Contemporary Casino Table Game Design: A Practical Guide to Casino Table Game Design, Development and Selection for Casino Management and Game Developers [Paperback]

Eliot Jacobson Ph.D. (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 26, 2010

Just 25 years ago, blackjack, craps, roulette and baccarat were the mainstay of casino table games. With Caribbean Stud(r), Let it Ride(r), Three Card Poker(r) and the Texas Hold'em boom starting in 2002, the landscape of the casino has been dramatically transformed. New table games, bonuses, progressives and side bets are flooding the market. Today almost every casino offers a wide selection of proprietary table games. Contemporary Casino Table Game Design was written to fill the information gap between game developers, casino management and players. For developers, this book offers a thorough explanation of the principles of game design. For management, it explains the essential information necessary to the game selection process. For players, it gives insights into what's going on behind the curtain. This book is a comprehensive and informative guide to a fascinating and elusive subject. Contemporary Casino Table Game Design includes chapters on: * Table game and gambling mathematics * Principles of table game design and development * Card counting, hole carding, and other advantage play * Gambling mythology * Professional perspectives from industry insiders * Game descriptions for popular and new table games

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Eliot Jacobson has been a Professor of Mathematics and Computer Science as well as an advantage player. Since 2006, he has been president of Jacobson Gaming, LLC, a company specializing in table game design, development, analysis, auditing and mathematical certification. His diverse background gives him a unique perspective from both sides of the table. Eliot can be contacted through his website at www.jacobsongaming.com.

Product Details

• Paperback: 242 pages
• Publisher: Blue Point Books (May 26, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1883423171
• ISBN-13: 978-1883423179
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #369,384 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #44 in Books > Humor & Entertainment > Puzzles & Games > Blackjack

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Read for Every Casino Game Inventor, July 17, 2010

By 

Michael Shackleford - See all my reviews

This review is from: Contemporary Casino Table Game Design: A Practical Guide to Casino Table Game Design, Development and Selection for Casino Management and Game Developers (Paperback)

Have you ever been to a casino, noticed the plethora of new games, and thought to yourself that you could come up with a fun and money-making casino game yourself? If you, you're not alone. Thousands of people come up with casino games on their kitchen table after becoming inspired by their last visit to the Mirage, or wherever. Hundreds of them will take the plunge into, and try to market whatever they come up with. The usual fantasy is that casino managers will fall all over each other to get your game. The reality is that most game inventors blow up to $100,000 on their game, and never even get it inside a casino. I'm not saying Jacobson's book will help turn your game into the next Three Card Poker, but it will improve your odds significantly. As a gaming consultant myself, Jacobson and I see the same mistakes over and over. This book will help you avoid them. If it scares you off from the business completely, chances are that it will have saved you a great deal of money. There is no other book on the market like this. It isn't for everybody, but if you've ever thought of getting into the casino game business, you must read this book.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential Book for the Target Audience, September 15, 2011

By 

David Younghans (Denver, CO USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Contemporary Casino Table Game Design: A Practical Guide to Casino Table Game Design, Development and Selection for Casino Management and Game Developers (Paperback)

For the small market of people for whom this book is intended, it's a must-read. The book contains essential information found nowhere else. Particularly useful is Chapter 2, Principles of Table Game Design and Development--about 50 concisely written pages that could make the difference between a winning game and one of the hundreds (thousands?) that never see the light of day. I disagreed with some of the author's opinions (e.g. unlike the author, I wouldn't include Alphabetic Roulette in a list of good games), but that's inevitable in an area with so many subjective elements. Overall, though, I highly recommend this book.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars No Other Book With This Information!, July 22, 2010

By 

Paradigm - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Contemporary Casino Table Game Design: A Practical Guide to Casino Table Game Design, Development and Selection for Casino Management and Game Developers (Paperback)

If you want to get a detailed analysis of the casino table game development business from a variety of perspectives, this book is for you. Jacobson covers topics from casino mathematics to the nuances of game design by considering all the stakeholders in a new game's success (the players, the dealers & casino management).

You will read perspectives from game developers, casino industry service providers, casino management and more. The information shared in these professional perspectives is extremely valuable not only to game developers but also to casino management.

Jacobson has assimilated statistical information on how the composition of the table game pit has changed over the last 20 years. You will learn what games are grabbing market share, what games are static and what games appear to be near the end of their lifecycle.

This is a great reference book with information you can't get from any other single source. If you are interested in game design or what features of a table game make it successful on the casino floor, you must read this book!