DW: 3play is more EV than 5play?

Deuces Wild: Tap House variant
https://wizardofodds.com/games/video-poker/tables/tap-house-poker/

it comes in either 3play or 5play.
for either, to activate the TapHouse feature you need to pay 5 more coins.

so for 3play, it's 15+5 coins.
for 5 play, it's 25+5 coins.

from the link, 3play 20/12/10/4/4/3 dw is 98.32%. the 5play version is only 98.08%.
Why?

for 3play, you're adding 33% more to play.
for the 5play, you're only adding 20% more to play.

since the 5play costs less as a % to play, shouldn't it be more EV?

The bonus feature is based on the cards dealt to activate some bonus game (bonus game is 5-play). Has nothing to do with the ending hand outcomes nor how many hands you're playing.

Suppose the base game returns 99% and the bonus bet returns 101%:

In 3-play, the overall return is (15 * 0.99) + (5 * 1.01) divided by 20 = 99.5%
In 5-play, the overall return is (25 * 0.99) + (5 * 1.01) divided by 30 = 99.333...%

So in 3-play, the bonus bet (which returns more than the base game) represents a greater portion of the total bet.

JB has the basic idea.

Same idea applies to a couple other variants as well. Build-A-Wheel is another example I believe.

Quote: JB

Suppose the base game returns 99% and the bonus bet returns 101%:

In 3-play, the overall return is (15 * 0.99) + (5 * 1.01) divided by 20 = 99.5%
In 5-play, the overall return is (25 * 0.99) + (5 * 1.01) divided by 30 = 99.333...%

So in 3-play, the bonus bet (which returns more than the base game) represents a greater portion of the total bet.

ahh..thx!

can you tell me why the DW version has a higher return compared to the base than the other games?

ie:
dw has base return 97.6%. with the bonus feature, it increases to either 98% or 98.3%, depending on what the casino set it to.
8/6 JoB is 98.4 or 98.6, which is only slightly more than base.

I'm not sure. If I were to guess, I would say it is because of the payout 'mismatch' inherent to Deuces Wild (4 of a kind is easier to make than a Straight, but pays disproportionately higher).

Quote: JB

I'm not sure. If I were to guess, I would say it is because of the payout 'mismatch' inherent to Deuces Wild (4 of a kind is easier to make than a Straight, but pays disproportionately higher).

but the bonus only activates on DEALT straight or higher.
oh, you're saying that flopped 4oak is easier than flopped straight/flush/full house? is it because it's only 4 cards vs 5?

edit:
and flopped 4oak has a higher avg multiplier bonus than the lower 5card hands mentioned

Quote: 100xOdds

but the bonus only activates on DEALT straight or higher.
oh, you're saying that flopped 4oak is easier than flopped straight/flush/full house? is it because it's only 4 cards vs 5?

I was thinking more of the 5 hands with multipliers that the bonus round awards you, but again, this is just a pure guess.