"Skill based" machines debut at PH

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/caesars-entertainment-launches-las-vegas-first-interactive-video-gaming-experience-at-planet-hollywood-resort--casino-300431658.html?sf66796585=1&sf66817434=1

Looking at the descriptions and the really short video, looks like the "skill" is that you are head-to-head with other players to grab the best cards (and I suppose, to know what the best cards are), but that the games involve RNG-generated cards, so the house can keep the edge. Hard to tell.

 

Sounds weird

 

The article seems to state that these machines are currently installed at PH. Has anyone seen them? Are many people playing them?

 

They brought these types of games to Atlantic City too in an effort to attract Millennials. Millennials are uninterested in pushing a button repeatedly while drinking. They want to feel like they are actively participating.

 

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10155058088082604

https://www.facebook.com/phVegas/

And, according to some of the comments to the video, you don't earn TR points on this machine.

 

The house keeps the edge because there is a "rake" like a live poker game.

 

So if you're quick and smart, is this truly a positive expectation game?

 

If you can beat your opponents badly enough, you could profit. But initial reports hint that stakes are fairly low right now.

 

I don't know...from looking at the video and screenshots (and I'm going to assume even if they rigged or CGI'd the hand for purposes of the video, that it represents a valid, possible outcome) it looks like

1. Only one player wins anything in a given hand
2. There were two players playing in the video out of a possible 4. None of the cards in any of the hands were duplicates, and the PR refers to the game displaying common cards from a single deck.
3. There was a paytable. The winning player had a straight that paid 120 for 1.

So you could certainly have an advantage over other players, but the paytable would dictate whether there could ever be a real advantage.

The description says each player gets two cards dealt and then common cards are displayed in the center. And then I'm guessing the machine calculates when one player has a nut hand and declares the winner (instead of waiting for other players to draw dead).

From looking at the screenshots, it displays a single common card at a time, and a player has to hit a button to select it. I have no idea how to calculate the probability of a straight in those circumstances. A 120 for 1 payout for a straight seems high, if only because Shackleford lists the probability of a straight in JoB VP as 1.1%

 

They must have tweaked the game mechanics since I looked at this before. It used to be just a rake. This sounds different.

 

This might explain it:

 

But what decides these big wins up to 240X bet? Unfortunately need all the rules. Fortunately, I'll be there in less than a month!

[emoji481]

 

Otherwise couldn't a group of people get together to make sure one person always gets the best hand. Then split the winnings. The manufacturer surely thought of that.

 

That's one reason to think that the house edge is in the payout.

There's maybe another kind of edge built in too, I think - the winner may not have put together the best possible hand given the cards that were available. Kind of like misplaying a VP hand.