Chicago Sun-Times: Monopoly Blackjack packs jackpot surprise

Last fall, at the World Gaming Congress and Expo, I walked the aisles, stopping at booths in which new games were on display. One that caught my eye was Monopoly Blackjack, at the Mikohn Gaming booth.

Some of you may recall that I wrote about it at the time. Players who make a side bet have the option of activating a Monopoly game board when they get a blackjack. Players hear the sound of a train chugging along, accompanied by lights flashing in sequence at each space on the board. The player stops the round by pressing down on a plastic top hat, and the space that remains lit when the chugging stops determines the size of the bonus. Expensive properties such as Boardwalk and Park Place mean bigger bonuses than cheapies such as Baltic and Mediterranean. Land on Go to Jail, and you're out of luck for the hand.

One thing troubled me about the game. I wanted to see if there was any skill involved in the bonus round, so when I got a chance to test it, I pressed down on the hat immediately as the "train" chugged out of Go. It didn't stop immediately, or anywhere close to immediately. It chugged all the way around to Boardwalk.

That told me that it doesn't matter when the player presses the hat. The result is determined by a random number generator, just as in a slot machine, and player participation in the round is just window dressing.

When I was in Las Vegas few weeks ago, I had the chance to stop by Mikohn's offices and chat with director of gaming products Olaf Vancura. I asked him about Monopoly Blackjack, and he confirmed that the player's timing doesn't matter. A random number generator determines the result.

However, there's some good news for players. The game is programmed so that there is an equal chance of stopping at each space on the board. This is not like playing Wheel of Fortune slots and seeing the bonus wheel stop on a low total time after time. In Monopoly Blackjack there's a 1 in 40 chance of landing on Boardwalk, a 1 in 40 chance of landing on Baltic-and a 1 in 40 chance of landing on Go to Jail.

That's good for players and for the game's future. Frequent hits of the game's biggest jackpot will show players it can be done, and that might be enough to keep 'em coming back.

There remains the question of whether casinos will give the game a shot. Mikohn has a growing stable of table games, including Caribbean Stud Poker. That's by far its most successful game, with Progressive Blackjack a distant second. Even though the trend in slot machines is toward games with recognizable brand names, table games directors are reluctant to try games such as Monopoly Poker and Monopoly Blackjack. Mikohn is banking on the games being entertaining enough to draw customers once casinos give them a chance.

I've also spent some time in the last month checking out other new games that I'd not mentioned here before. Let's take a look:

Triple Shot: The most successful new games are variations on either blackjack or poker. Then there's Shuffle Master's Triple Shot, which includes both. It starts with a hand of war, which builds into a hand of blackjack, and then into six-card poker. Shuffle Master also is drawing from the most popular game of casino poker rooms, hold 'em, with Hold 'Em Challenge, developed in conjunction with poker guru David Sklansky.

Blackjack Switch: From Customized Casino Games Ltd. in England, this blackjack variation deals the player two hands at once. After seeing his cards, the player may switch cards between hands. For example, dealt 10-6 in one hand and 5-Queen in the other, the player could switch to have a 20 and an 11.

That's fun for the players, and necessitates some changes to give the house an edge: blackjacks pay only even money and the house wins ties on 17, 18 and 19.

Streako: This versatile side bet from Mao Gaming allows the player to bet on how many hands in a row the player expects to win. The player can make multiple bets, leading to an average revenue increase of 20 percent in beta tests of Streako with blackjack in New Jersey and Mississippi. Streako with baccarat was to go on beta test in New Jersey in April, with Streako with roulette, craps and pai-gow poker in development.

Twice: An inventive combination slot machine-card game from Twice A Company in the Netherlands, Twice is played on a blackjack-sized table.

Players first try to win by stopping a number reel on the highest numbers. Then, in a second round, they try to match the dealer's symbol on a symbol reel for the right to play a card game with bonus payoffs up to 100-1 for five cards of the same suit as the symbol on the reel.

Sunday in Showcase: Trivia comes to slots.

E-mail John Grochowski at BetKol@aol.com