Antigo!
Get to know this fast-paced spin on Baccarat!
A remarkable, fast-paced thrill ride, Antigo! brings Baccarat into the modern age by combining competitive and cooperative game play!
How to Play
Antigo! features both multiplayer and single player game play. It is played with a 52-card deck in an 8-deck shoe. The object of the game is to have higher value cards than the dealer in both the player’s hand and the community hand.
In the multiplayer version, after placing equal, mandatory wagers on the “ante” circle, players will be dealt 3 cards face up while the dealer will receive 2 cards face down. Each player will decide which card to contribute to the community hand and which two cards they’ll keep. The community cards will be placed on the community ribbon for all to see. Once a card has been placed on the ribbon, it cannot be changed.
The single player version is the same as the multiplayer version except that, rather than contributing a card to the community hand, the player will create their own 2-card hand and 1-card “community hand” to face off against the dealer. When comparing the player and community hands with the dealer’s hand, the higher value hand wins. Nine is the highest value available while zero is the lowest. The cards are added up similar to Baccarat. Aces are valued as one, face cards are valued as ten, and all other cards are worth their pip value. The tens place value is removed from the total amount leaving only a single digit. For example, if the player has a 4 and 9 then 4 + 9 = 13. Drop the tens place value and the total value of the player’s hand is now 3. Same as if there are four players at the table and the community cards are 7 + 6 + 8 + 3 = 24, drop the tens place value so the total value of the community hand is now 4. Once all players have made their decision, the dealer will flip over their two cards and draw a third card if their total card value is 6 or less. In the multiplayer version, the optimal strategy players should use is to collaborate with the goal of making a good community hand without damaging their own hands too much. Similarly, in the single player version, the players should maximize the value of their 2-card hand without leaving their 1-card hand too low.
How to Win
When determining the winner in a multiplayer game, the value of the player’s hand and the community hand are separately compared to the value of the dealer’s hand. Winning hands and payoffs depend on the number of players, as follows:
When determining the winner in a single player game, the value of the player’s 2-card hand and their 1-card “community hand” are separately compared to the value of the dealer’s hand. Winning hands and payoffs are as shown here:
The house edge for multiplayer ranges from 0.52% to 2.62% depending on the number of people playing, while the house edge for single player is 1.80%. “Insurance” is a side bet that players can make if they think the dealer will draw to 9. If the player wins, their wager will be paid 5 to 1. The insurance side bet has a house edge of 9.99%.
About the Inventor
Matt Weiss excelled in math and science growing up, while during his free time he was captivated with both board games and video games alike. His affinity for problem solving and strategy eventually led him to law school and was the catalyst for inventing a compelling, cooperative casino game, inspired by his history with games.
It was a journey from concept to creation, but after a year of tweaking, Matt’s newest game, Antigo!, is ready for public consumption. The biggest challenge during this process was adjusting the rules in a way that gave the casino an optimal house edge.
Inspired by cooperative board games where players work together to reach a common goal, Antigo! capitalizes on this concept by requesting players to team up with a shared objective of beating the house. Recognizing the social aspect of gaming, Matt sought to excite large crowds with Antigo! by utilizing co-op play Gen Z and Millennials are already accustomed to and mixing it with classical casinos games such as baccarat.
