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Triple Shot

Introduction

 
Triple shot is a new table game I noticed at Harrah's in Las Vegas. It it three games in one. The player may play War, Blackjack, Poker, or any combination of these games. The three bets are independent so the player may bet any amount on each one, subject to table limits. The game is played with a single deck. The player's and dealer's first card determine the outcome of the War bet. Then the player gets another card and plays out his Blackjack hand. Then more cards are dealt to the player to complete a 6-card Poker hand. Finally the dealer plays out is Blackjack hand, settles the Blackjack wagers, and then then pays players according to the value of their 6-card poker hand. Following are the specific rules of each game.

 

War

Player and dealer each get one card, high card wins. In the event of a tie the player loses half his bet (no, you can't go to war). The following return table shows the house edge is 2.94%.

 

Triple Shot - War

Event Probability Pays Return
Win 0.470588 1 0.470588
Loss 0.470588 -1 -0.470588
Tie 0.058824 -0.5 -0.029412

 

 

Blackjack

The player will get a second card to play out his blackjack hand. According to my latest information (and I need to confirm this) the blackjack rules are:

 

  • One deck
  • Dealer hits soft 17
  • Player may double on any first two cards
  • Blackjack pays 6 to 5
  • Player may only split aces
  • One card only to split aces, no resplitting
  • Six cards automatically wins (6-card Charlie)

Before considering the splitting and 6-card Charlie rule, the house edge is 1.57%, assuming double after a split would have been allowed normally. The restriction on splitting adds 0.35%. In a 6-deck game the 6-card Charlie rule is worth 0.16% but in a single-deck game it less valuable, and gives the player only 0.08%. So the overall house edge is 1.84%.

 

Poker

There are two pay tables that I know. The following tables show the probability of each hand and the contribution to the total return. Overall the house edge is 3.20% or 5.78%, according to which pay table is used.

 

 

Triple Shot - Poker - Pay Table 1

Event Probability Pays Return
Royal flush 0.000009 100 to 1 0.000923
Straight flush 0.000081 30 to 1 0.00244
Four of a kind 0.00072 15 to 1 0.010804
Full house 0.008153 7 to 1 0.057071
Flush 0.010108 5 to 1 0.050542
Straight 0.017763 4 to 1 0.07105
Three of a kind 0.035963 3 to 1 0.10789
Two pair 0.124411 2 to 1 0.248821
Queens or better 0.11064 1 to 1 0.11064
Nothing 0.692151 Loss -0.692151
Total 1   -0.031968

 

 

Triple Shot - Poker - Pay Table 2

Event Probability Pays Return
Royal flush 0.000009 200 to 1 0.001847
Straight flush 0.000081 60 to 1 0.004881
Four of a kind 0.00072 20 to 1 0.014406
Full house 0.008153 6 to 1 0.048918
Flush 0.010108 5 to 1 0.050542
Straight 0.017763 4 to 1 0.07105
Three of a kind 0.035963 2 to 1 0.071927
Two pair 0.124411 1.5 to 1 0.186616
Jacks or better 0.147396 1 to 1 0.147396
Nothing 0.655396 Loss -0.655396
Total 1   -0.057814

 

There is also a similar game called Three Way Action.

Written by: Michael Shackleford