Official Horse Race Game Thread (10 Viewers)

We play Horse & Bourbon a few times a year but the biggest, and funnest day by far is our annual Kentucky Derby "Run for the Roses" party. We have to break out two decks of cards because there are usually 12 to 15 people that want to play. Pay amounts are $1,$2,$3,$4 and $3 ante to play prior to race beginning of the race. Yes, we all or most of us wear Kentucky Derby outfits! I bought biggest board they had 30 inches by 18 inches
 

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We play Horse & Bourbon a few times a year but the biggest, and funnest day by far is our annual Kentucky Derby "Run for the Roses" party. We have to break out two decks of cards because there are usually 12 to 15 people that want to play. Pay amounts are $1,$2,$3,$4 and $3 ante to play prior to race beginning of the race. Yes, we all or most of us wear Kentucky Derby outfits! I bought biggest board they had 30 inches by 18 inches
Holy shit these outfits are on point. We played last year on Diwali but this outfits durring the derby are amazing. Big Props to you guys!
 
Very tempted to get myself one of these boards. Slow day at work so I decided to make a python script to see how big the pots would be on average, I didn't see this in the thread but just skimmed. Very possible I screwed up something in the script but w/e

Few assumptions:
1. Ante to play was not counted. Only initial scratching and rolling a scratched number add to the pot.
2. Four Players, so all 44 cards are dealt out
3. Moves per horse to win are 3,6,9, ... ,9,6,3

1743713509902.png


Pretty unsurprising the distribution looks like this. Average pot looks to be about 100 times the base betting unit, pots exceeding 150 times the base betting unit are exceedingly rare.
 
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Very tempted to get myself one of these boards. Slow day at work so I decided to make a python script to see how big the pots would be on average, I didn't see this in the thread but just skimmed. Very possible I screwed up something in the script but w/e

Few assumptions:
1. Ante to play was not counted. Only initial scratching and rolling a scratched number add to the pot.
2. Four Players, so all 44 cards are dealt out
3. Moves per horse to win are 3,6,9, ... ,9,6,3

View attachment 1489418

Pretty unsurprising the distribution looks like this. Average pot looks to be about 100 times the base betting unit, pots exceeding 150 times the base betting unit are exceedingly rare.
We do a $3 person ante prior to each game beginning. usually about 13 of us on Kentucky Derby Day. Scratch horses pay $1, $2, $3, $4 so our pots range from $80 to $130 depending on how quick someone wins. Our biggest ever was $160 before a winner occurred. That game was lots unlucky dice rolling, paying scratch $3, or $4 a bunch
 
We do a $3 person ante prior to each game beginning. usually about 13 of us on Kentucky Derby Day. Scratch horses pay $1, $2, $3, $4 so our pots range from $80 to $130 depending on how quick someone wins. Our biggest ever was $160 before a winner occurred. That game was lots unlucky dice rolling, paying scratch $3, or $4 a bunch

Sounds about right. If I add an ante and up the bet size, this is what I see over 100,000 iterations. The minimum is around $79 with that configuration, because $39+ 4*(1+2+3+4) = $79. Technically it can be slightly less because with 13 people each get 3 cards, so 5 cards can be missing from the initial scratch. To get the absolute minimum possible we assume the top 5 scratches are not in anyone's hands, so $79 - (4*$4+$3) = $60. That would be absurdly rare though.

1743716940770.png



Assuming no ante, player count does affect pot size, but not as much as you might think. In the worst case scenario, you have 23 players which means 21 cards are not dealt, in which case the average pot size is shrunk by 17% ish. I didn't adjust the range on my chart, but with 23 players you get a lot more small pots when many of the scratch cards are left in the deck.

1743716473330.png

1743716511552.png
 
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can anyone link me to a recommended place to buy one? I know there are a couple different brands/versions. Might also check marketplace to see if I can score a used one, but would like to know I’m on the right track to start. Thanks!
 
can anyone link me to a recommended place to buy one? I know there are a couple different brands/versions. Might also check marketplace to see if I can score a used one, but would like to know I’m on the right track to start. Thanks!
https://www.etsy.com/listing/132014...2a450c23d8b2c9ae93b14b6498c6157de6:1320146896


This is where I bought mine on Etsy, great seller and I bought the biggest board I've seen around 18x30 and the extra large horses. Lots of designs to choose from. They also make a smaller board if that's what you want. I bought the Run for the Roses board. But they have sports teams etc....
 
We do a $3 person ante prior to each game beginning. usually about 13 of us on Kentucky Derby Day. Scratch horses pay $1, $2, $3, $4 so our pots range from $80 to $130 depending on how quick someone wins. Our biggest ever was $160 before a winner occurred. That game was lots unlucky dice rolling, paying scratch $3, or $4 a bunch
I’m thinking about doing this same thing this derby day with the same stakes plus maybe a $2 any for the winning roller. What are your average buy ins at these stakes?
Also what does everyone do if a player runs out of their buy in mid race? Rebuy or forfeit seems like the only logical options right?
 
I’m thinking about doing this same thing this derby day with the same stakes plus maybe a $2 any for the winning roller. What are your average buy ins at these stakes?
Also what does everyone do if a player runs out of their buy in mid race? Rebuy or forfeit seems like the only logical options right?
I wouldn't do a forfeit...thats pretty harsh. I'd be flipping a table over.
 
I have saw videos of this game an now one is for sale pretty close to me. Heres the game

Screenshot_20250411_073004_Facebook.jpg


Now read the full description

Screenshot_20250411_072947_Facebook.jpg


:confused
 
I wouldn't do a forfeit...thats pretty harsh. I'd be flipping a table over.
I agree it would be harsh. I was just thinking of options if a player ran out and didn’t wanna rebuy. Potential multiple side pots seems like a hassle I wouldn’t wanna deal with. I guess don’t start a race if you’re not willing to finish
 
Forgive me for this, it's going to be a lengthy one... :ROFL: :ROFLMAO:

I've had a horse race game for about a year and a half now after seeing the thread here and thinking it would be a great social activity for a family Christmas eve night. Having to order one rush on amazon the day before, I couldn't do a fineni or a super nice board and had to go off-brand instead, something that has always bugged me a little.

20250329_161546.jpg


20250416_115512.jpg


As you can see, the board is a little wonky with the size and the size of the holes, I hate the logo in the middle of the board, the scratch amounts are all wrong for how we played, etc. etc. The horses have great detail mind you, but it's only on one side so I've always disliked that as well.

Enter @wonderpuddle and his awesome 3d printed upgrades for the game (which I can't recommend highly enough by the way) that allowed me to upgrade my horses to the flamingos you see below in a photo from his sale thread and to have a much better scratch area that actually matched my stakes.

IMG_2111.jpeg


Unfortunately, the board was still a problem with the old stakes still visible in the scratch zone and that big logo still rearing its ugly head in the middle of the board. After talking to my wife (the crafty one in the family) I decided my best bet would be to paint the board and start fresh. After some ideas of going with a fun theme or new pattern or even something abstract, I finally hit upon my inspiration. If I'm going to be playing the game with my Flamingo Lounge poker chips, why not create my own Flamingo themed race track? With that, Flamingo Downs was born!

Fabulous_20250329_191545_0000.png


Now that I had my idea locked in, it was time to let the paint fly. I decided to go with a white, dark green and yellow palette for off-track, with light green and brown for the trackside grass and the dirt track itself. Kind of like this...

istockphoto-182849688-612x612.jpg


2014_Preakness_Stakes_start.jpg


After much sanding and many coats of paint, I got it to this point and wanted to see how everything would look with my new racers, the scratch plates, the launch pad, all of it!

20250412_181709.jpg

20250412_182559.jpg

20250412_182614.jpg


If you're asking what the white poles are, they are going to end up being detachable rails that will sit a couple of inches off the board. All of the green will be flocked with diorama grass and flowers, all of the brown may have some texture or sand added for the "dirt" (haven't fully decided yet). There's still some tweaks coming and there are letters and numbers that still need to be aligned and properly glued down. All that being said I am really happy with the progress up to this point!

While waiting for some sealant to cure on the back of the board (also painted dark green with felt feet added for stability) and again taking inspiration from @wonderpuddle and his custom cards for his Tilted Donkey race track I figured I would have a go at making a set of my own. They are just about done and will be ready to be sent off to print soon so here are a few sample cards...

The backs of the whole deck will end up with this design...

2_20250415_070716_0000.png


And here are some of the fronts....

2_20250415_071134_0000.png

2_20250415_071048_0000.png

2_20250415_070911_0000.png


And that's where things sit with the project at the moment. I'm sure I will have smaller updates as I finish everything up and get my cards in hand but those will be far shorter I assure you. Apologies again for the incredibly long post but I wanted to share this project with people and my family is loving it but most of my friends would think I was crazy for doing all of this....:ROFL: :ROFLMAO:

Cheers!!
 

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Forgive me for this, it's going to be a lengthy one... :ROFL: :ROFLMAO:

I've had a horse race game for about a year and a half now after seeing the thread here and thinking it would be a great social activity for a family Christmas eve night. Having to order one rush on amazon the day before, I couldn't do a fineni or a super nice board and had to go off-brand instead, something that has always bugged me a little.

View attachment 1495474

View attachment 1495476

As you can see, the board is a little wonky with the size and the size of the holes, I hate the logo in the middle of the board, the scratch amounts are all wrong for how we played, etc. etc. The horses have great detail mind you, but it's only on one side so I've always disliked that as well.

Enter @wonderpuddle and his awesome 3d printed upgrades for the game (which I can't recommend highly enough by the way) that allowed me to upgrade my horses to the flamingos you see below in a photo from his sale thread and to have a much better scratch area that actually matched my stakes.

View attachment 1495481

Unfortunately, the board was still a problem with the old stakes still visible in the scratch zone and that big logo still rearing its ugly head in the middle of the board. After talking to my wife (the crafty one in the family) I decided my best bet would be to paint the board and start fresh. After some ideas of going with a fun theme or new pattern or even something abstract, I finally hit upon my inspiration. If I'm going to be playing the game with my Flamingo Lounge poker chips, why not create my own Flamingo themed race track? With that, Flamingo Downs was born!

View attachment 1495487

Now that I had my idea locked in, it was time to let the paint fly. I decided to go with a white, dark green and yellow palette for off-track, with light green and brown for the trackside grass and the dirt track itself. Kind of like this...

View attachment 1495488

View attachment 1495490

After much sanding and many coats of paint, I got it to this point and wanted to see how everything would look with my new racers, the scratch plates, the launch pad, all of it!

View attachment 1495491
View attachment 1495493
View attachment 1495494

If you're asking what the white poles are, they are going to end up being detachable rails that will sit a couple of inches off the board. All of the green will be flocked with diorama grass and flowers, all of the brown may have some texture or sand added for the "dirt" (haven't fully decided yet). There's still some tweaks coming and there are letters and numbers that still need to be aligned and properly glued down. All that being said I am really happy with the progress up to this point!

While waiting for some sealant to cure on the back of the board (also painted dark green with felt feet added for stability) and again taking inspiration from @wonderpuddle and his custom cards for his Tilted Donkey race track I figured I would have a go at making a set of my own. They are just about done and will be ready to be sent off to print soon so here are a few sample cards...

The backs of the whole deck will end up with this design...

View attachment 1495496

And here are some of the fronts....

View attachment 1495497
View attachment 1495498
View attachment 1495499

And that's where things sit with the project at the moment. I'm sure I will have smaller updates as I finish everything up and get my cards in hand but those will be far shorter I assure you. Apologies again for the incredibly long post but I wanted to share this project with people and my family is loving it but most of my friends would think I was crazy for doing all of this....:ROFL: :ROFLMAO:

Cheers!!
Dude, this is so freaking good!

Love the cards. Let me know where you end up getting them printed. I may need to order some donkey decks...
 
Forgive me for this, it's going to be a lengthy one... :ROFL: :ROFLMAO:

I've had a horse race game for about a year and a half now after seeing the thread here and thinking it would be a great social activity for a family Christmas eve night. Having to order one rush on amazon the day before, I couldn't do a fineni or a super nice board and had to go off-brand instead, something that has always bugged me a little.

View attachment 1495474

View attachment 1495476

As you can see, the board is a little wonky with the size and the size of the holes, I hate the logo in the middle of the board, the scratch amounts are all wrong for how we played, etc. etc. The horses have great detail mind you, but it's only on one side so I've always disliked that as well.

Enter @wonderpuddle and his awesome 3d printed upgrades for the game (which I can't recommend highly enough by the way) that allowed me to upgrade my horses to the flamingos you see below in a photo from his sale thread and to have a much better scratch area that actually matched my stakes.

View attachment 1495481

Unfortunately, the board was still a problem with the old stakes still visible in the scratch zone and that big logo still rearing its ugly head in the middle of the board. After talking to my wife (the crafty one in the family) I decided my best bet would be to paint the board and start fresh. After some ideas of going with a fun theme or new pattern or even something abstract, I finally hit upon my inspiration. If I'm going to be playing the game with my Flamingo Lounge poker chips, why not create my own Flamingo themed race track? With that, Flamingo Downs was born!

View attachment 1495487

Now that I had my idea locked in, it was time to let the paint fly. I decided to go with a white, dark green and yellow palette for off-track, with light green and brown for the trackside grass and the dirt track itself. Kind of like this...

View attachment 1495488

View attachment 1495490

After much sanding and many coats of paint, I got it to this point and wanted to see how everything would look with my new racers, the scratch plates, the launch pad, all of it!

View attachment 1495491
View attachment 1495493
View attachment 1495494

If you're asking what the white poles are, they are going to end up being detachable rails that will sit a couple of inches off the board. All of the green will be flocked with diorama grass and flowers, all of the brown may have some texture or sand added for the "dirt" (haven't fully decided yet). There's still some tweaks coming and there are letters and numbers that still need to be aligned and properly glued down. All that being said I am really happy with the progress up to this point!

While waiting for some sealant to cure on the back of the board (also painted dark green with felt feet added for stability) and again taking inspiration from @wonderpuddle and his custom cards for his Tilted Donkey race track I figured I would have a go at making a set of my own. They are just about done and will be ready to be sent off to print soon so here are a few sample cards...

The backs of the whole deck will end up with this design...

View attachment 1495496

And here are some of the fronts....

View attachment 1495497
View attachment 1495498
View attachment 1495499

And that's where things sit with the project at the moment. I'm sure I will have smaller updates as I finish everything up and get my cards in hand but those will be far shorter I assure you. Apologies again for the incredibly long post but I wanted to share this project with people and my family is loving it but most of my friends would think I was crazy for doing all of this....:ROFL: :ROFLMAO:

Cheers!!
"I got a problem with Pony Soprano"
Polish_20231216_120211168.png
 

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