Poker isn’t a complicated game. The rules and mechanics are pretty basic, but the nuance runs deep. The origins of poker go back more than a thousand years by some estimates, in large part because of this simple elegance.
We like to get under the hood of games here at Gala, so we’re going to take some time in this series to delve deep into some specific mechanics and ideas that make poker poker.
While it may seem simple from a player-perspective, the “engine” powering poker is amazingly powerful… so that’s a good place to start. The classic deck of playing cards… one of the most useful analogue randomness engines ever created!
The Magic of Playing Cards
The possible combinations of deck order in a 52-card deck is equal to 52!, or 52 factorial. This means 52x51x50x49, etc. Factorial growth can get out of hand very quickly, so 52! is a MASSIVE number.
There are 1326 different possible combinations of hole cards you can be dealt in Hold ‘Em
There are 2,598,960 possible combinations the five cards on the table can be in as they are revealed
There are 9,122,409,676,719,740,029,270,368,190,464,000,000 (9.122 undecillion!) possible combinations for how the entire 23-card board could play out for a game with 9 players.
There are roughly 8×1067 possible combinations for a deck of cards to be shuffled in – that’s roughly 80unvigintillion!
Let’s use an analogy to illustrate the above… after all, 80 unvigintillion is more atoms than are in the entire Earth… or more molecules in the entire universe! We could use a better way to visualize it.
Let’s say hypothetically that every solar system in the universe has 100 planets on average (crowded, right?). Each of these planets has 100 billion people on them, and there’s 1 million solar systems in each of 1 billion galaxies across the universe. Every person on each of those planets has 1000 decks of cards that they shuffle 1000 times every single second since the beginning of the universe.
On average, each of those 10 octillion people (1028) shuffling cards will NEVER have shuffled to the same deck setup twice in the ~ 436,117,077,000,000,000 seconds since the universe began. In fact, they’d be way off.
All those people would’ve theoretically explored around 4×1051 possible combinations (4 sexdecillion). They would need to repeat the entire experiment around 20 quadrillion times (2×1016) before they had enough repetitions to even possibly cover all combinations. Unfortunately, that’s probably long after the heat death of the universe.
Looking to have your mind blown by some more card math magic? Check out this oldie, but goodie!
Fifty Two Cards
The standard deck of playing cards has 52 cards – 13 of each suit: 2-10, jack, queen, king and ace. For our purposes we will ignore joker cards, as they are a non-standard addition to the deck and aren’t used in many games.
Playing cards themselves have unclear origins, but it’s widely thought that they began to emerge as dominoes in the 10th century in China. The classic tiles were eventually replaced by more decorative paper cards, which people crafted games around. The silk road spread the cards first to India and Persia, eventually winding all the way across to the far edges of Africa and Europe.
It’s important to note that these weren’t deck of cards as we know them, and there was no standardization for what was a playing card deck. People simply played games made for the cards they had access to. They’d adapt existing games to their deck or make new ones. Since gaming often happened in small communities or families, this was perfect at the time.
In the 16th century in Europe what we think of as a standardized deck began to surface. First there were many different decks, but popularity began to focus on a 52-card deck with four suits created in France – largely resembling the one we still use. Spurred by the spreading of coffee houses across the continent, standard decks were massively helpful as gaming left the home and often found its way to a cafe table.
Poker and the Standard Deck
Poker also has an unclear origin, but we do know that it began to gain popularity in the 19th century. There were lots of different rules and games, but many of them were designed around the most popular type of deck at that time… that’s right, the 13×4, 52-card standard!
The rest is all about industrialization creating worldwide standardization. On June 28th, 1881, the Russell, Morgan, and Co. printing company manufactured their first 52-card deck featuring a familiar design on the back with filigree embellishments and two bicycles. The company would rebrand their company name to the popular name of their Bicycle line of cards before long.
It was their printing that popularized the inclusion of two jokers and two advertising cards (later one would be swapped out for a rules card).
This pretty much brings us to where we are today, with the amazing 52-card analogue game engine that is a deck of cards being spread the world over.
Thinking Cards
It’s easy to forget in these days of digital calculation and instant algorithmic analysis that we were very clever for millennia before computers. There are tons of games that use the 52-card deck of playing cards, and it’s not hard to see why.
Playing cards ensure fairness and pure randomization across a wide variety of game mechanics. Not only are they so amazingly random, but every card looks the same. This creates the opportunity to make games with incomplete information mechanics that don’t sacrifice any of the power of randomization.
In the future, we’ll dive into more poker-specific topics in this series. Still, the groundwork we’ve discussed here today is important, because poker would not be what it is without the classic deck of cards. In fact, we’d go so far as to say that no games would be what they are without our history in playing cards. Humans have been playing games for countless eons, but the deck of cards may be our crowning achievement in it… even if it is one of the most simple and elegant.
Tune in for more deep dives coming up as we get beneath the cards into the nuances of poker mechanics and keep Thinking Poker!
Get ready to transform your town into a bustling hub of activity with our exciting new weekly competition, “Stars & Sweets,” running from July 2 at 10 AM PT to July 5 at 10 AM PT.
This week, we’re challenging you to craft and sell Starlight Market Boxes filled with sparkling Boom Canes, rich Honey and delectable Apple Pie. Dive into the fun and make your town the apple of everyone’s eye!
To craft a Starlight Market Box, you will need 1 Boom Cane, 5 Honey, 1 Apple Pie and 1 Wooden Box. These boxes are made in the Boxing Facility and stored in the Warehouse.
The crafting time for each box is 60 seconds, and the process is unaffected by any other factors.
Starlight Market Box – Standard Values $125,000 | 8448 Stars
This is a guild event! See the reward chart below. Please note, we will likely reset all guilds after the completion of this week’s event, and guilds will need to be re-formed.
Cash and Star Boosts
Take advantage of the following boosts during the event:
Corn Starch: $2300 to $6000
Apple Pie: $40,250 to $100,000
Starlight Market Box: 75,000 Stars
Standard & Meta Cash/Star Values For detailed values for all crafts, visit our Discord.
Upcoming Events and Sales
Leaky Event Schedule
Subject to change…
July 2-5: Starlight Market Box – 1 Apple Pie, 5 Honey, 1 Boom Cane, 1 Wooden Box
July 9-12: Chocolate Ice Cream – Ice Blocks, a Chocolate Bar, and more
July 16-19: A tasty new Cake, or maybe it’s a Pie? 🫐
July 23-26: Stay tuned for more details!
Latest Sales
Helping Beehive (Epic)
Featuring2 Bees that go twice as fast, sometimes store crafts directly into Storages and create their works of art with 1 less Nectar!
Open this blind pack to discover your new Rose Bush NFT! These beautiful bushes not only add aesthetic appeal to your town but also boost the Movement Speed of every unit in your town. Additionally, these beauties can be stacked up to 16 deep on a single game tile!
If you were to stack the max of 16 Legendary Rose Bushes on a tile, you’d get a massive 32% speed boost for all workers in your town!
Rose Bush Blind Collector’s Packs are only $24.99 each, available now in limited supply.
Here’s how each rarity impacts speed:
Common: +0.1% Movement Speed
Uncommon: +0.25% Movement Speed
Rare: +0.5% Movement Speed
Epic: +1% Movement Speed
Legendary: +2% Movement Speed
Each pack contains one Rose Bush of random rarity, with the following odds:
We have switched to bi-weekly Town Halls. The next Town Hall will be on Friday, July 5th at 8 AM PT on the Gala Games Youtube channel. Be sure to tune in for the latest CGW excitement! Submit your questions here.
Gameplay Tips
Offline Mode: Remember to log back in before the event ends to activate fast forward.
Fast Forward: Check in often; the longer you stay offline, the longer it takes to bring your town up to date.
Browser Tips: Ensure the game is the only tab in the browser. Don’t fully cover the browser window if you’re actively playing.
Introducing RyKAT, the electronic music maestro who’s crafting sonic landscapes that blur the lines between genres.
RyKAT brings a fresh perspective to the electronic music scene with pulsating beats, ethereal melodies, and hypnotic rhythms that transport listeners to otherworldly realms, creating an immersive experience that captivates audiences worldwide. With each track, RyKAT pushes boundaries.
Today, we are thrilled to announce the release of RyKAT’s latest NFT track “Flip the Switch” on Gala Music! This is RyKAT’s second track drop on the platform, following the electrifying “Claim Your Victory,” still available while supplies last.
Dive into the mesmerizing world of “Flip the Switch,” a trance/EDM masterpiece that seamlessly blends enchanting melodies with pulsating beats. From the very first note, the track transports you to a realm where ethereal soundscapes and driving rhythms converge, creating an unforgettable journey.
Just like all limited supply Gala Music NFTs, owners can unlock daily $MUSIC rewards for owned tracks by pairing them with an active Jukebox Node to host them on the platform. This process is straightforward and incurs no additional costs. Paired tracks earn rewards based on their popularity across the Gala Music ecosystem.
Secure your copy of “Flip the Switch” and join RyKAT on this sonic journey. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to own a piece of cutting-edge electronic music and earn rewards along the way.
Professor Arlen Drayk had spent his entire career chasing mysteries. His colleagues at the University of Andromeda Prime admired his brilliance but whispered about his obsessions. Arlen was undeterred, for he believed that the greatest discoveries lay beyond the boundaries of fear.
The Miasma was a region of space that defied understanding. A nebulous cloud of energy and radiation, it swirled ominously at the fringe of known space, a spectral shroud that swallowed all who dared venture too close. The Garrison’s most advanced ships, the Royal’s grandest vessels, and the Arbeiters’ fastest traders had all met their end at the Miasma’s edge. Yet, Arlen was convinced that the secrets within could reshape the galaxy.
“Professor, it’s madness!” his assistant, Lyra, pleaded as they stood on the hangar deck of the Odyssey. “No one has ever returned.”
“That’s exactly why I must go,” Arlen replied, his eyes alight with the fervor of discovery. “Imagine what we could learn, what advancements we could make. The Miasma is not a death sentence—it’s an opportunity.”
The Odyssey was a sleek, state-of-the-art research vessel, outfitted with the best technology the Arbeiters’ wealth could buy. Arlen believed it would withstand the perils of the Miasma, that his preparations and his intellect would see him through.
As the ship embarked, Lyra watched from the observation deck, a mix of hope and dread swirling within her. She knew better than anyone that once Arlen set his mind on something, there was no turning back.
Days turned into weeks as the Odyssey charted a course through the outer regions of space. Arlen meticulously recorded every anomaly, every fluctuation in the ship’s instruments. The edge of the Miasma loomed closer, a dark curtain against the glittering backdrop of stars.
“Entering the Miasma’s boundary in T-minus 60 seconds,” the ship’s AI intoned.
Arlen’s heart raced. The readings were unlike anything he had ever seen—energies that defied the laws of physics, signals that hinted at advanced civilizations long lost to time. He was on the cusp of a breakthrough.
The Odyssey shuddered as it breached the Miasma’s edge. The view screen filled with swirling, iridescent clouds that seemed to pulse with life. Arlen’s fingers danced over the controls, capturing data at an unprecedented rate.
But then, the ship lurched violently. Alarms blared as systems began to fail one by one. Arlen’s confidence wavered, replaced by a gnawing fear. The Miasma was not welcoming—it was hostile, a maelstrom that defied comprehension.
“Stabilize the ship!” Arlen commanded, but the AI’s response was garbled, its circuits fried by the Miasma’s unpredictable forces. The Odyssey spun out of control, drawn deeper into the churning chaos.
Arlen’s last transmission was a garbled mix of static and desperate words. “Data… incredible… don’t… forget…”
And then, silence.
The Odyssey vanished from all known scans, consumed by the Miasma. Lyra and the others at the University mourned the loss, but some whispered that Arlen had succeeded—that he had found what he was looking for and crossed into a realm of knowledge beyond their reach.
The Miasma remained, its secrets intact, its edge a testament to the price of curiosity. And somewhere, perhaps, Professor Arlen Drayk wandered through an alien landscape of wonders and horrors, forever lost to the galaxy he had sought to enlighten.
As the galaxy reels from the aftermath of the great civil war, the chaos that follows brings both peril and opportunity. The fate of Professor Arlen Drayk serves as a haunting reminder of the galaxy’s mysteries, yet his story is only the beginning.
In Echoes of Empire, you are thrust into a universe teetering on the brink. The three dominant factions—the Royals, the Garrison, and the Arbeiters—struggle for supremacy, each with their own vision for the galaxy’s future.
As a player, you must navigate this fractured world, forging alliances, making enemies, and uncovering secrets that could alter the balance of power.
Collect resources from countless celestial bodies, acquire Stardust for a chance at $GALA rewards and engage in epic space battles. Customize your fleet, recruit allies and harness advanced technologies to overcome the challenges that lie ahead.
Join Echoes of Empire today and start your adventure. The galaxy awaits your command. Are you ready to shape its destiny?
Step into the unknown. Embrace the chaos. Become a legend.
