It’s Friday night and it’s time to go to the track-the horse track that is! The horses are lined up with their jockeys, the patrons are prepared with their money and the betting board is primed and ready-it’s time to bet on some races! Let’s see what it looks like to spend a day at the races in the new game Ready Set Bet!
Ready Set Bet is designed by John D Clair and published by AEG. It plays 2-9 players in 45-60 mins.
Overview
In the game Ready Set Bet players take on the role of patrons of the racetrack, placing bets on a single horse race over four rounds. After the race has ended players will win or lose money based on their bets. VIP Rewards, Prop Bets and Exotic Finishes lead you to win or lose in big ways. The player with the most money at the end of the game wins!
Gameplay
Let’s take a look at Ready Set Bet and see what it brings to the table. There is a large center game board that will house all the bets from players. Each player starts with five betting chips and prepares for the races. There is a total of four races placed and each race will feature a new Exotic Finish card to bet on. The house player will be in charge of the 2D6 dice and the nine horse meeples that go on the race track.
For the first race and each race after, there are four steps. They are as follows:
1-Running a Race. For this step the house player will roll the dice and move the horses. Some horses will move extra spaces when rolled a second time. Once three horses have crossed the line no more bets in called. Players cannot place bets at this time.
2-Placing Bets. During the running of the race players will place a betting token on a space they want one at a time to hopefully make money after the completion of the race. No one may take a space that someone else, so the real-time aspect of this kicks in with that as players jockey for a space to drop one of their tokens.
3-Resolving Bets. Once a horse has crossed the finish line the game immediately ends. Players decide who the first, second and third place horses are and then money is paid out. A betting chip has a number on it that is multiplied by the big number on the space they played it on. once all money is collected players pay for the spots that have a penalty on them for any bets they did not get correct.
4. Cleanup. Finally players take back all chips, new prop bets are added and a new exotic finish card as well. Each player will take two VIP cards and keep one, this will give you an asymmetrical power or bonus for all future rounds.
Play continues for four races, and at the end of the fourth race the winner is declared. The player with the most money wins!
Impressions
In Ready Set Bet you get the experience of the racetrack all on your board game table. The excitement of the race, the betting, the wins and losses-it’s all there! If you want the closest thing to horse racing in a board game form, this is it. That being said I have a few things to keep in mind when it comes to playing this at home.
First off, make sure you have a good sized group of people. Although it will play at 3 or more, it is best at the 4+ count, and especially when you get around the full count of 8 bettors this one is super fun. If you enjoy the real-time chaos of games like Captain Sonar or Dutch Blitz this one is right up the same alley for the speed and craziness on the table. So make sure you start with a bigger group and have players who enjoy that type of game. As a real-time game there are people who don’t like that and you need to make sure your group knows before hand.
Second, this game relies on a proficient caller. The person rolling the dice needs to be loud, clear, quick and (even better) into the theme of the race by calling out the horses in fun ways. The theme is there in the game and the right caller can really liven it up. There is an app for the game as well with music, sounds and a voice reading the calls with a video for the horses but honestly the live person makes it so much more fun.
This is a party game-it’s going to get loud and active around your table, people are going to be fighting for their position on the betting board and trying to outplay others. There is often shouting and cheering, booing and excitement as players attempt to encourage the dice and get their horse across the finish line first. So if you have a dynamic, active group this game will be a perfect fit.
Finally, make sure you are explaining the way the bets work. I found that most people didn’t think about the fact that a horse that takes first will also pay out at second and third. By minimizing this confusion early on you can make the races a little more smooth for all at the table.
I would recommend this one for anyone looking for a game that will keep all players engaged, bring the party level to a high and give you an experience that is sure to be memorable. We have had nothing but good times with this one and I cannot wait to get it to the table some more at the next family event. So if you are Ready, if you are Set then I would Bet on this one as a great addition to your collection!
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