|
But those two favorites are far from the only options for gamers eager to put their money on a card game. Casinos are dedicating more and more space to poker- and blackjack-derivative games or, as some gaming executives call them, “carnival” games. These games are followed easily by those who already understand basic blackjack or poker, and the extra incentive of sizable jackpots in some of them is keeping seats filled.
“We’ve learned that customers really enjoy new slot products and new video slots,” said Joe Barrett, vice president of table games at Caesars Indiana. “Table games can drive that same excitement.”
Poker look-alikes
Among the carnival games, Three-Card Poker has seen the most consumer traffic at Ohio River casinos. Players are attracted to the ease of the game and the possibility of big payouts.
The premise of the game is simple: Get a pair or better in three cards. Do that, and you automatically win on a wager called “pair plus.” Yes, three-card straights and flushes count and earn bigger payoffs. The biggest payoff is earned with a three-card straight flush (three cards in sequence and of the same suit), which pays 40 times the original bet.
Players also may take on the dealer with an ante and play bet, and if the dealer has at least a queen in his or her hand, the hands are compared and the player will win on both bets with a better hand (if the dealer doesn’t have a queen, the play bet is refunded and the ante is paid).
“It’s a simple game to understand, with quite nice payoffs (for premium hands),” said Patrick Banfield, director of table games at Grand Victoria Casino. “People who like to play for some time can last a lot longer; some of the other games may be a little more volatile.”
Caribbean Stud poker is similar in how a player’s five cards take on the dealer’s five, but there’s no automatic payoff for pairs or better like Three-Card Poker. Instead, with an optional dollar side bet, a player receives a bonus for flushes or better. An elusive royal flush can pay a six-figure jackpot.
Let It Ride is another five-card game with the lure of big paydays, but players don’t have to play against the dealer. Instead, a player’s three cards are combined with the dealer’s two cards to create the best five-card poker hand. A player starts by making three identical bets and can opt to pull one bet back after each dealer card is revealed. Depending on the casino, a royal flush here can pay 1,000-to-1.
Not surprisingly, there’s also a game called Texas Hold’em Bonus that’s catching on at casinos. Like the popular poker game, a player gets two cards and there are five “community” cards that are shared, in this case between a player and the dealer. If a player’s best five-card poker hand beats the dealer, a payout is won, and an optional bonus bet on the player’s two “hole” cards also can win payouts.
Based off blackjack
Carnival games aren’t limited to poker-style games. The steady popularity of blackjack has led to some spinoffs, each with its own set of rules and tweaks that players need to understand before committing their money.
Spanish 21 can be as favorable for players as standard blackjack; certainly some of its rules have instant appeal. In this game, a player’s 21 automatically wins and a player blackjack beats a dealer blackjack, just to name two rules.
The catch? All the 10s are removed from the decks, which makes blackjacks a little tougher to come by. But that hasn’t kept players away.
Other carnival games based off blackjack are coming out all the time, some with bonus features that offer extra payouts based on a player’s first two cards (watch out for same-suited cards or identical cards). As with any of these games, casino personnel can explain the rules fully before play.
Back to News Archive - March 2006
Back to News
Archive
Back to Latest
News
|
Home
