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Cash Grab
Introduction
Cash Grab, alternately known as Go Go Claw, is what appears to be an arcade-style claw machine, but with monetary prizes. Despite appearances, the outcome of a bet is determined as soon as the bet is made and the aspect with the claw is just for show.
I saw the game on the second floor of the D casino in Las Vegas on July 11, 2021.
Rules
The following are the rules as observed at the D the day of my visit.
- The player may bet $5, $10, $20, $50, or $100.
- The following are the possible prizes by bet amount:
- $5: $10, $25, $100, jackpot
- $10: $20, $50, $250, jackpot
- $20: $40, $100, $500, jackpot
- $50: $100, $300, $1500, jackpot
- $100: $300, $600, $3000, jackpot
- Each bet amount has it's own jackpot. The following list shows the reset value and maximum value of all five:
- $5: $500 to $1000
- $10: $1500 to $3000
- $20: $2000 to $4000
- $50: $3000 to $6000
- $100: $5000 to $10,000
- The jackpot for any given bet amount is increased by 40% of the bet amount every time the player wins something besides the jackpot, until the jackpot reaches it's maximum value.
- The win is randomly determined by a computer. The joystick and "grab" buttons are for show only. The game will always initially grab onto a ball. If the player is predestined to lose, which is usually the case, the claw will drop the ball before making it to the chute. If the player is predestined to win, the claw will drop the ball into the chute and the win will be revealed digitally on a screen. The unopened ball will then be released back into the pool of balls at the bottom.
- The rules state if the player is predestined to win and the claw accidentally releases the ball before the chute, then the game will try again, up to three times. If the ball still fails to reach the chute after the third try, the player's prize shall still be revealed on the display.
If any of that was unclear, the images below show the help screens from the game. Click any image for a larger version.
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Analysis
Unfortunately, the game provides no information to quantify the odds. Nothing on the win frequency, average win, or anything. All I can say is that in Nevada a new game must be set to an average return of at least 75%. I can also say this game is big with a slow rate of play, so it is probably set to not much above that 75% so it pulls it's expected revenue per square foot of gaming space.
If you must play, I recommend being mindful of the jackpot amounts. As a basis of comparison, here is what they were on July 11, 2011.
- $5 — $1,000
- $10 — $1,972
- $20 — $2,256
- $50 — $3,050
- $100 — $5,020
You can see the jackpots for bets of $20 and above are near the reset values. This leads me to believe the game is rarely played at such large bets. Only at the $5 bet amount had the jackpot reached the maximum value. So, if forced to play, I would bet $5 at a time.
External Links
- Discussion about Cash Grab in my forum at Wizard of Vegas. There I refer to the game as Go Go Claw.
- YouTube video of the game being played at the D.
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