Introduction

Nucleus Gaming is a casino game developer that broke onto the scene with an assortment of interesting looking 3D games. The games are relatively straightforward in terms of feature set, but the presentation is the real game changer. The intuitive 3D look and feel to the games is fantastic, making Nucleus’ titles look like something you’d find from Betsoft.

The games from Nucleus are a full of different themes, running from simplistic (Fruit Serenity) to cute (Kitty Cutie) to action-packed (Blades of the Abyss). No matter the game you play, you can rest assured that Nucleus has done a good job of making their library of games interesting to punters.

In addition to slots, there are table games and video poker games also designed by Nucleus. While these lack some of the “wow factor” that the slots have, they are still worthy of your time.

Table Games

The table games have the same look and rules as those of Betsoft. The main difference seems to be that Betsoft tables have green felt and Nucleus uses a light brown.

Roulette

Nucleus offers three versions of roulette, two single-zero and one double-zero. I recommend playing the single-zero wheels only.

Craps

Nucleus is one of the few providers to offer a craps game, which are not easy to make. They offer 3x odds, always based on the bet amount. Buy and Lay bets charge a 5% commission, nicely payable on wins only. The commission is based on the bet amount on Buy bets and on the win on Lay bets. The also offer the standard odds on place and place to lose bets.

Wins are rounded down to the nearest $0.25. The smallest chip you can bet is $1.

The following table compares the buy and place bets. As you can see, the house edge is lower on the buy bets for every number except the 6 and 8.

The following table compares the lay and place to lose bets. Much like the buy and place bets, the house edge is lower on the lay bets for every number except the 6 and 8.

Here are the increments you should make place, buy, don't place, and lay bets, to avoid getting rounded down.

• Place: $5 on 4, 5, 9, and 10, $6 on 6 and 8.
• Buy: $5 on all points.
• Don't place: $11 on 4 and 10, $8 on 5 and 9, $5 on 6 and 8
• Lay: $10 on 4 and 10, $15 on 5 and 9, $6 on 6 and 8.

The field has the liberal rules of paying 3 to 1 on the 12.

Beware the Big 6 and 8 bets, that pay even money only.

Pontoon

Pontoon was created by Real Time Gaming and in the usual tradition of keeping up with the competition, it has been adopted by other competitors, including Nucleus. This is not to be confused with Australian pontoon, which is the same thing as Spanish 21 in the US.

Nucleus follows the usual rules of allowing drawing to split aces and the dealer hitting a soft 17. Eight decks are used. This results in a house edge of 0.38%. The Sweet 16 side bet has a house edge of 2.52%.

For more information, please see my page on Pontoon (RTG version).

Three Card Poker

Nucleus refers to their Three Card Poker game as Triple Edge Poker. The Ante Bonus follows the 1-4-5 pay table for a house edge of 3.37% on the Ante bet. The Pairplus pay table goes 1-4-6-30-40 for a house edge of 2.32%.

Three Card Rummy

Three Card Rummy has a similar structure to Three Card Poker, but the hand scoring is much different. It is hard to describe briefly, so please see my page on Vegas Three Card Poker for more information.

Casino War

Nucleus refers to Casino War as Top Card Trumps. They use six decks and follow the stingy "no bonus" rule for a tie after a tie. This results in a house edge of 2.88%.

Spanish 21

Nucleus calls their Spanish 21 game (or what is called Pontoon in Australia) "Pirate 21 Blackjack."

The rules are the same as what you would find in the U.S. In particular, they use six decks, hit a soft 17, and do not allow re-doubling. This results in a house edge of 0.76%.

They also offer the Match the Dealer side bet, with the usual pays of 4 and 9, resulting in a house edge of 3.06%.

The following table shows the Spanish 21 games available in alphabetical order.

Here is the same list in returns range, choose your game wisely.

Draw Hi-Lo

This is a simple game of card prediction. As far as I know, it is available only to Betsoft and Nucleus. Rather than explain it all here, please see my page Draw Hi Lo for more information. The bottom line is a house edge of 3.93%.

Red Dog

The usual red dog rules are followed. Eight decks are used for a house edge of 2.75%.

Pai Gow Poker

Standard pai gow poker rules are followed. I always like it when online casinos have a house way button, or at least sort the cards, but Nucleus does neither. At least it is impossible to foul your hand.

The dealer is always the banker. Assuming the player follows a house way strategy, the house edge is 2.72%.

Baccarat

Nucleus offers a simple baccarat game with the three main bets — Player, Banker, and Tie.

21 Burn Blackjack

21 Burn Blackjack is a blackjack variant where the player can burn his second card. However, the player has to make a very negative side bet, equal to half his original wager, on the replacement card to do so. All things considered, I get a house edge of 0.54%.

For more information, please see my page on 21 Burn Blackjack.

The following table shows the 21 Burn Blackjack games available in alphabetical order.

Here is the same list in returns range, choose your game wisely.

Caribbean Stud Poker

Standard Caribbean Stud Poker rules are followed, except a royal flush pays 200 instead of 100. This lowers the house edge from the usual 5.22% by 0.01% to 5.21%.

Slots

Nucleus slots are very nicely done in all ways -- graphics, sound, and game play. Most games convey a good sense of humor and are fun to play.

External Links

Visit Nucleus Gaming's Official Website