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Turbo Football
Introduction
Turbo Football is a card game I spotted at the Stratosphere in Las Vegas on October 4, 2016. The rules are a bit hard to explain but it is very simple once you play a few hands. For a new table game, it also offers a competitively low house advantage on most bets.
Rules
- A single 52-card deck is used.
- All 13 spades have printed on the cards 1 to 4 footballs, as follows:
- 2-5: One football
- 6-10: Two footballs
- Jack-Ace: Four footballs
So, the only thing that matters about the cards themselves is whether it is a spade or not and the number of footballs on the spaded cards.
- The player must make a First Down wager. Side bets the player may also make at this time are the Long Pass, Field Goal, Touchdown, and 9 Card Bonus.
- The dealer shall deal three community cards face up.
- If the community cards contain six or more footballs, then the First Down wager shall pay 3 to 2.
- If the community cards contain five or less footballs, then the player may double his First Down wager or leave it as it is.
- If the sum of the footballs between the nine cards is six or more and the player did not already win per rule 5, then the First Down bet, plus any double, shall pay 1 to 1. Otherwise, if the sum is five or less, then they shall lose.
- The Long Pass, Field Goal, and Touchdown side bets shall pay based on the sum of Footballs among the nine cards. Unlike the First Down bet, there is no opportunity to double.
- The Long Pass bet shall pay 2 to 1 if the total Footballs is 7 to 13, and 4 to 1 for 14 or more.
- The Field Goal bet shall pay 3 to 1 if the total Footballs is 8 to 13, and 6 to 1 for 14 or more.
- The Touchdown bet shall pay 5 to 1 if the total Footballs is 9 to 13, and 10 to 1 for 14 or more.
- The 9 Card Bonus shall pay according to the number of spades among the nine cards per the pay table below.
9 Card Bonus
Spades Pays 9 500 to 1 8 250 to 1 7 100 to 1 6 30 to 1 5 10 to 1 4 3 to 1
Below is a scan of the rule card. Click either image for a larger version.
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Strategy
The player should double with 3 or more points and stand with 2 or less.
Analysis
The following table shows the probability and contribution to the total return for the First Down bet. The lower right cell shows a house edge of 1.21%.
First Down Analysis
| Event | Pays | Combinations | Probability | Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player doubles and wins | 2 | 554,432,440 | 0.150699 | 0.301398 |
| Player has 6+ footballs in first three cards | 1.5 | 204,097,124 | 0.055475 | 0.083213 |
| Player stands and wins | 1 | 855,488,257 | 0.232528 | 0.232528 |
| Player stands and loses | -1 | 1,815,087,651 | 0.493354 | -0.493354 |
| Player doubles and loses | -2 | 249,969,928 | 0.067944 | -0.135887 |
| Total | 3,679,075,400 | 1.000000 | -0.012103 |
The player will raise 21.86% of the time, for an average total wager of 1.2186 units. That makes the Element of Risk, defined as the ratio of the expected loss to average total wager 1.21%/1.2186 = 0.99%.
The next table shows the probability of winning for hands with 0 to 5 footballs after the three community cards. The player should double if the probability of winning is greater than 50%. As you can see, this happens with three or more footballs.
Stand/Double Table
| 4 Footballs |
2 Footballs |
1 Football |
Total Points |
Probability Win |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25.25% | |
| 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 31.86% | |
| 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 47.83% | |
| 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 49.33% | |
| 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 51.96% | |
| 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 53.55% | |
| 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 65.90% | |
| 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 68.43% | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 70.91% | |
| 0 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 76.67% | |
| 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 80.26% |
The following table shows the probability and contribution to the total return for the Long Pass bet. The lower right cell shows a house edge of 3.20%.
Long Pass Analysis
| Event | Pays | Combinations | Probability | Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 or more | 4 | 39,951,431 | 0.010859 | 0.043436 |
| 7 to 13 | 2 | 1,120,561,793 | 0.304577 | 0.609154 |
| 0 to 6 | -1 | 2,518,562,176 | 0.684564 | -0.684564 |
| Total | 3,679,075,400 | 1.000000 | -0.031973 |
The following table shows the probability and contribution to the total return for the Field Goal bet. The lower right cell shows a house edge of 2.81%.
Field Goal Analysis
| Event | Pays | Combinations | Probability | Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 or more | 6 | 39,951,431 | 0.010859 | 0.065155 |
| 8 to 13 | 3 | 824,019,521 | 0.223975 | 0.671924 |
| 0 to 7 | -1 | 2,815,104,448 | 0.765166 | -0.765166 |
| Total | 3,679,075,400 | 1.000000 | -0.028088 |
The following table shows the probability and contribution to the total return for the Touchdown bet. The lower right cell shows a house edge of 2.61%.
Touchdown Analysis
| Event | Pays | Combinations | Probability | Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 or more | 10 | 39,951,431 | 0.010859 | 0.108591 |
| 9 to 13 | 5 | 523,903,900 | 0.142401 | 0.712005 |
| 0 to 8 | -1 | 3,115,220,069 | 0.846740 | -0.846740 |
| Total | 3,679,075,400 | 1.000000 | -0.026144 |
The following table shows the probability and contribution to the total return for the 9 Card Bonus bet. The lower right cell shows a house edge of 6.55%.
9 Card Bonus Analysis
| Event | Pays | Combinations | Probability | Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | 500 | 715 | 0.000000 | 0.000097 |
| 8 | 250 | 50,193 | 0.000014 | 0.003411 |
| 7 | 100 | 1,271,556 | 0.000346 | 0.034562 |
| 6 | 30 | 15,682,524 | 0.004263 | 0.127879 |
| 5 | 10 | 105,857,037 | 0.028773 | 0.287727 |
| 4 | 3 | 411,666,255 | 0.111894 | 0.335682 |
| 3 or less | -1 | 3,144,547,120 | 0.854711 | -0.854711 |
| Total | 3,679,075,400 | 1.000000 | -0.065354 |
Summary
For a new game, the house edge on this one is pretty low. However, be warned it is a fast-paced game. The house edge of each bet is below. As you can see, the best odds are with the First Down bet.
- First Down: 1.21%.
- Long Pass: 3.20%
- Field Goal: 2.81%
- Touchdown: 2.61%
- 9 Card Bonus: 6.55%