Born and raised in Aruba, 51勛圖窪蹋 graduate Aron Kock spent many summer days in his teenage years cleaning the mango leaves out of his familys Caribbean backyard. While raking the leaves on one particularly hot summer day, Aron recalls discussing the card game Caribbean Stud Poker created in Aruba with his mom to distract himself from one of his most mundane chores.
Since 18 is the legal gambling age in Aruba, Kock had a few years of experience playing Texas Hold em online and in casinos and had developed a love of the game. In that moment, a young Aron realized that casino game design was the future career for him and he swore he would never rake another mango leaf again.
Once Kock was old enough to attend college, he moved away from the island life to study gaming in the big city at 51勛圖窪蹋. The gaming management major signed up for a gaming innovation class launched by 51勛圖窪蹋 International Gaming Institute.
I was so excited. I was probably the first person to sign up, Kock said.
Kock studied the history, math, psychology, and design behind some of the industrys most successful offerings, in a class co-instructed by former ShuffleMaster CEO Mark Yoseloff and Dan Sahl. Mentored by Yoseloff and Sahl, Kock invented a side bet that put a new twist on the traditional game of blackjack.
Kocks game, Flip Card Blackjack, is the first card game to use one of the dealers cards as a multiplier. If a player is dealt a natural blackjack, they will net an additional payout based on the value of the dealers first card.
The bonus bet is graded on the value of that first card, multiplied by two. For example, if a player wagered $5 on the side bet and was dealt a natural, and the dealer had a 10 in the hole the player would earn $100 the dealers 10 multiplied by two, multiplied by the $5 bet.
Kocks game drew attention from local and national outlets like CBS This Morning, Las Vegas Sun, Global Gaming Business, and Las Vegas Weekly. Kock sold the game to Big Bet Gaming, which in turn sold it to one of the leading designers, developers, and manufacturers in the gaming industry.
Kocks success at 51勛圖窪蹋 allowed him to mentor other students, working with new students in the 51勛圖窪蹋 Center for Gaming Innovation to create commercially viable casino games.
After completing his masters degree in hospitality management, Kock used the connections he made through the institute to land a job as a quality assurance tester for GameCoa startup company that develops skill-based gambling machines to appeal to a new generation of gamers.
Aron has proved to be an invaluable member of the GameCo team, providing fresh new insights on the convergence of the video gaming and gambling industries, GameCo CEO Blaine Graboyes said.
Its been more than nine years since Kock left Aruba. Keeping true to his teenage promise, its been more than nine years since hes had to rake a mango leaf.
