Gamblit Poker
[00:00:10] Mike Shakleford: Hi, this is Mike Shakleford at the 2016 cutting edge table game conference at the Flamingo in Las Vegas and I’m here with Zach Foley representing the game Gamblit Poker. I must say this is a totally unique kind of table game that I’ve never seen before. I think it might be the beginning of a next generation of table games, but I’ll let you explain to me, explain to the audience what it is.
[00:00:35] Zach Foley: Gamblit Poker is a game where the players get to pick their own cards by pounding on a big red button in front of the table. At the start of the game the dealer will take one card and deal it out to each player and then after that the competitive part of the game begins in which dealer -- cards are dealt from the shoe one at a time and they appear on the screen. If a player wants to add that card to the hand they pound the button. The first player who presses the button gets the card.
You’re probably wondering how do we just avoid people wait and get a straight flush every time? Once any player has three cards that triggers the burn down, so there’s only a limited number of cards that come after that. So say I get in early with a low flush and I'm trying to get it, if the few people did it going to be about six cards left that you can use to beat my flush. Then at the end of that burn down whoever’s got the best hand wins the pot.
There’s also a side bet in the game that you can bet based on those first cards that come up, so a random element of game, and that pays if two or more of those first cards are jack, queen or king, the side bet wins. When you’ve got a full table it wins a lot and it gets a great feeling of togetherness to take the competitive edge of the game. You go back and forth from loving people in the game, to take out your daggers to win, to going back to loving. I want you to have a good card and then back and forth. It’s a really fun party game.
[00:01:47] Mike: Yes, that’s very unique. So it’s a game that combines both skill and dexterity?
[00:01:54] Zach: Yes, you definitely need to be paying attention. You can snooze through the card you need or sometimes have it sniped out someone else. I'm trying to get three of a kind of sixes, you’re trying make a six-seven-eight straight and we’re competing for the same card. Whoever hit that button first gets it.
[00:02:09] Mike: Can you lead me through an example game?
[00:02:11] Zach: Be glad to. In this game right now we can see all the blinking stations are the players who are in the game. In order to be in the game everybody have to play a fixed bet of $10 each. The reasons of fixed bet is because it’s competitive between the players, it forms a pot. The player with the best three card poker hand at the end wins that pot.
At the beginning of the game, the dealers going to deal out one card to each player face up. If two or more of those cards are a jack, queen or king, decide that face. Here we see he’s collecting the pot that they’re going to play for. It takes a rake from the house, from the pot, and now comes the initial cards to each winner. We’re hoping to see a jack, queen or king for the side bet to pay. Oh, it doesn’t look like it. This time it did not pay. If two or more of those have been jack, queen or king the side bet would pay.
Now the game switches to the competitive mode. As the dealer draws cards out of the shoe it'll appear on the screen to the left and right, and the players can see what it is. If they want to add that card to their hand they press the button to claim the card. Player five just took that card. Player one just took the three of hearts. They’re trying to make the best three card hand. We got a pair of sixes in the lead right now trying to go for three of a kind. Player one also has three of a kind coming up. Player three has now eight-seven trying to complete a straight. Nobody wanted that card so it’s timed out.
Again, the players pass on the card. Got some people waiting for some sixes or nines. Okay, we have a flush. The players whose icon is on fire is in the lead, so they have to beat a flush. The straight or three of a kind of [unintelligible 00:03:56], so seven-eight-nine straight is in the lead with player three. Player one could get another three to get a three of a kind. Oh, and player five gets the third six to win it. We like to call that hand the six-six-six, we call that the gamblit because it looks like three Gs.
[00:04:15] Mike: Thanks, Zach, for showing me the game. Again, that is Gamblit Poker.
[00:04:21] Zach: Thanks very much.
[00:04:22] [END OF AUDIO]