House of Games

The House of Games is Fellowship-run attraction in Buccaneer's Den which was in operation during Ultima VII. It houses a number of games of chance catering to tourists with an eye for gambling.

Description
The House of Games was established six years prior to Ultima VII, using Fellowship funds. During the time of the Avatar's adventures regarding the Black Gate, it was operated by an ex-pirate named Gordy, and made use of the services of a croupier named Smithy and a guard known as Sintag. Unbeknownst to virtually all who patronized the facility, the gambling parlour also housed access to the labyrinthine tunnels of Buccaneer's Cave, in which a torture chamber lay to deal with those the group deemed "trouble-makers."

While its management attempted to be tight-lipped about its Fellowship connections, the local interim branch leader, Danag, could reveal that the organization took a considerable cut of the House's profits. In addition to this, lay Fellowship members would find themselves in an advantageous position should they come to the parlour's tables, as their payouts for winning at any of the games would be increased on account of their affiliation.

The Games
The House featured three different games of chance during Ultima VII:

Virtue Roulette
Virtue roulette was a simplified version of Terran roulette, in which the roulette wheel had eight unnumbered colors. Single straight-up bets could be placed on any colors on an adjoining board, and a winning bet would payout seven to one (at 1:8 odds). Should the player be a Fellowship member, however, the payout would increase to fourteen to one.

The Rat Race
The rat race consisted of a small track on which rodents would run competitively, with space to allow patrons to place bets on one or more "steeds" coming in first. Winning bets paid out at three to one (at 1:4 odds). Should the player be a Fellowship member, however, the payout would increase to six to one.

Triples
Triples is a game similar to craps, save that numbers are generated via a triples wheel rather than through dice. Far more complex than the houses other two games, gamblers have the opportunity to bet on eight different combination of numbers, with various outcomes offering various payouts. The table below gives a comprehensive overview of the probabilities and payouts of the game:

Trivia

 * The House of Games would not be expected to make any profits, given the very generous payouts it offers in contrast to the odds of various games, often leaving it with no house advantage or even a house disadvantage. This is made all the more problematic by its doubled payouts to Fellowship members, which make all of the games hugely profitable to players at the expense of the casino.