Fan-Tan
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About
In the years that Riverboat Gambler has been evolving, there have been a handful of requests to add this game, but the "squeakiest wheel" has always been Bishop Bryan Oullette. "Bishop Bryan" has been a long-time supporter of this app and gets the credit for many of the more obscure games; most notably those with far-Eastern origins and those that were the most difficult to implement.
Additionally, it's only fair that Michael (a.k.a. "Broski") get a shout out for this game. He requested it while helping me to expand the Baccarat games and it just "happened at the right time" so that I realized RBG had evolved to a place where supporting this game had become possible.
History
Fan-Tan is a Chinese "bank gambling game" that is at least 2,000 years old and was introduced to the western United States in the mid 19th-century.
Given its age, it might be a stretch to describe Fan-Tan as a "hybrid" or "variant" of any game because it is more likely the inspiration for many similar gambling games. For comparison purposes, I think it's best to describe the game as similar to Roulette, Sic-Bo, and even to horse-racing; all of which are extremely young when compared to Fan-Tan.
Playing the Game
The game consists of a felt board with different spaces upon which a variety of wagers may be placed. All of these wagers revolve around a possible final outcome that will be 1, 2, 3, or 4.
Once wagers have been placed, the outcome of the game is decided. It is in deciding the outcome of the game where Fan-Tan introduces an interesting effect.
In the game, the Dealer starts with a pool of about 200 "objects" (tiles, marbles, coins, stones, etc.). A random number of those objects are selected from the pool by placing a bowl over an area of the pool and segregating a subset of those objects - usually between 60 and 100. The remaining pool, is then moved out of the main playing area.
The outcome for Fan-Tan is the number of tiles that remain after the selected subset has been divided into groups of 4. If there is no remainder, the final outcome is 4.
On an actual Fan-Tan table, the Dealer will slowly separate the subset of selected objects into groups of four until there are four or fewer objects remaining. The number of remaining objects represents the final "Fan" and is used as the basis for resolving all of the wagers on the board.
Wagering & Payouts
For example, "1 Nim 4" translates to "the wager pays if the outcome is 1 and pushes if the outcome is 4".
These wagers pay 2:1 (1.90:1, after commission).
For example, "Kwok 4-1" translates to "the final outcome will be a 4 or a 1".
These wagers pay 1:1 (0.95:1, after commission).
For example, "Ssh 2-1-4" translates to "the final outcome will be a 1, 2, or 4".
These wagers pay 1:3 (0.316667:1, after commission).
These wagers pay 1:1 (0.95:1, after commission).
These wagers pay 1:1 (0.95:1, after commission).
Developer Disclaimer
Like many of the Chinese/Asian gambling games, there appear to be many variations of how to play this game; there are different boards with additional types of wagers.
While I do my best to support all Player requests, for games like this, my approach is to allow the Player Community to "kick the tires" for a while and submit their requests and suggestions. I can then use that input to evolve the game.
So, if you’re a "Fan-Tan Fan", please reach out and share your thoughts!
~Danny