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Fortune 8
Introduction
Fortune 8 is one of about 40 games legal in Macau. As far as I know, nobody there offers the game, but it never hurts to be prepared in case somebody does.
I've analyzed some pretty easy games, but Fortune 8 sets a new record for the simplest casino game I have ever seen. I'll save the details in the rules section.
Rules
- One to eight standard 52-card decks can be used.
- There are three bets available: Low, High, and Fortune 8.
- After wagers are places the dealer will deal a single card to each player.
- Low bets shall win if the player's card is 2 to 7. Winnings bets pay 1 to 1.
- High bets shall win if the player's card is 9 to ace. Winning bets pay 1 to 1.
- Fortune 8 bets win if the player's card is an 8. Winning bets pay 11 to 1.
Odds
The following table shows the possible outcomes of the Low and High bets. The lower right cell shows a house edge of 7.69%.
Low and High Bets
| Event | Pays | Combinations | Probability | Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1 | 6 | 0.461538 | 0.461538 |
| Lose | -1 | 7 | 0.538462 | -0.538462 |
| Total | 13 | 1.000000 | -0.076923 |
The following next shows the possible outcomes of the Fortune 8 bet. The lower right cell shows a house edge of 7.69%.
Fortune 8
| Event | Pays | Combinations | Probability | Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 11 | 1 | 0.076923 | 0.846154 |
| Lose | -1 | 12 | 0.923077 | -0.923077 |
| Total | 13 | 1.000000 | -0.076923 |
Strategy
If you're not a card counter, then it makes no difference what you bet on. The house edge is 7.69% on all three bets. If you are, and the game is dealt from a shoe, then you have gone to card-counter heaven.