This Guy Built a Decentralized Casino on Dero’s Private Smart Contract Platform

🔥Crypto Fireside #39 — Interviews with crypto people.

🔥Hello! Who are you, and what do you do?

SC: I am SixofClubs, I enjoy privacy, I do not enjoy technocracy. Linux fan and free and open-source software (FOSS) enthusiast. I am the founder of dReam Tables private crypto games.

Built on Dero’s private smart contract platform, dReam Tables aim is to remove the third party from digital games similar to how crypto wants to remove the third party from finance. I don’t feel you can fully trust online casinos. All our tables are fully verifiable and balances remain private. While we do have live tables where anyone can play at any time, baccarat for example. The flagship goal is the private table model. The five card draw poker tables are the first release of this model.

Individual owners acquire their very own table smart contract (think of it as similar to acquiring an NFT). They are now in charge of their own private poker room. The smart contract deals out cards in an obfuscated way (so player 1 can’t look on explorer and see player 2’s cards) but yet verifiable so players know that the card is legit. They can use the tables with their friends on the weekends, or they could make a few tables and run a public tournament, even sit & go is possible with dReam Tables. Owners get 1.5% of every pot to incentivize them to run a table.

We have a token on Dero called dReams, it’s one of the first private tokens on Dero technically but it is not really the focus of what dReam Tables is about. It’s pegged to Dero and can be exchanged for Dero at our live tables, making it one of the first swappable tokens on Dero. Its main function is to help with branding and to be used for betting at lower limit tables (fewer decimals, easier on the eyes). And for promotional giveaway. Currently, dReam Tables accounts for 5 of the top 10 smart contracts by transactions on the Dero chain.

🔥What’s your backstory, and how did dReam Tables come about?

SC: My crypto journey started with me being in complete opposition to crypto. I was not amused by the thought of digital currency. I spent a couple of years advocating against crypto use, and for use of physical things. Over that time period, I learned quite a bit about crypto and blockchain, and I eventually came to the realization that crypto could actually help solve some of the problems I was advocating against. Kind of like a fight fire with fire epiphany.

Fast forward a few years, and the world went through some drastic changes. Some mandates arrived, and valid exemptions were not enough to keep me from getting forced out of my lifelong career. Luckily I was somewhat prepared for this to happen (maybe a bit of thanks should go to crypto). For the first time in what felt like ever, I had free time on my hands. Cards are a big passion of mine and coupled with the desire for privacy, the idea for dReam Tables was born.

The branding of dReam Tables was actually community inspired, originally I was running with ♣♣♣♣♣♣ Tables. With my newfound way of life, I spent some time doing basic crypto education while building little pieces for the tables, and custom decks of cards. Having been screwed over myself by online casinos and seeing it happen to others, the use case of the tables feels close to home. I realized early on this private table model could fit many games or structures outside cards as well. The other self-validation I have with this is the desire to promote privacy coins and FOSS. I feel like they are going to play a crucial role in preserving individual freedoms. I’d like these games to do well obviously but I’d even more so like privacy coins, and their anti-technocratic powers to be in the spotlight. dReam Tables is one way I can really help make them shine and show the world what is possible.

While my past experiences left me with an intuitive ability to solve problems, my development skill was not up to par with the ambitions for dReam Tables. So a part of my journey was educating myself on the further skills I’d need to make dReam Tables a reality. Those being mainly with Ui design, Web design, and smart contract execution. I took some courses but most of the education was self-taught. Around the same time, I was working as a crypto instructor but I felt it wasn’t the best use of what I could do with my time. After a point, I felt that my time was better-spent building instead of teaching others so the teaching time faded off largely, and I’ve since been full-time on dReam Tables. In a way I feel like the timing of all of this was meant to be, because dReam Tables would not be possible without the technology that Dero has currently provided, and without those many months spent learning I would not have the full skills and or time needed to make this happen.

🔥Describe the process of launching dReam Tables.

SC: Having a FOSS mindset, I kept the Dero community well informed on the development progress. That led to some great artwork contributions and was just a good time overall. Many hundreds of hours went into testing. Baccarat and five card poker were developed side by side.

Baccaratwent live on Mainnet three weeks ago and poker less than a week. Both saw users soon after launch. We can now say the first private poker games on Dero have been played! I didn’t share much with the community about the website development and sprung it as a surprise when poker went live.

The project is community funded. I have received a couple of very kind donations, the majority of the project has been funded by myself up to this point. There have been no IPO/ICO or any other forms of funding. When I found myself in this new position I started setting up miners to supplement some of the income I had lost. The project is mainly running on SixofClubs dReams currently haha.

🔥Take us through your daily process of what it is that you do.

SC: Self-care is an important part of life, practising meditation and music help fulfill some of those needs. I feel quite often that I do not have enough time in the day for all the things I would like to accomplish. I enjoy keeping busy.

Early Ui was very crude and basic, mostly just to prove the concept. A lot of the design thought comes from having not enjoyed digital casino games and how I could improve them. The artwork gets a lot of focus as well. Privacy is in mind, that’s what led to the app-based model vs a browser game. And the Dero community is also a big source of inspiration as well.

When ideas happen they seem to just flow usually. The world has a weird way of doing things and a lot of times I feel it’s best to just listen to what it’s trying to tell you and you’ll end up where you need to be. I would say the community is the team, but I am the sole contributor of code so far.

🔥What has worked to attract and retain users or customers?

SC: Not having much of a social media presence, any user base or growth so far is solely organic. I’ve shared in a couple of Telegram groups and the Dero community and I think a few people have tweeted about the website so far, but I am of an “if you build it they will come” philosophy. Future giveaways are planned and also planning to host some tournaments, which should attract some attention to the project. Another possible source for attraction/accolades could be future Dero dArch competitions.

In terms of design, the tables are made so the owner receives a 1.5% cut from every pot. This incentivizes them to run a table or even multiple tables and could keep users playing. Who knows, maybe people can even make a living running tables one day. I also think fairness will be a contributing factor to maintaining usage. Everything is 100% verifiable and within the owner’s control. This is a luxury most digital gamblers do not currently have. Keeping the fee structure low is important as well. With Dero’s low transaction fees it makes the games possible to play for pennies in fiat value. Try that on Eth lol. This allows the wagers to also be extremely low allowing more casual or fun style players to be marketed to.

🔥Why did you choose Dero for dReam Tables?

SC: Dero’s platform has allowed for dReam Tables to exist. Being a privacy coin advocate, working with the first layer one private smart contract platform was a no-brainer. It wouldn’t make sense to build it any other way. As Dero grows, its features could become unparalleled, and that would allow dReam Tables to implement features that just wouldn’t be possible on another chain. Private NFT integration, private messaging, and there is even a private VPN being built on Dero. The sky’s the limit.

Within the Dero community, I’ve found a lot of like-minded individuals that share similar values. This also makes it the logical place to be building this project. Privacy enthusiasts will appreciate the tables more than any other user would at this point. Dero is also somewhat new compared to other crypto projects, so I felt that gives dReam Tables a kind of first-mover advantage in the private smart contract space. When the Dero GUI wallet is ready, the tables are in a prime position to gain attraction being the first game on Dero Stargate mainnet with the Ui application.

🔥How are you doing today, and what does the future look like? Let’s talk numbers!

SC: Still pretty early so dReam Tables accounting for 5 of the top 10 smart contracts by transactions on the Dero chain is probably our most notable number so far. We account for over 5% of all Dero Stargate SC transactions to date. Hundreds of mainnet hands have already been played across multiple tables, (thousands more in testnet environments). The betting limits for Baccarat are on the low end currently as a float is built up. Equivalent in today’s fiat value currently ~$0.12 min bet to ~$1.50 max bet. Poker tables are no limit, owner can choose.

The road map consists of making different varieties of dReam Tables. Texas Hold’em is sought after, so that’s the highest on the list currently and is in the testing phases. Customization is high up on the agenda as well. Some of the features have been tested and soon players should be able to use one-of-a-kind custom cards at their tables and even make the tables themselves one of kind. Further down the road venture into dice games and games like chess. Being a community-driven project, they can have a big input on what games come out. I received an interesting arcade game concept from a community member while writing this.

One thing that interests me is to see how some of the features developed in dReam Tables get used outside of the tables in what some would maybe call more practical applications than card games. The smart contract upload feature for example allows for any contract to be uploaded at the push of a button. This would drastically reduce the technical barrier of entry for the average person to deploy their own smart contract. Smart contracts like a marketplace or token could be distributed to anyone to deploy.

🔥Through launching dReam Tables, what is something you have learned that surprised you?

SC: Learned so much about development on this journey and am excited to continue learning more and improving what I’m capable of. One of the funnest parts was learning Dero’s newly created DVM-BASIC smart contract language. The dReams branding I think was a good lucky occurrence, it sprung up as Baccarat was going live and led to some of the artwork that is now the face of dReam Tables. My work ethic definitely helped make this happen in the time that it did, and without the community support it wouldn’t have been the dReam that it was to get to this point.

🔥Mistakes were made. What were they and what did you do?

SC: Being mainly a Linux user, one of the biggest challenges that have led to a mistake has been in developing these apps on different platforms. A user notified me of some issues encountered with the macOS version. Upon looking into it I realized an oversight that I was not aware of macOs causing issues with the program on the user’s end. It had not arisen for me in the testing phases.

I found a solution, but it was not one I was going to be able to immediately implement. I ended up pulling the Mac version down for the time being, which was a bit of a moral blow but it had to be done. We shall see, but I may need some further advice down the road from Windows for sure and now possibly Mac devs to help with any further Ui issues.

🔥What have been the most influential things in your life that affected your project? This can include books, podcasts, or people?

SC: Learning about sound money was been a big influence. Many of the issues I see in the world stem from our current monetary system. Before crypto, it felt tough to find a way to do something about it, so when I did gain an understanding of crypto it just all seemed to fit together. Satoshi gave us something world-changing, and to be a part of its journey and to help shape where it’s going is a special feeling. It’s been interesting being with like-minded individuals all with a passion for the most advanced tech out there and a distaste for central control. Not sure I’d rather be anywhere else.

Watching the Pirate Casino come about was a source of inspiration as well. Draeths entrepreneurial drive to accomplish the things he has is a feat on its own. But the concept of fully verifiable decentralized digital games blew me away when I first learned about them and certainly played a part in creating dReam Tables.

🔥Do you have any advice for other creators, entrepreneurs, or developers who want to get started or are just beginning?

SC: Just go with the flow. If you want to create, do it. If you want to do something, do it. You’ll never know where it’ll lead you. People get stuck in their positions in life and the benefits of creation are often overlooked. Learning should always be a constant, which should always lead to self-improvement. Crypto communities are pretty cool places to learn about crypto among other things so if you are not involved with one get involved. Don’t be afraid to ask for help.

Linux. dReam Tables is not possible without Dero, but Linux has also played a big role in creating all this. Linux has allowed for ALL of the image creation software, code creation, compilation, UI design, website design, and basically any tool used in building the project to be acquired and used for free. Without Linux the project would not be able to proceed in the manner that it does, it allowed one person to create every aspect of an entire crypto project. For me, this is not as easily accomplished with Windows or Mac. So many headaches I’ve been able to avoid by using Linux.

🔥Where do you see the blockchain, cryptocurrency and decentralization space going in the next 5 to 10 years?

SC: I see a couple of paths possible with blockchain and crypto in the future. One path is that adoption continues, and people continue to educate themselves on the technology and decentralization. They learn about things like POW vs POS, and things like privacy coins, and they gain an understanding of how this technology can drastically change their world in many ways. More people actually start to use and get involved with this tech instead of just looking for profits. If enough of us continue down this path eventually we can get to a point where crypto and decentralized systems clearly surpass what legacy systems can provide (or not provide might be better wording here) making them obsolete.

The second possible path I can see is the one I’d prefer not to have happen.

Mainstream crypto adoption doesn’t go so well and the legacy systems continue to rot out the world for a while longer. Eventually, the-powers-that-be start handing out their own controllable CBDC form of cryptocurrencies, and the masses unwittingly get on board with those. At that point, Alice’s spending can be cut off because she used too much carbon or said the “wrong” thing online. If this is the reality we get to, one of the only ways to circumvent that level of technocracy (short of forming your own self-sustained off-grid community) may be found within privacy coins and the services and communities they can provide. And who knows, in this situation the crypto crowd could still end up proving that crypto is the better way to go than fractional reserve banking and end up turning the tides back to path one.

So basically both paths lead to crypto usage, the more education and understanding people have of the topic makes the first path more likely to come sooner than later.

#Where can we go to learn more?

SC: Links below.

Website: https://dreamtables.net

Telegram: t.me/dReamTables

Dero Discord Server: https://discord.com/invite/H95TJDp

Thanks, Six!

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