Is the “Fingerprint Scan” foiling too many heists? Are kicker cards preventing you from taking home that shiny gold from the vault?
Here are some ideas on using the resources we have in order to navigate some challenging situations.
(Note: I have seen some fellow thieves do a few of these tricks, so these are not all my original ideas. Just trying to seek some consistency and clarity from the community. Please comment if you have other ideas that are simpler or more clear.)
Fingerprint Scan
The “Fingerprint Scan” challenge card where the team must identify the hand of the final 6-chip holder is sometimes straightforward and easy to deduce. Other times, hands can be tricky, and those alarms are sensitive! A common situation is when the 6-chip holder was already 6 in the previous phase, but their hand improved more. Examples: Top pair → Two pair; Three of a kind → Full house.
The 6-chip holder can communicate to their teammates before engaging the Fingerprint Scan (the final showdown). Or else you will find yourself behind bars in no time!
THE 6-CHIP PUMP
Release the 6-chip and take it back.
1 pump: One pair
2 pumps: Two pair
3 pumps: Three of a kind
4 pumps: Straight
5 pumps: Flush
6 pumps: Full house
(Alternatively, you could take the 2-chip and pump it twice if you have two pair. And the 3-chip and pump it three times if you have three of a kind. Then take the 6-chip again. Which do you like?)
Kicker Card Ranking
How frustrating is it when you coordinate so well with your teammates all game, only to get caught with a kicker card ranking situation? How can we “tell” our fellow robbers what kicker card we have? Two players who know they are tied but need to rank their kicker cards can duel it out before showdown.
A few notes: This trick involves multiple chips, and teammates watching may need to be patient. Also, since you cannot “give” someone a chip, if you take one for communication purposes, that teammate needs to take it back when the duel is finished. Lastly, this is a last-resort communication technique where the chips cease to represent “hand strength” and instead represent actual numeric value. This can be confusing in a game centered around ranking, so use only when necessary.
THE DUEL
One thief in the duel takes two chips that add up to their actual kicker card numeric value. Take them one at a time and return them to the middle. Then take your original chip back. The other player in the duel then determines if their own kicker card is higher or lower than what was indicated.
7: 3 + 4
8: 3 + 5
T: 4 + 6
And so on.
(These middle numbers seem to cause the most mishaps since very low or very high kickers can often be determined simply with the original chip rankings. Also depends on what cards the board shows.)
This activity can look strange for teammates watching their chips be taken away, but remember this is AFTER all players know their ranking, but two people need to “step aside” to discuss things a bit. They are not trying to take your chip or say you should move positions. So be patient and allow the duel to take place before returning to your original ranking, and the players in the duel may switch if they need to.
By the way, this numeric value trick can also help with the “Retina Scan” challenge or flush rankings too, if needed.
There are still going to be some situations that are unavoidable (“shoganai” as we say in Japan), but perhaps we can increase our chances of successful heists by using our resources wisely.
Please feel free to share your thoughts or any tricks you have seen or tried during your heists.
Happy heisting everyone!
Here are some ideas on using the resources we have in order to navigate some challenging situations.
(Note: I have seen some fellow thieves do a few of these tricks, so these are not all my original ideas. Just trying to seek some consistency and clarity from the community. Please comment if you have other ideas that are simpler or more clear.)
Fingerprint Scan
The “Fingerprint Scan” challenge card where the team must identify the hand of the final 6-chip holder is sometimes straightforward and easy to deduce. Other times, hands can be tricky, and those alarms are sensitive! A common situation is when the 6-chip holder was already 6 in the previous phase, but their hand improved more. Examples: Top pair → Two pair; Three of a kind → Full house.
The 6-chip holder can communicate to their teammates before engaging the Fingerprint Scan (the final showdown). Or else you will find yourself behind bars in no time!
THE 6-CHIP PUMP
Release the 6-chip and take it back.
1 pump: One pair
2 pumps: Two pair
3 pumps: Three of a kind
4 pumps: Straight
5 pumps: Flush
6 pumps: Full house
(Alternatively, you could take the 2-chip and pump it twice if you have two pair. And the 3-chip and pump it three times if you have three of a kind. Then take the 6-chip again. Which do you like?)
Kicker Card Ranking
How frustrating is it when you coordinate so well with your teammates all game, only to get caught with a kicker card ranking situation? How can we “tell” our fellow robbers what kicker card we have? Two players who know they are tied but need to rank their kicker cards can duel it out before showdown.
A few notes: This trick involves multiple chips, and teammates watching may need to be patient. Also, since you cannot “give” someone a chip, if you take one for communication purposes, that teammate needs to take it back when the duel is finished. Lastly, this is a last-resort communication technique where the chips cease to represent “hand strength” and instead represent actual numeric value. This can be confusing in a game centered around ranking, so use only when necessary.
THE DUEL
One thief in the duel takes two chips that add up to their actual kicker card numeric value. Take them one at a time and return them to the middle. Then take your original chip back. The other player in the duel then determines if their own kicker card is higher or lower than what was indicated.
7: 3 + 4
8: 3 + 5
T: 4 + 6
And so on.
(These middle numbers seem to cause the most mishaps since very low or very high kickers can often be determined simply with the original chip rankings. Also depends on what cards the board shows.)
This activity can look strange for teammates watching their chips be taken away, but remember this is AFTER all players know their ranking, but two people need to “step aside” to discuss things a bit. They are not trying to take your chip or say you should move positions. So be patient and allow the duel to take place before returning to your original ranking, and the players in the duel may switch if they need to.
By the way, this numeric value trick can also help with the “Retina Scan” challenge or flush rankings too, if needed.
There are still going to be some situations that are unavoidable (“shoganai” as we say in Japan), but perhaps we can increase our chances of successful heists by using our resources wisely.
Please feel free to share your thoughts or any tricks you have seen or tried during your heists.
Happy heisting everyone!
