Idea for standardized gambling rules

[logan9a]

Thoughts?



All of these assume in a casino and a night of play.


Pure luck games

Luck roll at -30%

Fumble: Lose wager
Fail: Lose half of wager
Success: Win 25% of wager
Critical: Win 50% of wager



Skill games (poker, blackjack, etc)

Gambling (main skill), attempt to support yourself with memory, math, luck.

This is usually an opposed roll (gambling vs gambling) between either the casino (normally at 60% unless they bring in someone ‘good’) or private individuals if you are playing ‘back room poker’.



Note - this doesn’t take in to account the ‘bet a small amount on a huge percentage chance and walk away with a ton of money’ - professional gamblers do not work like that. Also, casinos are weighted toward the casino winning. The highest pay out machines (small slots) are weighted so that they only suck up a couple percentages of what’s put in to them meaning you are paying about five dollars per hour (at the better ones) for ‘entertainment’.

This doesn’t also take in to account the normal human thing of ‘chasing bad money with good’ and actually losing more than you were wanting to wager.

Also, this isn’t to say that you won’t get banned from various gambling spots if you win too much money - which can happen at pretty much all of them, even today. Or you ‘get mugged’. Or buried in the desert.

[Scott]

Realistically, a luck game like roulette is only about 5% in favor of the house. (36/38)

But then you're going to have PC's with massive luck, so whatever.

[Scott]

Well, after actually doing the math...no that still seems way too harsh. Those payouts for "pure luck" games break even at a 68 in luck (after the minus 30). As in don't bother playing without 99+ luck. I don't know if you intended it to be that slanted. IRL, those kind of establishments are obviously not "pure luck" and tend to be burned down and/or their proprietors lynched.

[logan9a]

After reading up on the 'odds' I'm thinking 'meh'.

Besides, most actual professional gamblers do not go with pure luck games.

So I'm OK with that.

[Scott]

I'd rather it be more of the social enforcement to keep luck winnings in check. A player who doesn't read this thread would never figure that a roulette table in a licensed establishment is robbing them just as much as a back alley game of 3-card monte with Soapy Smith.

[logan9a]

How do you mean 'social enforcement'?

[logan9a]

Also, "those kind of establishments are obviously not "pure luck" and tend to be burned down and/or their proprietors lynched." - I'm going to need some citations on that. Everyone knows that Vegas is super weighted against them, everyone goes to gamble anyway.

I suppose for things like roulette and such that are complicated enough you could support yourself through gambling (knowing how that game is played) and that would give you a bit of a bump but yeah - generally you are going to lose. It's just a matter of time.

After reading the stats on how many people make money from gambling at the casinos, 'everyone loses' is pretty realistic. The professional gamblers (big spenders) support about a quarter of the stuff with all the money they blow/lose.

So yes, I'm comfortable with casinos being a black hole in which you lose all your money. Gambling is a really horrible way to attempt to make money. If someone is thinking 'Well, then there is no way to make money' I'd recommend consulting other PC's. There are loads of ways - some of them are even heroic and interesting. (To the question 'Then why include the rules', same reason I included blow pipe in the weapons list.)

The better options (aside from strange little quirky games I've written into various zones that use the skills and have a much much higher payout) are things where you bet against individuals - back room poker and such. Then it is skill vs skill which can be horrible but better than Vegas.

And sure, normal people might end up running from a few but a bunch of 'do it as a living' violence NPC's vs experienced PC's will quickly find out violence is not a great way to handle PC's.

[Scott]

Jul 12, 2018 16:55:50 GMT logan9a said:

How do you mean 'social enforcement'?

By social enforcement, I mean the same as you meant when you talk about people getting banned/mugged/buried for winning too much.

Jul 13, 2018 13:55:31 GMT logan9a said:

Also, "those kind of establishments are obviously not "pure luck" and tend to be burned down and/or their proprietors lynched." - I'm going to need some citations on that. Everyone knows that Vegas is super weighted against them, everyone goes to gamble anyway.

Vegas or similar legal casinos are typically 1-5% in the house's favor. If that is "super weighted against them" then I don't know what to call your proposal since it is 49% in the house's favor to a person of average luck.

[logan9a]

You are looking at it like 'what is the houses odds', I am looking at it like 'how often do people make a living out of Vegas, really'. I'm comfortable with the numbers I've put down. There are sometimes some specific scripted gambling games that will have much better odds for the PC's to make money.

But if this is the only way a PC can think of to make money, I'm happy with these odds punishing their lack of creativity.