Flip-It

Introduction

Flip-It is an innovative table game that debuted field trial at the Rio in Las Vegas during late May 2018. It should not be mistaken for the quarter flipping arcade game, which is discussed on my page about Flip It (without a hyphen). The official game site mentions that the game's title uses a tilde symbol, but the signage and the rule card show a hyphen. I'll opt for the hyphen while recognizing the confusion.

Rules

1. This game employs a unique deck consisting of 440 cards, made up of eight standard decks of 52 cards along with 24 jokers.
2. Following a shuffle, four cards are placed face up on the table. Any jokers present will be discarded and replaced with the next card from the deck until four non-joker cards are revealed.
3. Players are invited to place bets based on the options detailed below.
4. Once the betting phase closes, a fifth card labeled 'Flip-It' will be dealt face up to determine the outcome of all bets. If this fifth card happens to be a joker, all bets will lose.
5. In the case that the Flip-It card is not a joker, the five cards will shift positions like items on an assembly line. One card will be taken away from the table and added to the discard pile while the other four cards will move into the next position.
6. If a joker is drawn as the Flip-It card, it will simply be removed from play.
7. Refer back to rule 3 until the cut card appears; at that point, the dealer will shuffle the remaining cards and restart the process from rule 1.

Here are the permitted betting options, excluding the Bonus bet.

• "Call It\": This involves a grouping of 12 distinct bets corresponding to each rank from 2 to King. Placing a bet here pays 12 to 1 if the fifth card matches the chosen rank and results in a loss for any other outcome, including a joker.
• Red and Black: Bets on these colors yield a payout of 1 to 1 if the fifth card reflects the chosen color, losing against the opposite color or a joker.
• Low: This bet pays 1 to 1 if the fifth card falls between 2 to 7, losing if it lands on 8 to King or a joker, and ties if it’s an ace.*
• High: A High bet also pays 1 to 1 if the fifth card lies between 8 to King, but loses if it’s between 2 to 7 or a joker, with a tie occurring for an ace.*
• Odd: If the fifth card is any odd-numbered card such as 3, 5, 7, 9, Jack, or King, this Odd bet pays 1 to 1. It loses on all even ranks or a joker and ties on an ace*.
• Even: In this case, a bet on even ranks, represented by cards like 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, or Queen, will pay 1 to 1 if the fifth card is among these, losing on odd ranks or a joker and tying on an ace*.

Notes

*: Before September 20, 2018, an ace resulted in losses for the low, high, odd, and even bets. After that date, an ace now results in a tie for those bets.

Now, let's discuss the rules surrounding the Bonus bet.

• A player may place a Bonus bet if the first four cards could potentially create a winning five-card hand when combined with the fifth card. If a win is impossible, the Bonus bet cannot be made.
• As is standard with all other wagers, the joker does not serve as a wild card and will instead cause the Bonus bet to lose.
• For the Bonus bet to win, the fifth card must enhance the hand. For instance, if the first four cards show four of a kind, the player will win the Bonus bet only if it turns into five of a kind; otherwise, the Bonus bet will fail.
• Below is the payout structure for the Bonus Bet, which is calculated on a 'to one' basis.

If the previous rules were unclear, photographs of the rule card are provided for better understanding. Click on either image to enlarge.

Analysis

The following tables present my analysis of the various betting options. This does not account for the impact of the four cards currently on the table or any previously drawn cards. Savvy players might want to keep track of past cards to better their chances *ahem*. The details of that are left to the readers.

In this analysis, I've focused on the Red and Black bets. The bottom right cell indicates a house edge of 5.45%.

This table encapsulates my review of the Low, High, Odd, and Even betting options. The final cell reveals a house edge of 12.73%.

Here is my breakdown of the Call-It bets. The bottom right cell indicates a house edge of 5.45%. At the inception of Flip-It, Call-It bets offered 10 to 1 payouts, leading to a house edge of 20.00%. This payout was adjusted to 12 around July or August.

This table illustrates my analysis of the Bonus bet when the first four cards include four to a royal flush. The bottom right cell shows a house edge of 6.42%.

The next table reflects my analysis of the Bonus bet when there is a four of a kind among the first four cards. The bottom right showcases a house edge of 3.67%.

This table demonstrates my assessment of the Bonus bet when a three of a kind appears in the first four cards, with a house edge of 4.13% displayed in the lower right cell.

In this analysis, I evaluate the Bonus bet when two pairs are found within the initial four cards. The conclusion shows a house edge of 17.43% in the final cell.

The final table outlines my evaluation of the Bonus bet when there is just one pair in the first four cards, revealing a house edge of 9.17% in the lower right corner.

Layout

I believe Flip-It might establish a new benchmark for the number of individual betting spots available per participant. Here are a few images of the playing surface.

Video

Please enjoy my video of FlipIt creator Tammy Thompson. The version she discusses in this video pays more on some bets than the game did when it appeared at the Rio, on which this analysis is based.

Internal Links

• Ask the Wizard #309 — An inquiry was addressed regarding card counting in Flip-It.
• Interview of Tammy Thompson , the creator of FlipIt, about her game.

External Links

• Wizard of Vegas — Engaging discussions about Flip-It can be found in my forum.

Written by: Michael Shackleford