One for the Money

Introduction

One for the Money is a new table game that debuted at Diamond Jo's casino in Dubuque, Iowa in February, 2014. Later is appeared at the Venetian in Las Vegas, somewhere in the Philippines, and the Barona in California. For the Barona placement, the name was changed to Ultimate Casino War. Later, in late 2015, the game got a placement at the Crown casino in Melbourne, with yet another name change, this time to Poker War.

One for the Money is hard to compare it to any existing games, but, if forced, I would say it is a combination of Casino War and my own Mulligan Poker. The game is simple to learn and has a simple strategy to it.
 

Rules

1. Any number of decks can be used. To minimize shuffling time, I would expect to see six or eight.
2. Cards are ranked as in poker: deuces low and aces high. Except for the side bet, the suit is irrelevant.
3. After making a wager, the player will receive one face-up card and the dealer two face-down cards.
4. The player then has three options, as follows:
   • Stand. Player keeps his original card without raising.
   • Raise. Player keeps his original card and makes a raise bet equal to his original wager.
   • Trade. Player switches his card for the next card in the shoe. When switching, the player must also make a raise wager equal to his original wager.
5. If the player chooses to trade, then after getting his replacement card he may either stand or make a raise bet equal to his original wager.
6. The dealer will turn over both his cards and select the higher card. If the cards are equal in rank, the dealer may choose either one arbitrarily.
7. The player card shall be compared to the chosen dealer card; the higher card wins. The bet shall be adjudicated as follows:
   • If the player has the higher card, then all player wagers shall pay even money.
   • If both cards are equal in rank, then all wagers shall push.
   • If the dealer has the higher card, then all wagers shall lose.

 

Strategy

The strategy at the first decision point is as follows:
 

• Raise with a jack or higher.
• Stand with a 8 to 10.
• Switch with a 7 or less.

After switching, the strategy is as follows:
 

• Raise with a jack or higher.
• Stand with a 10 or less.

 

Analysis

The following table shows the expected value of each initial card by decision, assuming six decks.
 
The expected values after switching depend slightly on which card was discarded. The following table shows the values if a deuce is discarded.
 
All things considered, the player can win or lose up to three times his original wager. The following table shows the probability and expected return of each final outcome. The lower right cell reflects a house edge of 3.82%.
 
The player's final wager can be one to three times his original wager. The following table shows the possible outcomes for the final amount bet. The lower right cell shows the average final wager is 1.92 times the original wager.
 
With a house edge of 3.82% and an average final wager of 1.92 units, the element of risk is 3.82%/1.92 = 2.00%.

In an eight-deck game, the house edge is slightly higher at 3.86% and the element of risk is 2.02%.
 

Perfect Match

Like any new table game, One for the Money has a side bet. In this case, it's the Perfect Match wager, which has also been seen in blackjack. It pays based on the number of dealer cards that match the player's final card.

There would be a negligible mathematical effect for the card switching rule, but for the purposes of the analysis of the side bet, I ignored that rule. That said, the following table shows the probability and return of each possible outcome assuming six decks. The lower right cell shows a house edge of 6.40%.
 
The next table shows the same thing for eight decks. The lower right cell shows a house edge of 4.18%.
 

Conclusion

For a game of skill, meaning at least one decision involved, One for the Money is about as easy as it gets. The element of risk is in the middle of the range compared to other new table games. The following table shows the element of risk for this and other popular new table games.
 

• Ultimate Texas Hold 'Em — 0.53%
• Spanish 21 (dealer hits soft 17, no re-double) — 0.65%
• Mississippi Stud — 1.37%
• One for the Money (six decks) — 2.00%
• Three Card Poker — 2.01%
• EZ Pai Gow Poker — 2.47%
• Casino War — 2.68%

The player should be aware that this is a fact paced game, so I would recommend keeping this in mind in deciding how much to bet.
 

External Links

• Ultimate Casino War — at Discount Gambling. Stephen gets a house edge of 2.56%. You'll have to decide which one of us to believe.

Written by: Michael Shackleford