Coffee Talk #55: Your Favorite Gambling Minigames

Posted on December 29th, by raymond padilla in Coffee Talk, PC Gaming, Today's Specials, Videogames. 200 comments

Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, what the hell happened to the Minnesota Vikings, WWE hyping Bret Hart’s return to Raw, or the best things to do with leftover turkey, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

By the time you read this, I’ll be on my way to Atlantic City with my family. I’m Asian, ergo gambling is in my blood. I actually spent the better part of 2001 earning money in blackjack and video poker. Although I don’t gamble as much as I used to (in casinos, life is another matter), I’ve always loved gambling and card-based minis in videogames.

Out of all the minigame distractions I’ve enjoyed over the years, my favorite would have to be Triple Triad in Final Fantasy VIII. It’s a fun card game that was great for a distraction from the RPG grind and actually had an impact on gameplay. Its simple and addictive nature proved to be so popular that several fans created downloadable versions of the game. While it’s not as exhilarating as going on a hot card-counting run at Binion’s Horseshoe, it doesn’t require a bankroll and you won’t lose money on a bad run.

What are some of your favorite gambling or card-based minigames? Let me know and I’ll try to reply from the road on my BlackBerry!

Coffee Talk PC Gaming Videogames

http://www.gamerswishlist.com Nightshade386

I've only been to Atlantic City once for a conference for work at a previous job. Frankly, when looking down from the hotel at the absolute squalor that the people there live in, it made me sick to my stomach to see the giant money making machines that are the casinos side by side with what is basically a American shanty town. I have no desire to ever go back.
http://www.gamerswishlist.com Nightshade386

@N8R: Bah, no worries. Like I said, I'm a history buff. I'm like the grammar police for dates and places.
N8R

@ Ray

I always get congested when I switch climates real fast.

Another thing is, I have no allergies to anything airborne in Pittsburgh but have several out here in the desert.

@ Nightshade

Cranberry is pretty rural… yet a very nice place to live. I know a few (hush hush) farmers out that way. Bloomfield is more my speed. I'm from Edgewood/Swissvale which is right on the East End like 7 miles from the city limit.

I graduated from Woodland Hills High School. If your wife went to Peabody… she had it rough. That's like a 6 story building that they bricked up all the windows in so that people couldn't throw you out of them after they took your lunch money.
Shockwave562

@Rpad or anyone – I've never been much of a wrestling fan myself but I watched The Wrestler the other night and thought it was a pretty fascinating movie. any thoughts from people who actually enjoy it?
- http://rpad.tv raymond padilla
  
  @Shockwave562 I love that movie. It really captures what life is for indie wrestlers (I know a few). The only thing it didn't convey is what road life is like for a lot of these guys — driving for hours to the next show, sharing a crappy hotel room with a bunch of other guys, etc.
  
  That aside, it was a great film.
  
  And also, I've seen hundreds of strippers prettier than Marissa Tomei.
Shockwave562

I think a few of you have hit the nail on the head. even if the world becomes one mixed race one day there will still be all kinds of ways to show prejudice. one of the biggest one is classes. There's also attractiveness, wealth, education… as long as there are people there will be prejudice.
http://www.gamerswishlist.com Nightshade386

@N8R: I believe she went to Schendly (sp?), which no longer exists. They closed it down recently. Her school was featured in Seventeen magazine while she was there about High School styles, and she got picked as one of the kids whose pictures they put in the mag. I like to jokingly say to her that I married a centerfold, and she generally punches me in the shoulder at such a notion.
N8R

@ Nightshade

I'm a history buff too, but I am particularly slacking on exact dates. Names I'm good with, numbers not so much. I know when things happened before and after what, but the numbers tend to blindside me.

My particular interests though are sociology and anthropology. Both sciences that revolve around history.

And then there's music history… which plays in to both anthro and soc. More so soc., but anthro gets involved when you consider that even monkeys move to certain time signatures.
N8R

@ Shockwave

I liked the movie alot. The cinematography bugged me a bit, but that's only because I felt like I spent most of the film looking at Mickey Rourke's back.

The light they shone on what wrestlers tend to become was much needed however.

@ Nightshade

I remember Schenley (close). She must have been more on the Bloomfield side than the Garfield side (which is really only separated by Penn Ave.). They also recently tore down a large building of St. Francis right there to make room for the Penguins new stadium.
http://twitter.com/Sandrock323 Sandrock323

@History

It is never accurate and rarely true. You'd be surprised how much fiction is put into text books.
Shockwave562

@N8R – ya I didn't like that camera angle from the beginning. I also didn't buy Marissa Tomei as the "aged stripper" because IMO she is smoking still. other than that I thought it was great. but I wasn't sure how accurate any of it was
Shockwave562

One more thing on Marissa Tomei, I think she's hotter than any stripper I've seen at a club, but I haven't been to a lot of them
N8R

@ Shockwave

Yeah, Marissa Tomei is totally pluggable.
http://www.gamerswishlist.com Nightshade386

@Sandrock: That's why you don't study the textbooks, you study the facts as they are available while searching for more clues to piece everything together. There's always a certain mythology that goes along with the study of anything you can't observe in real time.
http://www.gamerswishlist.com Nightshade386

@Shockwave: Come to Scottsdale. The strippers are fine…….
Shockwave562

@Nightshade – ya I went to tempe once to hang out with a friend. The girls were smoking and on the ASU campus you didn't have to pay a dime for lapdances
http://www.gamerswishlist.com Nightshade386

After several embarrassing performances by the Giants Defense down the stretch, I'm officially over football for this year.
http://www.gamerswishlist.com Nightshade386

@Shockwave: Obviously, I wouldn't know anything about that being married and all…..But if I just happen to drive down University Avenue while school is in session and just happen to see all of the absurdly hot girls walking to class…..well, that just can't be helped, can it?
N8R

@ Nightshade

My dad always used to say "I might be married, but I'm not DEAD!"
Shockwave562

@nightshade – sounds like a perfectly legit detour to me.. haha

@N8r – Ya, the Broncos find themselves in a very awkward position themselves, unfortunately they were stupid and going to the playoffs is no longer in their hands
http://www.gamerswishlist.com Nightshade386

I actually have customers in that area. I just visit them more often than some other areas……
bsukenyan

@N8R. Not only does anthropology look at history, but it does so hollistically, which is something that the other social sciences do not do. In my opinion that is an advantage that anth. Has over psych and soc.

I would also mention that anth. Involves a lot more than Jane Goodal's study of primates and archaelogy…those are only subfields of the entire discipline. (just making a point for the good of the class, not trying to imply N8R was saying that is all that anth. is)
bsukenyan

That post was for #114…I'm a little behind today.
Smartguy

@Ray

Selling a smartphone that can only use one carrier's 3G isn't what I would consider a market shakeup. In fact it's just another HTC android phone on T-Mobile.

I know putting two transmitters in a device isn't cost effective, but why not have more than one SKU and sell the devices directly to consumers? You could eliminate contracts and ETFs (except Verizon, they have to be the worst about billing you).

I'd consider their device heavily if it worked on ATT 3G instead of only T-Mobile. T-Mobile's footprint in my area just isn't big enough for me to support the Nexus One. It just seems contradictory to hype an unlocked phone sold directly to consumers but still make them go to a specific carrier to use the device. (i don't consider an EDGE network using).
- http://rpad.tv raymond padilla
  
  @Smartguy You make it sound so easy! What other phone manufacturer has ever released multiple versions of the same device that work on all four major carriers at launch? I don't recall that ever happening, certainly not for a smartphone. Also, keep in mind that this is Google's first go at selling consumer electronics.
  
  No matter what, the first shot was always going to be for a single carrier. The Nexus One had to be GSM for global appeal. Since T-Mobile and AT&T use different 3G frequencies, Google had to pick one. Like I said before, AT&T doesn't need this product.
  - http://rpad.tv raymond padilla
    
    Btw, that last reply was written from the George Washington Bridge on my BlackBerry. I can't imagine doing that on a virtual keyboard…maybe I don't want the Nexus One.
N8R

@ bsukenyan

Oh, I hear. I'm fascinated with the whole scope of anthropology. I mainly watch History Channel when I watch TV and most of the shows I watch are more anthro/soc related than others.
http://www.gamerswishlist.com Nightshade386

So uh….the strippers in Scottsdale…..
http://www.gamerswishlist.com Nightshade386

@Ray: What's the toll on the GW these days?
- http://rpad.tv raymond padilla
  
  @Nightshade386 I wasn't paying close attention, but I think it was 8.50.
bsukenyan

@N8R. Yeah it is very interesting I agree. I also like to watch history channel a lot. And I'm interested bc anth is my major
N8R

@ bsukenyan

Meanwhile, people are talking about strippers, and we're thinking of Homo Erectus.

That's not right.
Smartguy

@Ray

I'm not going to argue that ATT doesn't need the Nexus One. That's a relative matter based on end user and steep competition as far as sales go.

My point is: Google hyped this device (or the blogosphere did) to be a starting point to try and change the way the cell industry operates in the US. They rationalized that selling an unlocked device at a fair rate would give the consumer choice. In reality what they have done does neither. It's over $500 to purchase from Google, and then it only operates on the smallest 3G network in the US. This is very short sighted to market the Nexus One in the US given those circumstances.

This phone will probably do well overseas, but in the US, with T-Mobiles incredibly small footprint…they'd have been better off going with the larger 3G network. I know if I were a company and wanted to maintain my goodwill, I'd have went for the larger marketshare.
http://www.gamerswishlist.com Nightshade386

Man, it was like $6 last time I drove into the city. It's been a long time though….
Smartguy

@Ray

That's one hell of a toll.

I'm sure there are prettier ones than Marisa Tomei…but I enjoyed seeing the goods nonetheless.
http://www.gamerswishlist.com Nightshade386

T-Mobile was the worst network I was ever on. I would have calls dropped in my own living room.
http://twitter.com/Sandrock323 Sandrock323

@Nexus One

I think HTC is the reason for the price tag. The service providers can get screwed as there is nothing they can do to stop an unlocked phone. HTC on the other isn't going to want to manufacture a phone that under minds their other products.
Smartguy

@sandrock

HTC has always sold unlocked phones as far as I know. This one has android on it instead of Winmo.
http://www.gamerswishlist.com Nightshade386

@N8R: If people want true equality then they’ll stop using the color of their skin to excuse the indefensible. And if he was innocent, he should have put all his efforts into finding the real killer like he said he was going to do rather than play golf until his money dried up.
bsukenyan

@N8R. I guess that's what we get for enjoying the history channel every once on a while. Haha.
http://www.gamerswishlist.com Nightshade386

@N8R: (correction from the history/civil war buff) The 13th Amendment was ratified by 27 of the 36 states by Dec 1865, when it became law. So Slavery was abolished before the beginning of 1866.
N8R

@ Football

The craziness of the AFC slot is fierce. Amazingly, the Steelers (who actually for the first time in history have a 4000 yard passer, a1000 yard rusher, and 2 2000 yard receivers all in the same year) are not totally out of it. If we beat Miami (and Troy might be back for this game) we need one of 3 scenarios to happen:

• Houston loses or ties, and Jets lose or tie.

• Houston losses or ties and Baltimore (at Oakland) loses or ties.

• Jets lose or tie and Baltimore loses or ties and Denver (home vs. Kansas City) loses or ties.

It’s a long shot… but our best bet is New England beating Houston and Cinci beating the Jets. Here’s hoping.

Of course if we lose, all bets are off (and I have to rock a Dolphins avatar for a month).
thundercracker

@the college of william and mary

somebodies alma mater beat maryland in basketball yesterday……..

and oj did it

they found nicoles blood in his bronco=guilty
SlickyFats

So I went to AT&T yesterday for the hundredth time to ask when they would be getting an LG eXpo in. They said they wouldn't be getting it. It is only sold online. What a crock. I really wanted to use one.

If ya didn't know the LG eXpo is the first 1Ghz smartphone in the US and has the projector attachment available soon.
Smartguy

@slicky

That sucks because BestBuy only has dumby units out for you to see.

@Thundercracker

Indeed. William and Mary….You and Mr. Sharper share the same alma mater.
http://www.gamerswishlist.com Nightshade386

@RRoD: Don't know if you read Kotaku, but there was an interesting piece today about the sloppy fiction in Uncharted 2, particularly early in the game. I tend to agree with much of what the writer is saying here. Here's the link.

http://kotaku.com/5437484/uncharted-2s-sloppy-fic…

I had very much the same reaction about tossing the guard down to his death, and about the lack of stealth in that jungle level. Mind you, I told you previously that I thought that the early part of the game didn't really click with me, and this author seems to have nailed my complaints to a T.
Shockwave562

@nigthshade – I enjoyed that article, although how unrealistic it may be the guard from the museum somehow survives the fall off of a massive cliff in to the ocean…

I also tried doing that jungle mission 30 times completely stealth and I am convinced it was not possible to do it that way, it was a big let down and does take away from what you are there to do.

After playing MW2 (got it for christmas, glad I didn't pay for it) I realized that at least Uncharted 2 makes sense have of the time. The whole story in MW2 is crap and completely unbelievable, everything from the spy mission gone wrong to the ensuing war is as far from believable as it gets. I'm about 4 hours in so I should be done soon but I don't think this game is going to wrap itself up nicely.
Shockwave562

@ #153 Uncharted 2 makes sense half* of the time
Smartguy

@shockwave

The game is set up for people to buy episodic content for the single player. It's a dick move by Activision.
http://twitter.com/Sandrock323 Sandrock323

@Shockwave562

They tried way to hard to give Russia an excuse to invade the US and failed miserably. Most of it is believable, but that part is way to unbelievable and to central to the story.
Smartguy

@sandrock

A terrorist attack on a country's home soil couldn't provoke the invasion of a country? It's happened before….
Shockwave562

@smartguy – that sucks, well, I certainly didn't pay to get the first half of the story so I won't be paying to get the rest. sounds to me like people paid for an unfinished game. maybe if the first part had been interesting at all I would have bought the episodes. I'm so tired of CoD, it's the same game every mission. the fact that the scenery changes is the only thing that keeps it interesting.
Shockwave562

@Sandrock – which is where I sit, I think they could have thought of many more reasons to give Russia a way to fight, hell, even if they chose China it would have made more sense. It's funny that the big controversial mission is the disconnect for me. people say it was supposed to mean a lot to the story but I find it to be the most out of place.
Shockwave562

@Smartguy – one dead CIA agent is not enough to start a war no questions asked. Not to mention, what is that agent doing there in the first place when that much is at stake? I mean, god forbid he accidentally died while at the airport… killing civilians… totally sounds like CIA to me….

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Coffee Talk #55: Your Favorite Gambling Minigames

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