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Bet the Deck -- Version 2

Last Update: Jan. 1, 2012

Introduction

Bet the Deck is a table game I noticed at the Flamingo on December 31, 2011. I saw a simplified version nine years before at the Golden Nugget. To avoid confusion, I will call the Golden Nugget version version 1 and the Flamingo version version 2. This page shall address version 2 only.

Rules

The game is played with a single 52-card deck. Each player will get one card of his own and three community cards. There are three types of bets available. Separate betting areas are indicated on the table and the player may bet on any combination of these bets as he wishes. Details of the bets are as follows.

Bet the Deck

This bet is based on the poker value of the player's card, the three community card, and an implied joker.

Bet the Deck
Event	Pays
Five of a kind	60
Straight flush	30
Four of a kind	7
Full house	5
Flush	4
Straight	3
Three of a kind	1

Lo Ball

The three community cards and the player's card must all be eight or less. Aces count as low. Wins pay 6 to 1.

All Red/All Black

This is a pair of bets that the player's card and three community card will all be red or all be black. Wins pay 16 to 1.

Analysis

Bet the Deck

The following table shows the probability and return from each possible outcome of the Bet the Deck bet. The lower right cell shows a house edge of 3.14%.

Bet the Deck
Event	Pays	Combinations	Probability	Return
Five of a kind	60	13	0.000048	0.002881
Straight flush	30	164	0.000606	0.018173
Four of a kind	7	2496	0.009220	0.064538
Full house	5	2808	0.010372	0.051861
Flush	4	2696	0.009958	0.039834
Straight	3	10332	0.038164	0.114493
Three of a kind	1	82368	0.304250	0.304250
Pair	-1	169848	0.627382	-0.627382
Total		270725	1.000000	-0.031353

Lo Ball

The following table shows the probability and return from each possible outcome of the Lo Ball bet. The lower right cell shows a house edge of 7.02%.

Lo Ball
Event	Pays	Combinations	Probability	Return
Win	6	35960	0.132829	0.796971
Lose	-1	234765	0.867171	-0.867171
Total		270725	1.000000	-0.070200

All Red, All Black

The following table shows the probability and return from each possible outcome of the All Red and All Black bets. The lower right cell shows a house edge of 6.12%.

All Red, All Black
Event	Pays	Combinations	Probability	Return
Win	16	14950	0.055222	0.883553
Lose	-1	255775	0.944778	-0.944778
Total		270725	1.000000	-0.061224