We get asked about fish table games a lot at GoBet so here is a quick rundown based on our own experience playing them both in person and online (but mostly online!).
What they are
A fish table is basically an arcade shooter that you play for real money. You sit at a cabinet with a screen built into it, load up some credits, and use a joystick to aim at fish swimming around on the screen.
You hit a fish, you win credits based on what type of fish it was. Small fish pay small, big fish pay big. That is the whole game.
We first saw one at a sweepstakes cafe in Florida a few years back and genuinely thought it was a kids game.
Then we noticed the guy next to us cash out a couple hundred bucks and realized we had been missing something.
How you actually play
Each shot costs credits and you can adjust how much you spend per shot. Bigger shots do more damage to the fish but drain your balance faster.
There are also special weapons like freeze bombs and explosions that show up during the game and knowing when to use those makes a big difference.
We lost our first balance in about ten minutes because we were hammering the fire button on max power at everything that moved.
The guys who seemed to know what they were doing were patient and only went big on the high value targets.
Where to find them
Fish tables originally came out of Asia and have spread across the US over the past decade.
You will find them in casinos, gaming parlors, sweepstakes cafes, and online. The online versions play the same as the cabinets.
The legal side is messy because each state classifies them differently so check your local rules.
Worth playing?
More fun than slots. Way more interactive. Just know that your credits go fast because you are constantly shooting. Start with the smallest bet size and work your way up.
