine. I played 25 lines, though. The other game I played was a $1 50 play 8/6 at Harrah's, but only 1 to 5 lines at a time. My Royal was on a garbage 7/5 at the Linq, but I was just going to lose another $20 on my last night.

Gamblit Pacman is tremendous fun (subject to the usual problems with the Gamblit games on the betting/wins side...) partly because it's a modified version of an actual arcade game.

The Gamblit Bingo is also pretty fun, where everybody has a card, numbers pop up, and the first person that has the number and presses the button gets it marked off. Press a number you don't have, you get locked up for a few seconds. First to Bingo wins.

Good social games. Not so good with the hold they have. As far as the non-standard gaming goes, I think the other companies do it better than Gamblit.

Next Gaming (not NextGen, I believe?) is... interesting and captures a different niche. With that, you're just playing the arcade game with a water/payout every few game actions. (Galaga, or some other similar SHMUP, triggered after every ship shot down, with allegedly extra for skilled play. I question the robustness of the software as I managed to crash two different units, doing different things, without trying.) .The end result is much like an actual arcade game: You're playing and slowly being bled dry... But it's more on the gameplay side of things.

GameCo's Match-3 game was quite engrossing, but could use more transparency. I'm not sure why it took a huge chunk of credits each time you went up a level (whatever the actual impact of that is). That one, you paid per move you made, with your gameplay decisions seeming to impact your result. The interview in one of the mags covered a few insights that I agree with. I wouldn't mind an ad/micropay version on my phone.

I'm finally at home recuperating from a busy three days at the show. I think I've gone every year since about 1998, so every year is starting to feel the same. This year I didn't even bother with the process for a press pass as I've been rejected I think the previous three years, despite much smaller affiliates getting approved. A good salesman, I am not.

The number of innovative games was better than last year, but not by much. Most were still poker or blackjack variants. Some games were blatant copies of existing games. My favorite was Tiger Split Baccarat. However, I must admit, I'm biased. I created that game and had a 50/50 partnership on it with Dan Lubin. Dan's job was pretty much everything except the math. After Dan's passing, I sold it to SG outright and split the sales price with Dan's widow.

I'll post some pictures of specific games one at a time. For now, here is just a quick fun picture with Sean Connery.

For those who, like me, didn't attend, there's a write-up in Forbes (https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidschwartz/2018/10/11/the-las-vegas-insider-meetup-where-casinos-find-the-future/#f660e7a8118d

What happens in Las Vegas stays in WoV
https://photos.app.goo.gl/zGyYHd7eG5qjESk46

Thanks all guys who joint WoV dinner
here is my G2E-2018 Video Report (400+ pics)

Quote: VladAlex1

here is my G2E-2018 Video Report (400+ pics)

I like that first Baccarat layout. Pretty slick.

Also that Roulette wheel with the dragons all over it is pretty sexy.

Has anyone looked at the games by Aces Up and Score Gaming, the 4th and 5th largest gaming distributors in USA (right behind SG, Galaxy, AGS).

Quote: UCivan

Has anyone looked at the games by Aces Up and Score Gaming, the 4th and 5th largest gaming distributors in USA (right behind SG, Galaxy, AGS).

Aces up's main game is Bad Beat Baccarat. They had a few other games at their booth. They also control the Lucky-Lucky BJ side bet.

Quote:

For now, here is just a quick fun picture with Sean Connery.

It is the wildest Hollywood rumor in the world
and we want that to happen.
Wiizard Will Be the Next James Bond!

Quote: VladAlex1

here is my G2E-2018 Video Report (400+ pics)

Thanks for posting. The Chinese Roulette game looked interesting. At the very least when you see it on a casino floor you can immediately see the difference from the ordinary roulette. On the other hand, with all the card games and slot variations in the photos you have to look closely and read the rules to see what's new and special. I think it could be something that caught on.

Quote: VladAlex1

Quote:

For now, here is just a quick fun picture with Sean Connery.

It is the wildest Hollywood rumor in the world
and we want that to happen.
Wiizard Will Be the Next James Bond!

I'm not sure a casting director would go for that. I think he looks more the part of a villain:



Maybe it's the hair cut but I see a resemblance to Rosa Kleb.

As mentioned earlier, I'll introduce some of the new table games seen at the show one at a time. I have a policy on my Odds site to not publish a new page for a game until it has at least once placement. That will still be my policy. However, I will allow secret unpublished pages of games by the major table game distributors, as a place holder until I am aware of an official placement.

That said, one game at the show was I Luv Suits by Shuffle Master. Please click the link for what information I have about it. The base game is exactly the same as High Card Flush, but it looks like they added a couple of side bets.

One of the side bets, Cover All Bonus, pays based on the best hand at the table. At the show, the pay table was fixed, suggesting the odds are very dependent on the number of players at the table. However, I suspect this may have been a technical problem that will get resolved before an actual placement.

I think this should serve as a warning to the many wide-eyed game inventors on the forum that in the unlikely chance your game gets several placements, there is little to prevent the big boys from copying it.



Another issue this page brings up is whether there is an official way to spell out the heart symbol in A-Z letters. Shuffle Master uses the heart symbol in their logo but the "luv" spelling in small print. Is this standard convention or more of a poetic thing where it can go either way?

Quote: VladAlex1

Quote:

For now, here is just a quick fun picture with Sean Connery.

It is the wildest Hollywood rumor in the world
and we want that to happen.
Wiizard Will Be the Next James Bond!

I'd make him the new Q.

Quote: Wizard

one game at the show was I Luv Suits by Shuffle Master. Please click the link for what information I have about it. The base game is exactly the same as High Card Flush, but it looks like they added a couple of side bets.

I think this should serve as a warning to the many wide-eyed game inventors on the forum that in the unlikely chance your game gets several placements, there is little to prevent the big boys from copying it.

+1

I think this should serve as a warning to the many wide-eyed game inventors on the forum that in the unlikely chance your game gets several placements, there is little to prevent the big boys from copying it.

Quote: Wizard

...Another issue this page brings up is whether there is an official way to spell out the heart symbol in A-Z letters. Shuffle Master uses the heart symbol in their logo but the "luv" spelling in small print. Is this standard convention or more of a poetic thing where it can go either way?

Why not just use the heart emoticon? ♥️

They've been showing Cover All a few years now. The shuffler recognizes how many hands are dealt, and shows the paytable based on that, so if more or less players at the table, the odds change. Interesting concept, but I've never seen it anywhere on any game in a live casino.

Quote: MrCasinoGames

Quote: Wizard

+1

I think this should serve as a warning to the many wide-eyed game inventors on the forum that in the unlikely chance your game gets several placements, there is little to prevent the big boys from copying it.

Another +1 +1 ..... But what if we turn the table around: copying big boy's games. Perhaps can find market in mid and small casinos, offering low fees.

Quote: UCivan

Another +1 +1 ..... But what if we turn the table around: copying big boy's games. Perhaps can find market in mid and small casinos, offering low fees.

You're too late. Galaxy has already done this. Successfully too.

Quote: SM777

You're too late. Galaxy has already done this. Successfully too.

Never too late to find business opportunities. e.g. SG charges $1500, Galaxy $750, next guy (might include Aces Up) $500, independent $200. Everyone has a fair market share. The next thing is SG buying you out, etc....

Quote: UCivan

Another +1 +1 ..... But what if we turn the table around: copying big boy's games. Perhaps can find market in mid and small casinos, offering low fees.

I've asked casino operators this. They, in part, say that there is huge value in the name of a game. Most players will just walk right past a game with a name they're not familiar with.

Quote: Wizard

.................. A good salesman, I am not.

The number of innovative games was better than last year, but not by much. Most were still poker or blackjack variants. Some games were blatant copies of existing games. My favorite was Tiger Split Baccarat. However, I must admit, I'm biased. I created that game and had a 50/50 partnership on it with Dan Lubin. Dan's job was pretty much everything except the math. After Dan's passing, I sold it to SG outright and split the sales price with Dan's widow.

Wizard, for the person who sold his web site for million $'s plus one or more games sold to SG, I would truthfully call him a great salesman!!! Don't have to be so humble. You are the role model for many.

Quote: UCivan

Wizard, for the person who sold his web site for million $'s plus one or more games sold to SG, I would truthfully call him a great salesman!!! Don't have to be so humble. You are the role model for many.

Thank you for the kind words. I think my site sold itself, to honest with you. However, I'll give myself credit for not taking the first offer. However, with things that require a little salesmanship, I'm awful. I couldn't sell a $100 bill for $1.

Anyway, enough about me.

The next new game I'll introduce seen at G2E is U-Turn Blackjack by Shuffle Master. The gist is pretty simple, the dealer acts first, but all the player will know is the face up card and total number of cards dealt to the dealer. This is done with bar-coded cards and the shuffler. To pay for this, a dealer 22 is a push. It will involve an interesting strategy. Playing it at the show, I was often perplexed what to do.

Please click the link for more details.

Quote: Wizard

As mentioned earlier, I'll introduce some of the new table games seen at the show one at a time. I have a policy on my Odds site to not publish a new page for a game until it has at least once placement. That will still be my policy. However, I will allow secret unpublished pages of games by the major table game distributors, as a place holder until I am aware of an official placement.

That said, one game at the show was I Luv Suits by Shuffle Master. Please click the link for what information I have about it. The base game is exactly the same as High Card Flush, but it looks like they added a couple of side bets.

One of the side bets, Cover All Bonus, pays based on the best hand at the table. At the show, the pay table was fixed, suggesting the odds are very dependent on the number of players at the table. However, I suspect this may have been a technical problem that will get resolved before an actual placement.

I think this should serve as a warning to the many wide-eyed game inventors on the forum that in the unlikely chance your game gets several placements, there is little to prevent the big boys from copying it.



Another issue this page brings up is whether there is an official way to spell out the heart symbol in A-Z letters. Shuffle Master uses the heart symbol in their logo but the "luv" spelling in small print. Is this standard convention or more of a poetic thing where it can go either way?

I Luv Suits now on trial at the Golden Nugget.

So Suits is a true copy of High Card Flush after watching that video? Not the standard shfl approach to copy Galaxy like that, interesting. And disappointing.

Quote: SM777

So Suits is a true copy of High Card Flush after watching that video? Not the standard shfl approach to copy Galaxy like that, interesting. And disappointing.

This is the new, post patent, world we now live in. If a game makes a splash, everyone will copy it.


ZCore13

Yeah, there's obviously no honor among thieves. I had heard that slots was the safest area for a game designer. Now I see this article on MCG's news thread that tells how Aristocrat is accusing Ainsworth of having a spy steal its Lighting Link data.

Heh. The things you don't think about when you're happily walking into a casino eh?

Quote: SM777

So Suits is a true copy cat of High Card Flush after watching that video? Not the standard shfl approach to copy Galaxy like that, interesting. And disappointing.

Looks like the exact copy. Could someone point out the differences between HCF and I Luv Suits?

The most interesting fact is that Golden Nugget has HCF by Galaxy already. Perhaps SG could offer ILS at half price? This benefits the "society"?

I am very surprised that we are not seeing Triple Play poker get copied more successfully. I guess it is just the new video poker market is so small.

Quote: DRich

I am very surprised that we are not seeing Triple Play poker get copied more successfully. I guess it is just the new video poker market is so small.

Might be because it's mechanical/electronic, so IP protected better than table games post-Bilski.

Quote: Wizard

Thank you for the kind words. I think my site sold itself, to honest with you. However, I'll give myself credit for not taking the first offer. However, with things that require a little salesmanship, I'm awful. I couldn't sell a $100 bill for $1.

Anyway, enough about me.

The next new game I'll introduce seen at G2E is U-Turn Blackjack by Shuffle Master. The gist is pretty simple, the dealer acts first, but all the player will know is the face up card and total number of cards dealt to the dealer. This is done with bar-coded cards and the shuffler. To pay for this, a dealer 22 is a push. It will involve an interesting strategy. Playing it at the show, I was often perplexed what to do.

Please click the link for more details.

just seeing this post now. I like the idea. So if you see they have 2 cards only you know they made a hand. If you have 17, do you take a hit if they have a face card? If they have 5 or 6 cards I am guessing they bust more often than not so would you stay on any 12+ or what is the break point where you would stay?

Quote: beachbumbabs

Might be because it's mechanical/electronic, so IP protected better than table games post-Bilski.

The Triple Play patents have expired.

Quote: GWAE

Quote: Wizard

Thank you for the kind words. I think my site sold itself, to honest with you. However, I'll give myself credit for not taking the first offer. However, with things that require a little salesmanship, I'm awful. I couldn't sell a $100 bill for $1.

Anyway, enough about me.

The next new game I'll introduce seen at G2E is U-Turn Blackjack by Shuffle Master. The gist is pretty simple, the dealer acts first, but all the player will know is the face up card and total number of cards dealt to the dealer. This is done with bar-coded cards and the shuffler. To pay for this, a dealer 22 is a push. It will involve an interesting strategy. Playing it at the show, I was often perplexed what to do.

Please click the link for more details.

just seeing this post now. I like the idea. So if you see they have 2 cards only you know they made a hand. If you have 17, do you take a hit if they have a face card? If they have 5 or 6 cards I am guessing they bust more often than not so would you stay on any 12+ or what is the break point where you would stay?

I've seen a couple of these barcode type games at WOO. They're interesting in that they add a whole new layer of creativity for designers. Still, I can't see a casino investing in this tech when it can simply (and cheaply) open another 6/5 blackjack table with crappy side bet offerings. Perhaps when tabletops become computer screens these types of games will make it out of expo purgatory.