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Wizard
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Wizard
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April 8th, 2016 at 7:05:40 PM permalink


On the same machine I saw Red Black Double Double Bonus Poker I saw another new game to me -- Fast Fours.

The idea is the same as Quick Quads, except the player doesn't have to put of a sixth coin to invoke the feature. The downside is that the pay tables are depressed to pay for it.

Please check out my new Fast Fours page for the details. As always, I welcome questions, comments, and especially corrections.

The question for the poll is would you play Fast Fours, given the same return as conventional video poker?
"For with much wisdom comes much sorrow." -- Ecclesiastes 1:18 (NIV)
RS
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April 8th, 2016 at 7:15:17 PM permalink
I've plaid one of those before, wasting time. I don't remember the paytable or how bad the game was, but seeing those paytables having a return ~92%, definitely makes sense to me now. I played slowly, hits lots of 4oaks, figured I'd been winning (wasn't really looking at credits)....then realized I was still down 2-3 4oak payouts. It was awful.

With a 92% return, I can't imagine how much people are giving up that don't know proper strategy or have a good idea of how to play it. I know a bit about QQ so figured I wasn't giving up much using a similar strategy......but I'm sure there are plenty of people who see "hit more four of a kinds!", decide to play the game, not knowing it has the QQ feature thingie.
GWAE
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April 8th, 2016 at 7:26:42 PM permalink
That would be me. Based on the name I would have no idea it has QQ features.
Expect the worst and you will never be disappointed. I AM NOT PART OF GWAE RADIO SHOW
tringlomane
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April 8th, 2016 at 7:54:20 PM permalink
Quote: Wizard

Fast Fours is a video poker variation I noticed at the Hard Rock in Las Vegas on April 5, 2016. It was on an old machine, so I speculate the game has been around for a while and has somehow escaped my notice previously. The humdinger to the game is much like as Quick Quads, which is that if the player has a three of a kind hand such as 8-8-8-5-3, and the two singletons add up to the rank of the three of a kind, then it is scored as a four of a kind. As in Quick Quads, aces count as one point, 2-10 as pip value, and any face cards don't play a part. The difference is that in Quick Quads the player must pay a sixth coin to invoke the feature. In Fast Fours you don't, but the pay table is depressed to pay for it.



Looking at this though:


Jacks = 11, Queens = 12, and Kings = 13 DO count toward "fast fours". So KKKJ2 (11+2=13) would be considered a quad. If you didn't count these in the calculation, 92% makes more sense and that's what I got when I put the paytable into the Quick Quads calculator. :(

I don't like the concept. People will obviously confuse it with quick quads. :( And the horrid looking paytable will keep players away considering almost every VP "gimmick" game in the last decade has required extra coins to play.
Ibeatyouraces
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April 8th, 2016 at 8:33:36 PM permalink
Just because these games are on old machines, don't assume the game had been around for awhile. All the casino has to do is put in the proper computer chip.
DUHHIIIIIIIII HEARD THAT!
Wizard
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April 8th, 2016 at 9:41:21 PM permalink
Quote: tringlomane

Looking at this though:


Jacks = 11, Queens = 12, and Kings = 13 DO count toward "fast fours". So KKKJ2 (11+2=13) would be considered a quad. If you didn't count these in the calculation, 92% makes more sense and that's what I got when I put the paytable into the Quick Quads calculator. :(

I don't like the concept. People will obviously confuse it with quick quads. :( And the horrid looking paytable will keep players away considering almost every VP "gimmick" game in the last decade has required extra coins to play.



You're absolutely right. Thank you for the correction. I obviously confused it with Quick Quads too. I will have to write some new code for this game.

Please talk about something else until I post an update. May I suggest discussing whether Adam had a wife Lilith before Eve. Hopefully Teddys will come along to moderate the discussion.
"For with much wisdom comes much sorrow." -- Ecclesiastes 1:18 (NIV)
GWAE
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April 9th, 2016 at 6:02:19 AM permalink
She is hot or maybe I am partial to any naked boobs.
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Wizard
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April 9th, 2016 at 12:27:08 PM permalink
Quote: GWAE

She is hot or maybe I am partial to any naked boobs.



Maybe that is why god got rid of her and replaced her with Eve.

In other news, I wrote up some Fast Fours code. For the Double Bonus game I get a return of 96.69%, which sounds reasonable for a 5-cent game.
"For with much wisdom comes much sorrow." -- Ecclesiastes 1:18 (NIV)
tringlomane
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April 9th, 2016 at 1:39:24 PM permalink
Quote: Wizard


In other news, I wrote up some Fast Fours code. For the Double Bonus game I get a return of 96.69%, which sounds reasonable for a 5-cent game.



Yeah, that sounds a lot closer to me. Definitely would try it for a bit at nickels to get a "Fast Four". I am doubt they'll outdo the guy that yells "Quick Quad!" though. haha
3for3
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April 17th, 2016 at 9:19:40 AM permalink
Wizard:

Why are so many of the new games set at such low returns? They would get much more play at 99% than 95%, and I am sure most people would be playing them badly, especially a game like this or Peek Poker.
Ibeatyouraces
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April 17th, 2016 at 9:33:10 AM permalink
Quote: 3for3

Wizard:

Why are so many of the new games set at such low returns? They would get much more play at 99% than 95%, and I am sure most people would be playing them badly, especially a game like this or Peek Poker.


99.73% of VP players have no idea about the payback percentage. They just see a game they like and play, regardless of the pay table.
DUHHIIIIIIIII HEARD THAT!
Mission146
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April 17th, 2016 at 10:58:29 AM permalink
Quote: 3for3

Wizard:

Why are so many of the new games set at such low returns? They would get much more play at 99% than 95%, and I am sure most people would be playing them badly, especially a game like this or Peek Poker.



Do you believe they would get 5x the amount of $$$ action at 99% as opposed to 95%? I ask because that is how much would be required, all else equal, for the two machines to generate the same $$$ revenue for the House.

The people who know how badly a machine pays aren't typically the ones making the mistakes, so it's not like a 95% theoretical game actually returns 95%, either.
https://wizardofvegas.com/forum/off-topic/gripes/11182-pet-peeves/120/#post815219
vpplayer2016
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May 3rd, 2016 at 7:57:08 PM permalink
I saw Fast Fours recently at a casino near me. Could you calculate the returns of a few other paytables please?:

7/5 DDB
9/6 DB
6/4 BP
(The balance of the paytables are the same as the ones you show on your website)

There is also a FF JOB
1-2-2-4-5-7-20-50-800

I assume all of these are in the upper 97% range, and I'm guessing 9/6DB is the best of the bunch (based on the fact that the 6th coin on the flush on DDB QQ make a big difference on the return; however since the 5-K is worth so much less than in QQ, maybe the impact isn't as significant as I am hoping). Depending upon what the returns are, I might be interested in asking for assistance in generating a strategy. I'm assuming there could be some interesting holds like:
- AKQ off-suit
- AQJ off-suit
- AJT off-suit
- Suited "Fast Pairs" such as KT3, QT2

Thank you.
vpplayer2016
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June 30th, 2016 at 10:51:10 AM permalink
I've been working out the strategy by hand for Fast Fours on DB for fun. Interestingly enough, when dealt trip 5s thru Tens you do still hold the lower kicker like you sold in Quick Quads (with the exception of 8884 or TTT5). However, if dealt JJJ, QQQ, or KKK, you don't hold a lower kicker. There are so many other combinations to draw that add up to 11, 12, and 13, respectively, that you're better off just holding the trip on its own. There are some other interesting subtle differences from Quick Quads as well. Curious if anyone else has taken the time to work out the strategy that would like to share similar findings.

Thanks to the Wizard for making the hand analyzer tool able to work for Quick Quads. It's made generating the Fast Fours strategy much more manageable than going completely from scratch. Unfortunately I haven't had time to calculate the return, if anyone has an easier way to do that with software rather than by hand it would be greatly appreciated.
GaryJKoehler
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June 30th, 2016 at 11:45:06 AM permalink
Quote: vpplayer2016

I saw Fast Fours recently at a casino near me. Could you calculate the returns of a few other paytables please?:

7/5 DDB
9/6 DB
6/4 BP
(The balance of the paytables are the same as the ones you show on your website)

There is also a FF JOB
1-2-2-4-5-7-20-50-800

I assume all of these are in the upper 97% range, and I'm guessing 9/6DB is the best of the bunch (based on the fact that the 6th coin on the flush on DDB QQ make a big difference on the return; however since the 5-K is worth so much less than in QQ, maybe the impact isn't as significant as I am hoping). Depending upon what the returns are, I might be interested in asking for assistance in generating a strategy. I'm assuming there could be some interesting holds like:
- AKQ off-suit
- AQJ off-suit
- AJT off-suit
- Suited "Fast Pairs" such as KT3, QT2

Thank you.


Here you go:

7/5 DDB 0.97559997818041
9/6 DB 0.97817056061114
6/4 BP 0.97775799492313
1-2-2-4-5-7-20-50-800 JOB 0.97450991462082
pyiddy
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July 1st, 2016 at 3:40:51 PM permalink
Sorry but I need a few more Fast Four pay tables looked at. I am the vpfree2 monitor for the Majestic Star (Gary IN) and some of these pay tables are 99%+ so I would need to add them to the vpfree2 database.

6/5 Bonus
8/5 Bonus Poker Deluxe
9/6/5 DB
8/5 DDB
8/5 JOB

In another post on Deuces Double Double Bonus, I made a serious error. The WRF is 100 not 125 for 5 or 6 coins.
This game is the same as 800-200-20-12-10-4-4-3-2-1 Deuces for 1-5 coins. The sixth coin pays 6 on 3 of a kind but all other hands pay like the 5 coin pay table. The sixth coin also pays all natural quads somewhat like DDB (4 natural aces + low 2000, 4 natural aces + no low 1000, 4 natural threes or fours + low 1000, four natural threes or fours + no low 500 and 4 natural fives through kings 250. Note: all these would have to be divided by 6 to get the one coin equivalent.)

These games are on the same machines as Atomic Fever, Dice Fever and a bunch of other weird games.
Thank You "Wizard" for your excellent tools and articles that let me analyze all the other games on this bank.

Howard W. Stern
pyiddy
GaryJKoehler
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July 2nd, 2016 at 3:27:39 AM permalink
Quote: pyiddy

Sorry but I need a few more Fast Four pay tables looked at. I am the vpfree2 monitor for the Majestic Star (Gary IN) and some of these pay tables are 99%+ so I would need to add them to the vpfree2 database.

6/5 Bonus
8/5 Bonus Poker Deluxe
9/6/5 DB
8/5 DDB
8/5 JOB

Howard W. Stern
pyiddy


I'm hoping the Wizard weighs-in. My calculations show:

6/5 Bonus 0.98809462567812
9/6/5 DB 0.99279601637005
8/5 DDB 0.98504256152201
8/5 JOB 0.98501352022275

As for Bonus Deluxe, can you provide the entire pay-table. 8/5 seems too lucrative given the other usual payouts on top of the Fast Fours feature.
GaryJKoehler
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July 2nd, 2016 at 3:29:10 AM permalink
Quote: pyiddy

In another post on Deuces Double Double Bonus, I made a serious error. The WRF is 100 not 125 for 5 or 6 coins.
This game is the same as 800-200-20-12-10-4-4-3-2-1 Deuces for 1-5 coins. The sixth coin pays 6 on 3 of a kind but all other hands pay like the 5 coin pay table. The sixth coin also pays all natural quads somewhat like DDB (4 natural aces + low 2000, 4 natural aces + no low 1000, 4 natural threes or fours + low 1000, four natural threes or fours + no low 500 and 4 natural fives through kings 250. Note: all these would have to be divided by 6 to get the one coin equivalent.)

These games are on the same machines as Atomic Fever, Dice Fever and a bunch of other weird games.
Thank You "Wizard" for your excellent tools and articles that let me analyze all the other games on this bank.

Howard W. Stern
pyiddy

I posted revised results in that thread. What is this game called on the machine???
pyiddy
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July 2nd, 2016 at 10:26:35 AM permalink
Deuces Double Double Bonus is the name of the game given on the machine which is an IGT product. (It shows "Deuces" in large letters with "Double Double Bonus" in smaller letters.) This machine has a number of tabs. The Deuces DDB game appears under a tab called "Classical Video Poker" which includes 18 different VP games and 3 versions of Pick a Pair. These so called "classical" games also include Ultra Bonus, Super Triple Bonus, Red and Black, Triple Triple Bonus none of which I would call a classical VP game. These so called "classical" games do not seem "classical" to me. Also tabs for Atomic Fever, Dice Fever, Fast Fours, Dealt Royal and Keno.

Thank You again. I will see if vpfree2 wants to add this pay table to their database.

Howard W Stern
pyiddy
pyiddy
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July 2nd, 2016 at 10:30:05 AM permalink
I did not look carefully yesterday at this. The quads on BP deluxe are less than 80 but I do not remember what they are. I will look again the next time I am there.
DDB
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July 7th, 2016 at 7:59:05 PM permalink
Hey Howard, thanks for monitoring the Maj Star.
tringlomane
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July 7th, 2016 at 8:37:52 PM permalink
Quote: pyiddy

I did not look carefully yesterday at this. The quads on BP deluxe are less than 80 but I do not remember what they are. I will look again the next time I am there.



I want to say they are only 35 (lol) because I tried the game. 80 for quick quads is impossible for Bonus Deluxe if the casino wants to make money. The wizard didn't calculate this version though so I can't estimate. And I echo what DDB says, thanks for monitoring Majestic Star/Rives in GREAT detail. Arguably the best VPFree2 listings in the entire country!!!
GaryJKoehler
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July 8th, 2016 at 4:01:57 AM permalink
Quote: tringlomane

I want to say they are only 35 (lol) because I tried the game.


If it is 35, then the EV would be: 1.0563590503531
(That is, with payouts of 800-50-35-8-5-4-3-1-1)

I'm guessing it is closer to 25 or else some other payout must be lower.
GaryJKoehler
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July 11th, 2016 at 3:00:25 AM permalink
I heard back from Pyiddy in a private email. He discovered the FF Bonus Deluxe payouts were 800-50-35-8-5-4-2-1-1 (note the trips payout is lower than normal). Also found two other IGT Bonus Deluxe tables from an IGT announcement. Here are the stats:

800-50-35-8-5-4-2-1-1 EV=0.99157797083374 STD=5.2877630792757
800-50-35-7-5-4-2-1-1 EV=0.98256403464985 STD=5.3005654342368
800-50-35-6-5-4-2-1-1 EV=0.9739116732406 STD=5.2983956558092

So, tringlomane was correct on the 35 payout for quads!
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