Post by billmcdee on Jul 14, 2014 2:36:18 GMT -5
Hello Friends,
For those of you who know me, and for those of you who do not, I'd like to introduce a fun and intriguing card game called "Split Decision" to you. This is loosely based on the casino game Red Dog, where players win by being the first to build a hand of 3 cards, with a high and a low card established, then drawing another card that fits in between (e.g. Jack high, 4 low and drawing a 10 for the win).
With the help, feedback, and inspiration of Evan Hatfield, I have come up with a final digest of rules for the game. I'd like to post them here at this time.
I am hoping Evan will want to continue as a player. He is the current, and first two time champion of "Split Decision". I am also hopeful that two other members will be up to challenging him during episode #6.
The rules digest is a bit long, but I had Evan give them a once over, and although they are a bit long, they aren't too difficult to understand or to read. After reading the rules, anyone interested in participating, please let me know here, and I will provide further instructions.
Best,
Bill
(rules below)...
“SPLIT DECISION” RULES (Effective July 2014)
The object of the game is to be the first player to complete a 3 card hand by first placing 1 card in the high rank and 1 card in the low rank (in either order), and then drawing the third card which falls between the high and low ranked cards. Aces can either be high (above a King) or low (below a 2 or deuce), but Aces must remain in place for the remainder of the round. Two rounds win the game.
Card Order (high to low):
{High Ace}, King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, {Low Ace}
Four rounds are played per episode. Each episode is self-contained. The first 3 rounds of the game are used to determine who the day’s winner is. The 4th round is the bonus round which is worth up to $50,000 (Day 4 – $100K Day 5 - $250K).
Round 1: Qualifying Round (3 players) Winner goes to Round 3 automatically.
Round 2: Elimination Round (2 players – the two players who didn’t win Round 1).
Round 3: Championship Round (Round 1 winner vs. Round 2 winner).
Round 4: Luck of the Draw (Bonus Round - Maximum of 5 hands played).
Round 1 is the Qualifying Round. All 3 contestants participate during this round. A standard deck of 54 playing cards (regular 52 plus 2 Jokers) are thoroughly shuffled prior to airtime. The player at the red podium (usually the returning champion), is asked to cut the cards on the air by selecting a number higher than 0 and lower than 54. This number will represent how deeply into the deck the cards will be cut. This same deck of cards will be used throughout the first 3 rounds of the game. A board will be displayed periodically showing which cards are still remaining in the deck (similar to “Wheel of Fortune’s” used letter board). Jokers are wild and can be made anything (usually an Ace). If a player has a high and a low card already in their hand, a Joker being dealt means an instant win for the round for that player. If a Joker is the first card to be placed, it would be made into an Ace obviously, and the player must again decide at that moment if it will be a HIGH or a LOW Ace, and it must remain there for the rest of the round.
At the beginning of each of the first 3 rounds of play, all players have the opportunity to get a “Head Start” for the round. In Round 1, the returning champion, seated at the red podium, gets to go first. The top card from the deck is revealed. The player may elect to keep the card, placing it either High or Low, or they may refuse it without penalty, and see the next card in the deck. Again the player will have the same option to keep that card or refuse it without penalty. After a card is placed or after both “Head Start” cards are refused, play will then continue with the gold player. The gold player will then get a choice of up to 2 “Head Start” cards, and finally the blue player will get their choice of up to 2 “Head Start” cards. The player at the gold podium is determined simply by who signed up first to be a challenger for the next episode.
“HEAD START” CARDS:
Round 1 – Champion (red player) goes first, then gold player, then blue player.
Round 2 – Player with the highest money total goes first. If tied, the first player to have gotten to their money total goes first.
Round 3 – Round 1 winner gets first choice of the “Head Start” cards.
Contestants will earn additional cards by correctly solving word puzzles or answering questions. $100 is awarded for every correct answer during Round 1 (Qualifying Round), $50 is awarded for every correct answer during Round 2 (Elimination Round), and $100 is awarded for every correct answer during Round 3 (Championship Round). In order to get to answer a puzzle or question, a player has to be the first to “ring in”. Prior to the episode, the 3 players will be asked to submit 30 buzzcodes ranging from 1-100 (inclusive) via private message to me. www.random.org will be used by the host to determine buzzcodes for each question. If 2 or more players are an equal number away from the actual buzzcode, high or low, those codes are discarded and the next set of codes will be used instead. Once a player is acknowledged as having “buzzed in”, they will have 48 hours from that moment to come up with the answer. If time expires or if an incorrect answer is given, then the contestant with the next closest buzzcode will be asked to answer, and so on…
All players begin each round with 2 discard chips, which can be used if they receive either an undesirable card or a card that cannot possibly be used in their hand. Discard chips may NOT be carried over into subsequent rounds. If a player draws a card that matches one that is already placed in their hand (namely a “Push”), money is awarded to the player ($100 in Round 1, $50 in Round 2, $100 in Round 3), and they do not lose any discard chips, and play continues on as before.
Players must have cards in the high and low ranks first. Then, if they draw a 3rd card that is higher than their low card, while at the same time is lower than their high card, they win the round. Players can also win rounds by default, meaning if their opponent(s) draw or receive cards that cannot play in their hand, and they have no discard options left, then said player(s) lose(s) the round by default.
***ABBREVIATED ROUND 2*** - If Round 1 lasts extra long (more than 8 questions), an abbreviated Round 2 will be played, where a “Free Ace” will be given to each player to start the round, in order to speed things up due to Round 1 taking longer than anticipated.
Payouts: Toss-up questions and Pushes
Round 1 - $100 per correct answer and per push.
Round 2 - $50 per correct answer and per push.
Round 3 - $100 per correct answer and per push.
Payouts: Cards and End of Round
Round 1 - $250 per card for the first two cards placed, plus $1,000 to the winner.
Round 2 - $125 per card for the first two cards placed, plus $500 to the winner.
Round 3 - $500 per card for the first two cards placed, plus $1,000 to the winner.
With the exception of a current champion, the loser of Round 2, the Elimination Round, also receives a $500 Target gift card as a consolation prize.
If a player has used up both discard chips in a given round, that player is placed in a “NO PEEK” situation. This means if that player answers another question correctly, they do not get to see the card in advance; rather they must rely more on instinct, intuition, and the “Cards Remaining” board. The player may elect to keep the card, however if the card does not fit in their hand (excluding any pushes), they are eliminated from the rest of the round. They can elect to pass the card to one of their opponents instead, however, if an opponent is passed a card that they do not want, or cannot use, and if that opponent has any discard chips left, the player receiving that passed card may use a discard chip and play continues, however, if the player on the receiving end of the passed card is also in a “NO PEEK” situation and receives a card that cannot be used, they lose.
“FREE LOOK” Cards: After 5 questions have been completed in any given round, if there is no winner, then a “FREE LOOK” card is revealed after every correctly answered question. Any player who wins control gets to see the next card for free, even if that player is in a “NO PEEK” situation. If a player in a “NO PEEK” situation refuses the “Free Look” card, then play results as before, where the next card in the deck will not be revealed to them, and they will have to decide whether to keep it or pass it.
Any and all money won by all contestants during the first 3 rounds is kept, regardless of the outcome of the game.
Bonus Game – “LUCK OF THE DRAW”
The winning player will play a maximum of 5 Split Decision hands, one at a time, using a brand new deck of 54 playing cards (52 regulation cards plus 2 Jokers). These cards will determine, in part, the player’s fate.
All money won prior is safe. The day’s winner is staked to $1,500 of new money and must bet a minimum of $250 per hand during the first 4 hands, and must bet in $50 increments. The final hand, called the “Last Call”, the player is staked to an additional $1,000 of betting money, and is required to wager at least 50% (half) of his total bonus bankroll, in $25 increments.
If a player’s total goes below $250 during any one of the first 3 hands, they will be given an additional $500. If a player goes below $250 during another of the first 3 hands, then play automatically skips to the final hand, the LAST CALL.
A board of cards, numbered 1 through 15, will appear above the host’s head. At the start of each hand, those 15 cards are re-shuffled and distributed on the board. Those cards are: Two Aces, a King, a Queen, a Jack, a 10, a 9, an 8, a 7, a 6, a 5, a 4, a 3, a 2, and a Devil.
At the start of each hand the player will select 4 cards from the board. After the cards are revealed, the player will select which card s/he wants as the high and low card. Any revealed Aces do not have to be made high or low until after all 4 cards are revealed.
The player will then make a wager based on those cards, betting that the next card from the top of the 54 card regular deck will fall in between those 2 cards. As before, Jokers are wild and are instant winners. If a card ties the high or low card that is a PUSH, and no money is lost, unless the Devil was selected. Whenever the Devil is picked, it decreases the player’s chance of getting a good high and low card range, and it also negates any pushes, so a push would equal a loss if the Devil is uncovered. If a wager is lost, a “Second Chance” may be earned by selecting the right suit from the Second Chance board. Behind 1 suit is a“2nd Chance” card, behind 2 suits it says “No!”, behind 1 it says “Pick Again”. If the “2nd Chance” is found, the next card from the dealer’s deck is dealt, giving the player a second chance to win their wager. If it is not found, the wager is lost, but the suit board remains as is until the 2nd Chance is picked, or both “NO” cards are uncovered. Then the suit board is reset for subsequent hands.
Five time champion retire undefeated.
Copyright 2014 – Bill McDee Productions, a Split Decision Company.
Revised rules written: Sunday, July 13, 2014
For those of you who know me, and for those of you who do not, I'd like to introduce a fun and intriguing card game called "Split Decision" to you. This is loosely based on the casino game Red Dog, where players win by being the first to build a hand of 3 cards, with a high and a low card established, then drawing another card that fits in between (e.g. Jack high, 4 low and drawing a 10 for the win).
With the help, feedback, and inspiration of Evan Hatfield, I have come up with a final digest of rules for the game. I'd like to post them here at this time.
I am hoping Evan will want to continue as a player. He is the current, and first two time champion of "Split Decision". I am also hopeful that two other members will be up to challenging him during episode #6.
The rules digest is a bit long, but I had Evan give them a once over, and although they are a bit long, they aren't too difficult to understand or to read. After reading the rules, anyone interested in participating, please let me know here, and I will provide further instructions.
Best,
Bill
(rules below)...
“SPLIT DECISION” RULES (Effective July 2014)
The object of the game is to be the first player to complete a 3 card hand by first placing 1 card in the high rank and 1 card in the low rank (in either order), and then drawing the third card which falls between the high and low ranked cards. Aces can either be high (above a King) or low (below a 2 or deuce), but Aces must remain in place for the remainder of the round. Two rounds win the game.
Card Order (high to low):
{High Ace}, King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, {Low Ace}
Four rounds are played per episode. Each episode is self-contained. The first 3 rounds of the game are used to determine who the day’s winner is. The 4th round is the bonus round which is worth up to $50,000 (Day 4 – $100K Day 5 - $250K).
Round 1: Qualifying Round (3 players) Winner goes to Round 3 automatically.
Round 2: Elimination Round (2 players – the two players who didn’t win Round 1).
Round 3: Championship Round (Round 1 winner vs. Round 2 winner).
Round 4: Luck of the Draw (Bonus Round - Maximum of 5 hands played).
Round 1 is the Qualifying Round. All 3 contestants participate during this round. A standard deck of 54 playing cards (regular 52 plus 2 Jokers) are thoroughly shuffled prior to airtime. The player at the red podium (usually the returning champion), is asked to cut the cards on the air by selecting a number higher than 0 and lower than 54. This number will represent how deeply into the deck the cards will be cut. This same deck of cards will be used throughout the first 3 rounds of the game. A board will be displayed periodically showing which cards are still remaining in the deck (similar to “Wheel of Fortune’s” used letter board). Jokers are wild and can be made anything (usually an Ace). If a player has a high and a low card already in their hand, a Joker being dealt means an instant win for the round for that player. If a Joker is the first card to be placed, it would be made into an Ace obviously, and the player must again decide at that moment if it will be a HIGH or a LOW Ace, and it must remain there for the rest of the round.
At the beginning of each of the first 3 rounds of play, all players have the opportunity to get a “Head Start” for the round. In Round 1, the returning champion, seated at the red podium, gets to go first. The top card from the deck is revealed. The player may elect to keep the card, placing it either High or Low, or they may refuse it without penalty, and see the next card in the deck. Again the player will have the same option to keep that card or refuse it without penalty. After a card is placed or after both “Head Start” cards are refused, play will then continue with the gold player. The gold player will then get a choice of up to 2 “Head Start” cards, and finally the blue player will get their choice of up to 2 “Head Start” cards. The player at the gold podium is determined simply by who signed up first to be a challenger for the next episode.
“HEAD START” CARDS:
Round 1 – Champion (red player) goes first, then gold player, then blue player.
Round 2 – Player with the highest money total goes first. If tied, the first player to have gotten to their money total goes first.
Round 3 – Round 1 winner gets first choice of the “Head Start” cards.
Contestants will earn additional cards by correctly solving word puzzles or answering questions. $100 is awarded for every correct answer during Round 1 (Qualifying Round), $50 is awarded for every correct answer during Round 2 (Elimination Round), and $100 is awarded for every correct answer during Round 3 (Championship Round). In order to get to answer a puzzle or question, a player has to be the first to “ring in”. Prior to the episode, the 3 players will be asked to submit 30 buzzcodes ranging from 1-100 (inclusive) via private message to me. www.random.org will be used by the host to determine buzzcodes for each question. If 2 or more players are an equal number away from the actual buzzcode, high or low, those codes are discarded and the next set of codes will be used instead. Once a player is acknowledged as having “buzzed in”, they will have 48 hours from that moment to come up with the answer. If time expires or if an incorrect answer is given, then the contestant with the next closest buzzcode will be asked to answer, and so on…
All players begin each round with 2 discard chips, which can be used if they receive either an undesirable card or a card that cannot possibly be used in their hand. Discard chips may NOT be carried over into subsequent rounds. If a player draws a card that matches one that is already placed in their hand (namely a “Push”), money is awarded to the player ($100 in Round 1, $50 in Round 2, $100 in Round 3), and they do not lose any discard chips, and play continues on as before.
Players must have cards in the high and low ranks first. Then, if they draw a 3rd card that is higher than their low card, while at the same time is lower than their high card, they win the round. Players can also win rounds by default, meaning if their opponent(s) draw or receive cards that cannot play in their hand, and they have no discard options left, then said player(s) lose(s) the round by default.
***ABBREVIATED ROUND 2*** - If Round 1 lasts extra long (more than 8 questions), an abbreviated Round 2 will be played, where a “Free Ace” will be given to each player to start the round, in order to speed things up due to Round 1 taking longer than anticipated.
Payouts: Toss-up questions and Pushes
Round 1 - $100 per correct answer and per push.
Round 2 - $50 per correct answer and per push.
Round 3 - $100 per correct answer and per push.
Payouts: Cards and End of Round
Round 1 - $250 per card for the first two cards placed, plus $1,000 to the winner.
Round 2 - $125 per card for the first two cards placed, plus $500 to the winner.
Round 3 - $500 per card for the first two cards placed, plus $1,000 to the winner.
With the exception of a current champion, the loser of Round 2, the Elimination Round, also receives a $500 Target gift card as a consolation prize.
If a player has used up both discard chips in a given round, that player is placed in a “NO PEEK” situation. This means if that player answers another question correctly, they do not get to see the card in advance; rather they must rely more on instinct, intuition, and the “Cards Remaining” board. The player may elect to keep the card, however if the card does not fit in their hand (excluding any pushes), they are eliminated from the rest of the round. They can elect to pass the card to one of their opponents instead, however, if an opponent is passed a card that they do not want, or cannot use, and if that opponent has any discard chips left, the player receiving that passed card may use a discard chip and play continues, however, if the player on the receiving end of the passed card is also in a “NO PEEK” situation and receives a card that cannot be used, they lose.
“FREE LOOK” Cards: After 5 questions have been completed in any given round, if there is no winner, then a “FREE LOOK” card is revealed after every correctly answered question. Any player who wins control gets to see the next card for free, even if that player is in a “NO PEEK” situation. If a player in a “NO PEEK” situation refuses the “Free Look” card, then play results as before, where the next card in the deck will not be revealed to them, and they will have to decide whether to keep it or pass it.
Any and all money won by all contestants during the first 3 rounds is kept, regardless of the outcome of the game.
Bonus Game – “LUCK OF THE DRAW”
The winning player will play a maximum of 5 Split Decision hands, one at a time, using a brand new deck of 54 playing cards (52 regulation cards plus 2 Jokers). These cards will determine, in part, the player’s fate.
All money won prior is safe. The day’s winner is staked to $1,500 of new money and must bet a minimum of $250 per hand during the first 4 hands, and must bet in $50 increments. The final hand, called the “Last Call”, the player is staked to an additional $1,000 of betting money, and is required to wager at least 50% (half) of his total bonus bankroll, in $25 increments.
If a player’s total goes below $250 during any one of the first 3 hands, they will be given an additional $500. If a player goes below $250 during another of the first 3 hands, then play automatically skips to the final hand, the LAST CALL.
A board of cards, numbered 1 through 15, will appear above the host’s head. At the start of each hand, those 15 cards are re-shuffled and distributed on the board. Those cards are: Two Aces, a King, a Queen, a Jack, a 10, a 9, an 8, a 7, a 6, a 5, a 4, a 3, a 2, and a Devil.
At the start of each hand the player will select 4 cards from the board. After the cards are revealed, the player will select which card s/he wants as the high and low card. Any revealed Aces do not have to be made high or low until after all 4 cards are revealed.
The player will then make a wager based on those cards, betting that the next card from the top of the 54 card regular deck will fall in between those 2 cards. As before, Jokers are wild and are instant winners. If a card ties the high or low card that is a PUSH, and no money is lost, unless the Devil was selected. Whenever the Devil is picked, it decreases the player’s chance of getting a good high and low card range, and it also negates any pushes, so a push would equal a loss if the Devil is uncovered. If a wager is lost, a “Second Chance” may be earned by selecting the right suit from the Second Chance board. Behind 1 suit is a“2nd Chance” card, behind 2 suits it says “No!”, behind 1 it says “Pick Again”. If the “2nd Chance” is found, the next card from the dealer’s deck is dealt, giving the player a second chance to win their wager. If it is not found, the wager is lost, but the suit board remains as is until the 2nd Chance is picked, or both “NO” cards are uncovered. Then the suit board is reset for subsequent hands.
Five time champion retire undefeated.
Copyright 2014 – Bill McDee Productions, a Split Decision Company.
Revised rules written: Sunday, July 13, 2014
