Mini Pai Gow

A few weeks ago I mentioned playing in a Bellagio tournament seated with Joe Awada and David Singer. At some point during the action Awada asked Singer how he'd been doing.

Singer told him he'd cashed the day before.

Awada told Singer he couldn't play that day because he'd had a big meeting at work. Said he has a company that invents casino games and I think he said he sold a new one to a casino.

The guy next to Awada asks "What game did you invent?"

I'm glad to hear this question. I'm curious too.

After all it seems hard to come up with new games for a casino.

Must be like trying to come up with a new drink. You figure most of the alcohol combinations have been tried and tested over time and that if certain things actually tasted good together we'd already be drinking them.

Like how come no one drinks Vodka and Coke? I can't say it tastes bad. I've never tried it.

But if it tasted good wouldn't some bar already have it on their drink menu?

Although you know what hasn't been invented.

And by invented I mean no one is making money off of it yet...

"Up Hold Em."

Up Hold Em is Texas Hold Em with all the cards dealt face up so you can see everyone's hand at the table.

Don't worry. Your opponent will still call you with improper pot odds even though he can see his draw is an underdog to your made hand.

Seriously. Next time you're hanging out with some buddies deal out Texas Hold Em with all the cards face up. Even though you can see the guy across from you has pocket 8's, you're still gonna call him preflop with your queen 10. Just in case the flop looks good.

And before you know it the guy in the big blind starts calling with 4 7 off just because nothing is more fun than winning a pot with the worst hand preflop.

This is how orgies start.

So Awada said he invented a game called Mini Pai Gow.

And how is Mini Pai Gow different from Pai Gow?

Well normally in Pai Gow you get 7 cards.

In Awada's Mini Pai Gow game apparently you only get 6.

It's Pai Gow with 15% less fat.

If I was Awada I would have named this game "Almost Pai Gow."

Because you are still getting 6 out of your 7 cards. You're still getting 85% of the cards of Pai Gow. It's almost the same game.

I don't want to tell Joe Awada how to run his business but if I was gonna call a game "mini pai gow" I wouldn't let the players see more than 2 cards.

To me that's Mini Pai Gow.

I'd also make sure all the dealers were under 5 feet tall.