5 New Versions of Old Casino Games

Most new casino games are just old casino games dressed up with new rules. They’re what you might consider “variants” of existing games. After all, why teach someone a completely new game when you can just explain how this game is different from a game a gambler already knows how to play?

This means that the variations of baccarat, blackjack, craps, and roulette that you see in casinos are just novelty versions of the classics. I’m not sure when the next new casino game that’s really a new casino game will debut, but it looks like the trend of updating old games with new rules will continue.

In this post, I examine the odds and strategies for 5 new versions of old casino games:

1- Bonus Craps

I saw that a new game called Bonus Craps was available at the Choctaw Casino in Oklahoma. I don’t know where else it’s available, but I suspect that it’s not exclusive to that property.

In this variation of craps, you have all the traditional features, but Bonus Craps does feature 3 new prop bets:

• All Small
• All Tall
• Make ’em All

These 3 prop bets are available before the come out roll, and each of these bets is separate from the main game or any other bets you might place. Also, these bets are ONLY available on the come out roll.

When the shooter rolls anything other than a 7, the bonus lammer is placed on the circle corresponding to the number the shooter rolled.

The all small bet is a bet that all of the small numbers – the 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 – will be rolled before a 7 gets rolled. If a 7 gets rolled before then, the all small bet loses. If you win this bet, you get 30 to 1 on your money.

The all tall bet is a bet that all of the tall numbers – the 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12 – will be rolled before a 7 gets rolled. If the 7 gets rolled before that happens, the all tall bet loses. As you might imagine, this one also pays off at 30 to 1.

The make ‘em all bet is a bet that all the possible numbers will be rolled before a 7 gets rolled. This means that you’re betting that the 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12 will be rolled before a 7 is rolled. This bet pays off at 150 to 1 odds.

The house edge on all 3 of these bets is terrible, by the way. The house edge for the all small and all tall bets is the same – 18.3%. The house edge on the make ‘em all bet is even worse at 20.61%.

2- Blazing 777 Blackjack Progressive

Blazing 777 Blackjack Progressive is played just like regular blackjack, but it offers a side bet on a progressive jackpot. You don’t have to place the side bet, so you could play regular blackjack at the Blazing 777 Blackjack Progressive table if you wanted to.

If you decide to play, you place your standard blackjack bet and you place the Blazing 7s side bet. You play out your blackjack hand like normal.

If one of your first 2 cards is a 7, you win the side bet. If both cards are 7s, you get a bigger payout. If the dealer’s face-up card is also a 7, you win even more money.

Those are the only 3 cares that affect the side bet – your 2 cards and the dealer’s face-up card.

The payouts are based on a pay table, which can vary according to the casino’s house rules. No matter what the casino’s house rules are, though, the top prize is the progressive jackpot. The 2nd prize is 10% of the jackpot.

If you get a single 7, the payout is 2 for 1. If both your cards are 7s, the payout is 25 for 1.

And if you get 7s and the dealer’s face-up card is a 7, you win 200 for 1.

The other payouts vary – some casinos pay out for suited 7s or 7s of the same color. They also might pay out based on the 7s all being the same suit. For example, the top prize might be reserved for 7s that are all diamonds.

The house edge varies based on the size of the progressive jackpot. The bigger the jackpot is, the lower the house edge is.

Most of the time, the best thing to do – mathematically, is to ignore the side bet. As with any progressive jackpot, the house edge is usually really high.

Also, the odds of hitting that jackpot are often so low that the expectation doesn’t really matter much.


In the more liberal version of the game, the probability that you’ll hit 3 suited 7s is 0.0015%.


And you’ll lose the side bet altogether about 85% of the time.

If you’re a jackpot hunter, though, this can be fun.

3- Free Bet Blackjack

Free Bet Blackjack is a somewhat more involved blackjack variation than Blazing 7s. The big gimmick to this version is that you’re allowed to split or double down one time for free. (In traditional blackjack games, you have to put up another bet.)

You can still only split if you have a pair – 2 cards of the same rank. You cannot split 10s for free, though. The dealer signifies your free bet with a button to the right of your original bet.

You can still split 10s by placing an additional bet, and you can also split additional times by placing additional bets.

You can also double down for free if you have a 9, 10, or 11 total. The dealer uses the same button to signify the extra bet. You can double down on other totals, but you must put up the extra bet to do so.

The showdown is handled differently in Free Bet Blackjack. If the dealer finishes with between a 17 and 21 total, you must have a higher total (21 or less) to beat the dealer. Payouts are even money unless you have a blackjack, in which case you get a 3 to 2 payout on your bet.

The free bets pay out even money, too.

Here’s the catch:

Any time the dealer draws to 22, anyone who hasn’t busted is treated as a push. In other words, the dealer no longer busts on a total of 22.

The house edge for Free Bet Blackjack, if you play with perfect basic strategy, is about 1%.

4- Dai Bacc

Dai Bacc is an Asian-themed variation of baccarat. As with many blackjack variations, this game plays just like the original game, but it offers some new betting options.

To play Dai Bacc, you make a banker or player bet, just like you would in traditional baccarat.

You also have the following optional bets available:

• Tiger 7
• Ox 6
• Kill Bonus

The deal is handled just like it is in regular baccarat with the hand getting closer to 9 winning. That bet pays off at even money. If the banker wins with a 3-card 7, that’s treated as a push.

Here’s how the side bets work:

The Tiger 7 bet wins any time the banker has a 3-card total of 7 and wins. It pays off at 40 to 1.

The Ox 6 bet wins any time the player has a 3-card total of 6 and wins. It also pays off at 40 to 1.

The Kill Bonus bet wins if either of the following happen:

• If the Tiger bet loses with a 3-card banker 7
• If the Ox bet loses with a 3-card player 6

The Kill Bonus bet pays off at 30 to 1.

Any time there’s a tie, all the side bets lose except for the Kill Bonus bet.

The Kill Bonus Bet wins if the player and banker hands tie with a 3-card total of 6 OR 7.

It also wins if a player’s 3-card 6 ties a banker’s 2-card 6.

And it wins if a player 2-card 7 ties a banker’s 3-card 7.

I’ve always been astounded at how complex baccarat is when it’s so similar to a bet on a coin-toss. There’s no skill to the game, and there’s no skill to the side bets.

These side bets have a high house edge, so it’s better to just skip them altogether and just play baccarat like you normally would.

5- Ultimate Texas Hold’em

Ultimate Texas Hold’em is a robust enough game to warrant an entire blog post of its own. It’s one of many new-ish games that take the trappings of poker and turn it into a casino game where you play against the house.

To play, you place an ante bet and a blind bet. You also have an optional side bet – the trips bonus bet. You start by getting 2 cards, just like in regular Texas hold’em.

After getting your 2 hole cards, you can check, but you can also bet 3 or 4 times your ante. After deciding, the dealer puts 3 cards on the table face-up – the flop.

At this point, you get another chance to check or bet. This time, you can only bet if you didn’t make the play bet before, and you’re limited to betting twice the size of your ante.

The last 2 cards – the turn and the river – are then dealt. Now you have 2 options – you can fold, or you can bet. This time the bet size must be equal to the ante bet.

To win, your hand must beat the dealer’s hand. (The dealer also has 2 hole cards.) You win even money on your ante and play bets.

If the dealer’s hand beats yours, you lose your bets.

There are some additional rules based on the dealer needing a pair to qualify, but Ultimate Texas Hold’em is a straightforward enough game and a lot of fun. The house edge is about 2.2%.

Conclusion

As you can see, what the casino calls a new game usually isn’t that new at all. It’s most often a variation on an existing game or maybe some side bets that aren’t usually available.

You can find “new” versions of baccarat, blackjack, and craps in most land-based casinos. Some of them are even regionally specific. Most of the time, the house edge on the original version of the game is better.