The Essentials of Casino Game Design is a handbook for aspiring or practicing game designers. It explains, in detail, the techniques of designing a casino game that actually works.

The author, Dan Lubin, is an experienced game designer. He not only succeeded as an independent, with EZ Pai Gow and Double Blackjack, to name only a couple, but also worked as a table-games designer and manager for big gaming corporations, including Galaxy Gaming, the largest independent supplier of table games in the world.

His approach in this book is more than just giving advice in the how-to style. Rather, he walks aspiring table-game designers through the decision points, and the reasoning behind them, that can make or break a game.

Aside from main game design, topics also include proper side-bet development, including as a stand-alone money maker, game protection, game design, technical writing, and business and negotiation considerations.