You can find 50 Cent in the club, but you may also be able to catch him on the casino floor in the future.
The rap superstar, whose 2003 classic Get Rich Or Die Tryin’ is one of the best selling hip-hop albums of all time, launched a new casino game in partnership with TCS John Huxley that made its debut this week at a gambling expo in Las Vegas.
50 Cent Headcrack is a table game take on the street dice game known as Cee-lo, and PokerNews got a first look at the new sensation during the Global Gaming Expo (G2E) at Venetian Las Vegas.
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From the Street Corner to Casino Floor
Before selling millions of records, 50 Cent famously grew up on the rough New York City streets — and Cee-lo has a similar origin. After originating in China, the street dice game made its way overseas and eventually gained popularity in New York neighborhoods.
“For a hundred years this game lived on the corner,” 50 Cent told TMZ. “Now it’s got a dealer, a pay table and a seat at the table in a real casino. Same dice, new floor.”
Every year, G2E, one of the biggest gambling industry events, brings thousands of casino employees to the Venetian Expo convention center to showcase tech innovations and check out exhibits. But rather than the typical crowd of khakis, name badges and blue blazers, the small clique gathered around Booth #4439 on Tuesday sported diamond pendants, diamond pinky rings, camouflage jackets and G-Unit sweatsuits.
Overhead, a blinking LED screen displayed the tagline “From the street corner to the casino” and listed the betting limits as $10-$100, though it would all be play money today.
A dealer in high heels and a blue velvet dress walked players through the game, describing it as a combination of baccarat and dice that can be played in various formats, such as on a small flat table using automated dice. But most at the booth, looking like kids in a candy shop, opted to throw the dice themselves on a modified craps table.
Patiently Waiting
Like Cee-lo, the goal of 50 Cent Headcrack is to roll a 4-5-6. There were cheers the few times that players achieved this feat, and groans when they rolled 1-2-3 for a natural bust.
When they weren’t throwing dice, they were checking their diamond-studded watches. 50 Cent was scheduled to make a personal appearance at the booth within a two-hour window, and that window was closing.
The two-hour window passed without an appearance from the “In Da Club” and “21 Questions” rapper, but his fans stuck around for another half hour to keeping rolling dice, even as dealer shifts ended as they were left unaccompanied. A few of them posed for a photo in front of the Headcrack table before heading for the exit.
50 Cent may have missed his Tuesday public appearance at the Venetian, but the dice game bearing his name and logo could soon be in casinos all around the city.
*Lead image courtesy of Senior Airman Nia Jacobs via Wikimedia Commons
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Connor Richards
Senior Editor U.S.