Game: Last Chance

Thread: Dice game that comes up snake eyes

cardshark28800 — 2008-03-30T04:43:49+00:00

Last Chance is a dice game, the successor to Sharp Shooters. Players bid for the right to try to complete contracts by rolling dice. The player with the most money at the end of the game who also has a card wins.

The game's components are serviceable: you get five dice, a bunch of chips in four denominations, the contract cards, betting tokens, and the game tray with faux-felt surface. Personally, I despise the faux-felt feel of the dice tray, but it evokes the feeling of a Vegas dice table. The chips are lighter than the clay ones at a casino, but feel right.

Seven rounds are played, each the same. A contract is revealed, always with five die faces, a number of rolls, and a payoff. The players go around the table, pledging some amount of money for the right to roll the dice. This continues until everyone else drops out. That player puts his bid in the appropriate well in the tray, and takes the rolls. Before that, each player may make a prediction as to whether the roller will make the contract, and can stake up to $1,000 on "yes" or "no." A player can call "last chance" at any time, put all his money in the pot and take the dice. This option is only allowed once per player during the game, and failure to complete the contract knocks that player out of the game.

The player is allowed to save as many or as few dice as he likes, and can make jokers anything. (though once a joker value is established, it can't be changed) If the contract is made, the bid is collected as well as the reward. Anyone who bet on "yes" also collects their bid from the bank. If the card isn't filled when the rolls are exhausted, the bid is lost and the process repeats, though the frozen dice stay frozen. A player who bets "no" gives his money directly to a player who makes his contract, adding a nice edge.

The game feels almost perfect. It's got lots of cajoling during the bidding round, cheers and jeers during the rolls, just like everyone was at the craps table. The rule that the winner must have collected a card ensures that players can't just lie back collecting "no" bets to win the game, but there's a big problem, and that problem is what breaks the game.

The way to win is to not roll the dice early in the round, and bet on "no". When the contract is almost filled in, swoop in for the kill. The problem is that it's fun to roll the dice; to play the game. It's hard to win when you're putting up bids of thousands of dollars when you have three rolls to roll five 4s. If everyone realizes this, the game devolves into a stagnant no-bid round where the roller from the previous round is forced into a bid of $100, allowing everyone else the chance to collect $1,000 with the prediction.

If that problem doesn't bother you and you want a half-hour to an hour of light but frenetic fun, Last Chance is for you. All the same, there are better combination-rolling dice games out there that offer the scope of real strategy and risk.

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Meat — 2008-02-20T07:16:23+00:00

Box Front

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laiernie — 2007-08-28T18:40:21+00:00

chips in 3 denominations, yahtzee deluxe poker version

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laiernie — 2007-08-28T18:39:44+00:00

box contents, yahtzee deluxe poker version

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laiernie — 2007-08-28T18:39:09+00:00

box back, yahtzee deluxe poker version

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laiernie — 2007-08-28T18:38:33+00:00

box front, yahtzee deluxe poker version

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sedge — 2007-06-21T12:29:40+00:00

A peek inside the box

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OldestManOnMySpace — 2007-05-25T00:08:06+00:00

Place your bet! (Yahtzee Deluxe Poker version.)

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OldestManOnMySpace — 2007-05-25T00:07:06+00:00

The components of the Yahtzee Deluxe Poker Showdown version.

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DavidhGeek — 2007-02-13T03:07:21+00:00

What's in the box!

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tonyfung1205 — 2007-01-09T20:49:50+00:00

Pushing for a 4-of-a-kind (in my Last Chance edition)

Thread: Re: Toys 'R Us Clearance - Yahtzee Deluxe Poker

ZargonDDG — 2006-10-14T15:32:07+00:00

I took advantage yesterday.
I also picked up the "Card Game Classics" collector's tin with Pit, Mille Bornes, Waterworks, and Canasta Caliente for around the same price.
Good deals to be had.

Thread: Re: Changes for Yahtzee Deluxe Poker

B Weage — 2006-02-22T00:29:17+00:00

Basically, all the values are now about 30% of what they were. There are a few interesting minor exceptions, especially toward the higher end. This becomes one slight change in play because it doesn't affect all the cards equally, but you only use 7 per game anyway.

Not reduced to 30%, there are less chips and they only come in the three lower values, though they look to be from the same molds. The limited bidding range is the other change in play.

The dice are marginally nicer - appearing to be the same style as the "Deluxe" Yahtzee currently being sold (based on the box image for that).

The rolling tray is the same and if you flip it over and compare it to the original you can see where they removed the original logo information and added the "Hasbro" - so it appears to be a retooling of the original molds.

The tokens are now "Yes/No" rather than using the lucky clover leaf image to mean "Yes".

Although I prefer the original edition (and actually I prefer its brother game, anyway) this is an excellent value at $5 (TrU and WalMart).

Thread: Toys 'R Us Clearance - Yahtzee Deluxe Poker

Ogma — 2006-01-10T04:52:44+00:00

For those interested, Toys 'R Us appear to be clearing out their stock of Yahtzee Deluxe Poker for $4.97 each! Even if you don't love the game, the chips are very nice and then there's a set of 5 d6s and a dice tray. Can't really go wrong here.

~Scott

Thread: The Betting Game

seanp — 2005-06-28T21:24:55+00:00

We pulled this classic out for our four-player game night. This game works best as entertainment with a large crowd of extroverts, but is a nice enough game that everyone I've shown it to has both caught on quickly and enjoyed the play. It adds an interactive and competetive element to the old traditional Yahtzee game...

My wife and I and another couple played. I filled the new couple in on some "rule of thumb" strategy tips :
* Odds are very, very, very low that anyone will successfully win any card on the first roll. That means don't bid high to try and get it, and bid $1000 on NO against anyone rolling for it.
* Your instincts will tell you to bid low on the YES / NO side bets. You can't win this way. The majority of your bankroll at the end of the game will be from these side bets. Bet $1000 for high confidence, $500 for low confidence.
* If you want to play it completely safe, try and win one card and then bet $1000 on NO for the rest of the game. This is what my wife does, and she's consistently a close runner up. Not completely exciting, no thrills and spills, but you'll be right up there with the high rollers at the end.

This game is helped along quite a bit by having someone be an unofficial "caller" for the bidding portions. A simple restate of the bid, with "going once, going twice" etc keeps the game from stagnating, and can often prompt some crazy impulsive bids that make the game more fun.

I tend to play by the odds, but also try to interfere with other people winning any cards. At the end of the game, you have to have won at least one card to be "in the running" to win. So in the early game, I wait for a couple of rolls to go by before buying into the card for easier odds to win it. Toward card five or six, the other players realize they HAVE to win something, and the game goes haywire. Last night was no exception, except that in the first game I got into a big hole early. I ended up letting the second card go, and waited until a near-sure thing on a 3-roll card where the remaining spaces were "1 and a wild" - called last chance with my $400, and won a $3500 card. Now I'm back in business, bidding $1000 on no for everyone else, and putting pressure on the bids for the later rolls on a card.

I ended up coming from behind and winning the game, mostly because I was able to push people's buttons into bidding way too high for cards, and we had one stubborn card that no one could roll a 4 to finish. Everyone tried at least once, but most of the other leaders tried a few too many times, while I pulled in $1000 per miss... There's a weird psychological effect where once someone loses some big bid by mis-rolling a card, they feel like they have to earn back that money by winning the card. This pushes them to bid higher and higher for the right to roll, and it's only magnified by multiple losses. If someone wises up and finally rationally steps away from the bidding, the next roller somehow pulls out a miracle roll and suddently mister Rational feels like they let the big one get away...

Second game was much closer once people understood my strategy of winning all the early cards - competetion started earlier, and the winnings were more spread out. So now that everyone is playing more sensibly, I start betting crazy and really pushing the bid up on every card. There becomes almost a feeding-frenzy environment where the fun of the game seems to be winning the bid to try and roll for the card, and no one is thinking about the final chip holdings. We had several incidents of the right-to-roll bids being MORE than the card payout. My wife knows this strategy of mine very well, and she stays away - and this game it payed off for her. She let me lose just enough on the final card to pull out a win by only $400. That's OK though - I think I have more fun in pushing people's buttons and making the game interesting than in actually winning!

Thread: Session Report 04-30-05

schlappy — 2005-06-03T19:22:01+00:00

Four Player game (Myself, Irene, Sean, & Cori), with the following house rules:

-- We play a total of ten rounds (instead of seven), and we allow side betting up to the amount of the winning bid, or $1000 -- whichever is higher.

Sean is the most experienced (tho often reckless) gambler of the group, with Irene being the most cautious and conservative. Cori and I are somewhere in between.

Initial bidding for most cards is low -- mebbe $300, tops -- with most of us simply parking a $1000 chip on the NO side of our betting chips (tho Irene usually held at $500)

After a few rounds, Cori and I each have two cards, Irene has one, Sean has none -- forcing him to make a move. He ends up blowing most of his bank trying to roll ONE LOUSY "TWO" to complete the card, while the rest of us end up doing pretty well at his expense. ("5" seems to be the hot number tonight)

Then, Cori falls into the same trap, while Sean is now trying to recover too much lost ground. Irene is hanging in there, and I have amassed a seemingly enormous lead.

Sean is then able to collect two more cards -- ALL of which required rolling one "6" and a random four-of-a-kind -- but, again, spends so much trying to complete each one that he isn't able to make it back where he started from -- while also costing the rest of us some coin for being foolish enough to bet WITH him..

Irene and I each pick up one more card without too much difficulty -- Irene especially; her card was a Full House of Sixes over jokers, and she got it on the FIRST ROLL, collecting $4500, while costing the rest of us $1000 for betting against her (ouch!)

Final Scores:
Mike: $31,800
Irene: $30,900
Cori: $24,300
Sean: $16,700

Clearly, the strategy is to lay low on initial bidding for the cards, as the odds of payoff are severely stacked against anyone completing it on the first attempt -- while a side bettor can collect $1000 a pop for each failed try. The trick seems to be to wait for a couple of failed attempts before bidding high on a card that should be easy to complete.

A loud, fun beer and pretzels game that gets better with more players
I got the game on a whim for $1.50 at a thrift store, thinking that was a reasonable investment for a bunch of dice and chips -- I didn't really expect to enjoy the game so much!

A new favorite filler, especially with the neighbors.

Thread: Changes for Yahtzee Deluxe Poker

JasonA1 — 2005-05-07T01:24:27+00:00

My friend just opened a copy and the rules are the exact same (right down to the game owner starts the first bet), but these things are changed:

* Cards are referred to by poker hand - "2 pair," etc. 5-of-a-kind is Yahtzee, of course
* Everybody starts with $1500
* Card value ranges from $400-$1300
* Side bets are made from $100-300
* "Last Chance" now becomes "ALL IN"

Bets are still in $100 incriments depsite the lowered stakes. The game was good enough for reissue, IMO, but I haven't play-tested the different limitations to see if it affects the game at all. I will shortly.

-Jason

Thread: Re:Is this game identical in play mechanics to Last Chance?

net@ivy7.com — 2005-05-01T08:52:12+00:00

thatmarkguy (#468521),

Yes, Yahtzee Deluxe Poker is almost identical to Last Chance. I think there is a minor rule change about the amount other players can bet and the amounts on the cards have been changed as well.

t.

Thread: Is this game identical in play mechanics to Last Chance?

thatmarkguy — 2005-04-06T17:35:17+00:00

To the best of my knowledge (from owning Last Chance and looking at the box/description of this one), this title is a renaming and repackaging of "Last Chance". Can anyone confirm? If there are any rules differences at all, please tell.

Thread: User Review

CheetohFingers — 2005-03-31T01:52:17+00:00

Last chance feels like a little piece of Las Vegas. The game comes with game cards, a felted dice tray, and poker chips in denominations of $100 $500 & $1000.

Everyone starts the game with $2500 in chips. 7 of the 36 game cards are dealt, face down, to the appropriate spot on the tray. Somebody turns up the first card. Then players bid for the rights to attempt to match the results on the card.

The winning bid is the bet. A card might say roll 3 1's and a pair of anything in 3 rolls for $2000. The other players then bet, up to $1000, for or against this happening. Then, just like Yatzee, the bid winning player attempts to match those requirements. When some dice match any of the requirements they may go on the card. If the rolling player does not complete the card, he loses his bid. Players then bid on the card again, with the dice that match the requirements still on the card. If the player matches the requirements, he wins the money and the card.

The game is played until all the cards have been won.
The player with the most money wins.
The Twist:You can not win unless you have won one of the cards.

The best thing about the game is that its great with 6 players. With the right group, players will cheer and boo for every roll.

Last Chance, in a nut shell, is all about gambling. If this doesn't appeal to you, this is not the game for you. If you like to gamble, and like light party games, you should have a good time.

Thread: Game Description & Mini-Review

gamemark — 2004-02-01T18:21:55+00:00

Great game? No. Good game? Yes.

Those thick square cards are an objective (set of five dice) that must be made in X rolls (depends on the card) and generates Y payout (also on the card). Players bid (open auction) for the right to attempt the card. The winner places their bid as a stake in the slot in the tray... then the other players bet up to $1000 "for" (I think he'll get it) or "against" (I think he'll crap out). The player then rolls (the Yahtzee-like part of the game.)

If he's successful, he gets his bid back + the payout on the card + gets to keep the card. Everyone who bet for him gets their bet back + the same amount from the bank. Everyone who bet against him loses their bet TO THE WINNING PLAYER.

If he "craps out", he loses his bid. Everyone who bet for him loses their bet. Everyone who bet against him gets their bet back + the same amount from the bank. Then the card is re-auctioned with the dice the previous player completed remaining on the card, and the process begins again.

Once per game, you may call "last chance" and automatically win the auction. You throw ALL OF YOUR CHIPS in and try to make the roll.

Seven cards make a game - the highest total of chips/cash wins - but you must have taken at least one card.

Like I said, very good game, but not spectacular. (It's "brother" in packaging style, Sharp Shooters, is not nearly as good a game, though a nice family pastime. Still don't understand why it's being re-released in Germany... again.)

The more players, the merrier... the game is for 3-6, but works with even numbers up to 12, as you simply partner people together & have them make betting/bidding decisions as a team. (This is hilarious... really.)

Thread: Session Report

yudp — 2003-01-01T00:28:01+00:00

Last Chance (Dale, John, Lucas, Mike, Scott, Cheryl)

With the wargame almost over, time for one more quick dicefest. Last Chance is a game that combines elements of Yahtzee with betting. It's pretty fun (unless you're like Dale and Mike and tend to bet the farm way to early and put yourself out of the game). There are 2 bets to be had each round (of seven total rounds). First, you can make a bet to try to roll the dice pattern on a card within the alloted number of rolls. If you successfully do this, you win the card and amount printed on the card (between $1500 and $4500). Second, if you're not rolling, you can bet up to $1000 on whether you think the roller will succeed or not. The winner is whomever has the most money at the end of the game AS LONG AS you also have one card in your hand (i.e. were successful rolling at least once). John ended winning this one rather handily.