Race the Ace

Introduction

Race the Ace is a simple Derby-style racing game by 1x2 Gaming In this game, participants place their bets on one of the suits. Random cards are drawn continuously from a deck until one of the suits appears a total of eight times, thereby declaring it the winner. Bets can be placed either before or after the first seven cards are dealt.

The returns on your bets can vary significantly, ranging from 50.71% to 97.26%, so it’s important to select your suit with care.

Rules

1. This card game uses a deck comprised of 48 cards, excluding the aces.
2. The four aces that have been removed will be positioned at the starting line of the race.
3. Players have the option to place their bets either as 'Ante Post' or 'With Form.'
4. Choosing 'Ante Post' means the player makes a bet on one of the four suits at this stage, with winning bets yielding a payout of 3.75 to 1. Once the bet is placed, the first seven cards will be revealed from the deck.
5. If selecting 'With Form,' the initial seven cards will first be laid out. The odds will then be recalibrated based on the number of cards that have been drawn from each suit, allowing the player to bet on any of the remaining suits.
6. The game structure is designed to avoid scenarios where five or more cards of a single suit are drawn, as this would eliminate that suit's chances of winning due to insufficient cards left to reach the finish line.
7. Following this, the race will commence with the remaining 41 cards, which will be shown one at a time.
8. As each card is revealed, the ace corresponding to that suit will move forward by one position.
9. The first ace to advance eight times will be declared the winner, and any bets placed on the winning suit will also succeed.

When betting 'With Form,' players will see the first seven cards before the racing begins. This affects the odds: if more cards of a specific suit are drawn, that suit's probability of winning decreases, which might increase the payout on successful bets. The game ensures that five or more cards of the same suit aren't drawn, maintaining a non-zero chance for all suits. This leads to seven possible distributions of suits from the initial seven cards, detailed in the subsequent table along with the corresponding payouts for each suit. All wins are calculated on a 'for one' basis, meaning the player does not receive their initial stake back on a winning bet.

Consider this scenario: in the first seven cards revealed along the path, we find one spade, one heart, three diamonds, and two clubs. This follows the '1-1-2-3' suit distribution pattern from the table provided above. Thus, the suits with one card removed (spades and hearts) will offer a payout of 2.63, while the suit with two removed (clubs) will yield a payout of 4.5, and the suit with three removed (diamonds) will provide a payout of 10.

Analysis

When a player bets Ante Post, or before observing the initial seven cards, their chance of winning sits at a clear 25%. Given the odds of 3.75 for 1, the anticipated return is 93.75%.

In the following table, you can see the chances of winning, potential payouts, and expected returns when the distribution of the first seven cards is categorized as 0-0-3-4. It’s noteworthy that the best odds appear when a suit is untouched, providing a payout of 2.05 and a return rate of 94.17%.

The forthcoming table depicts the probability of winning, associated odds, and anticipated returns when the suit distribution from the first seven cards stands at 0-1-2-4. Again, the top odds happen when one card is missing, offering a payout of 3 and a return of 93.68%.

Another table presents the probability of winning, winning odds, and expected returns for a suit distribution of 0-1-3-3 among the initial seven cards. The optimal odds are noted when a suit is complete, which pays 1.8 and returns 93.86%.

The next table examines the scenario where the suit distribution is configured as 0-2-2-3 among the first seven cards. The best odds arise when two cards are missing from a suit, yielding a payout of 5.2 and a return of 97.26%.

In the subsequent table, we explore probabilities, odds, and expected returns for the suit distribution of 1-2-2-2 in the first seven cards. Here, the most favorable odds occur with one card absent, giving a payout of 2.5 and a return of 94.41%.

The following table provides insight into the probabilities, winning odds, and expected returns with a suit distribution of 1-1-2-3 among the first seven cards. Optimal odds appear when one card is missing, with a payout of 2.63 and a return of 94.49%.

As indicated in the next table, we analyze the winning probabilities, odds, and returns for a suit distribution of 1-1-1-4 in the first seven cards. The best odds are achieved when one card is absent, offering a payout of 2.87 and a return of 93.80%.

Written by: Michael Shackleford