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TABLE GAMING
come in and enhance the social setting, introducing Fortune Tiger Poker, we just had another jackpot hit
people, being the host,” Davis says. “Operators can last week for $460,000 – that’s the second time it
provide high-quality, relaxed games at a social table has hit for more than $400,000 in the US within the
for a lower cost.” Being able to offer different gaming last year in that specific property.”
experiences let operators widen the appeal of gaming.
There is potential, too, for this live action and Quick Change Artistry
personal relationship to be extended outside the The ability to reconfigure machines, changing the
casino, perhaps into the player’s home via the games they offer, is one of the main benefits offered
internet, so online gaming becomes a remote way of by server-based gaming systems. Novomatic, the
participating in your favourite casino game at your company behind the live-action Novo TouchBet
favourite casino, maybe with your favourite dealer. series of games, Novo TouchBet Live-Roulette, Novo
TouchBet Live-Baccarat, Novo TouchBet Live-Black
Game-neutral table platforms Jack and Novo TouchBet Live-Sic Bo, recently
ShuffleMaster’s i-Table, which is about to go to a launched a new server based platform, Novo Unity II,
controlled rollout and has yet to go through final redesigning its games in 3D for this new multiplayer
regulatory approval, features a live dealer, but the platform. Novo Unity II allows operators to choose
betting is dealt with – and enhanced – by an any number and any combination of Novomatic
electronic system. Players buy in at the table, but multiplayer games to run on each of the individual
instead of being issued with chips, the dealer enters player terminals connected to the system – without a
the player’s bankroll into a touch-screen terminal at limit on the number of connected terminals.
the table, which is used to place bets. Players on a remote terminal can change between
The gameplay is identical to a standard game, but live and automatic games, selecting which game and
the i-Shoe reads the cards as they are dealt, and which tables they would like to play on. The operator,
tracks who is playing which hand and what cards meanwhile, can map a complete multiplayer floor
they have. This allows extra levels of security, layout, defining individual groupings, unlocking and
particularly when disputes arise. Indeed, through blocking certain games on chosen terminals, thereby
One multiplayer table, two quick-change
player prompts, the system can help reduce disputes making real-time, on-demand changes to the
games. Novomatic’s TX-01.
– either suggesting they might double down, for multiplayer offering.
instance, in Blackjack, or checking that they are sure And in the case of the new, electronic live gaming
they do want to double down on 14. table, Novomatic's TX-01, which features Novo Texas
i-Table is very much a hardware and software Hold 'Em Poker and the Novo Wheel of Cash,
platform, designed so that operators will be able to operators can swap between the two games with ease
change the games that run on it within minutes – and within minutes, effectively rebooting the table
which is why the felt is not game-specific. Once a with a different game.
game has been cashed out on a table, it can be reset
from the pit computer and can start running a Matsui – sticking to chips, cards and layouts
different game in minutes. Blackjack and Baccarat are Some companies are holding back awhile. With
ready now, and ShuffleMaster is developing some of headquarters in Tokyo, Japan and manufacturing
its proprietary games – Three Card Poker, Ultimate facilities in Korea, Matsui is perhaps best-known for
Texas Hold ‘Em and others – for the new platform. its gaming chips, layouts and playing cards – in
Blackjack on i-Table features an additional odds Europe and Africa, at least. That said, Matsui has
wager, that offers true odds calculated on the been behind full casino fits for Barrière casinos in
GPI: demonstrating how RFID can
provide a joined up table solution.
likelihood of the player’s two cards beating the France, Gala and G Casinos throughout the UK and
dealer’s up card. “But it’s an option,” explains is well-represented at the higher end of the market,
ShuffleMaster's VP Worldwide Marketing, Kirsten with London Clubs International, for instance.
Clark. “Operators can choose whether or not to turn The company says its chip sales have increased year
it on, and of course, players can choose to make the on year, with production growing in 2008 by
bets or not.” 37 percent to a total of 4.8m chips, so you can see
Feedback from the industry for i-Table is strong, the direction in which Matsui is moving...
according to Clark. Not only does the table speed up As a chip maker, in terms of RFID, the company is
some processes, like paying out, it does so taking something of a watching brief. "There are
automatically and accurately, avoiding mispays. Add protoypes in the labs," explains James Hepworth,
in the fact that disputes can either be avoided, or International Sales Manager, based in the
dealt with very quickly, and the game speed increase Manchester, UK office. "But until RFID is ready to
can be impressive: “So far, from the initial tests we’ve provide a complete system, a complete solution,
done we estimate up to 30 percent,” Clark asserts. Matsui will 'look, learn and continually evaluate', to
Progressives will be a major feature, on i-Table, too. discover how best to approach RFID."
“Because the tables are linked together through the
ShuffleMaster: offering proprietary
pit computer, doing a linked progressive makes a lot GPI - offering an integrated RFID solution today
games with electronic side bets, table
of sense,” Clark says. “Especially like on a Blackjack Unlike Matsui, GPI argues that RFID technology has
game progressives, the i-Table
sidebet. We started rolling out progressive versions of come of age, after more than 15 years of R&D
platform and a deal more... a lot of our games a year ago. One of the games, development, and says in support that it is currently
42 MARCH 2009
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