smoothgrh
smoothgrh
  • Threads: 91
  • Posts: 1517
Joined: Oct 26, 2011
March 22nd, 2019 at 8:06:32 PM permalink
I just saw the Wizard's page on 3-Way Action video poker.

But I recently learned about the game through an article from 2001.

It's also on the Arcade History site, though they say it's only 9 years old. (For grammar enthusiasts, the hyphen on the glass artwork is oddly between Way and Action instead of between 3 and Way.)

Did the game fail to catch on, and they're trotting it out again 18 years later?? Seems like fun—I'd like to try it!

G.
smoothgrh
smoothgrh
  • Threads: 91
  • Posts: 1517
Joined: Oct 26, 2011
October 26th, 2019 at 9:24:50 PM permalink
In video poker, I discard one card to get aces full over deuces.

In a scenario where I can draw two more cards, what is the chance I draw an ace and a deuce?

Is it (1/46)*(2/45) = .021*.044 = .0009 or roughly 1 in 10,000?

This came up in playing 3 Way-Action video poker, which is a fun variant of standard video poker. It might still be at the Gold Coast.
smoothgrh
smoothgrh
  • Threads: 91
  • Posts: 1517
Joined: Oct 26, 2011
October 26th, 2019 at 9:30:38 PM permalink
The Wizard’s page about the game shows the WMS Gaming version of the game, but apparently the IGT version is still out in the wild. Maybe the rights to the game were sold?
rsactuary
rsactuary
  • Threads: 29
  • Posts: 2315
Joined: Sep 6, 2014
October 27th, 2019 at 6:45:18 AM permalink
Lots of these machines at the El Cortez
smoothgrh
smoothgrh
  • Threads: 91
  • Posts: 1517
Joined: Oct 26, 2011
October 27th, 2019 at 4:13:13 PM permalink
Quote: rsactuary

Lots of these machines at the El Cortez



I didn't see them while I was there—but then, I wasn't looking for them.

So could someone confirm my math to pull an ace and deuce: (1/46)*(2/45) = .021*.044 = .0009 or roughly 1 in 10,000?

The jackpot is getting four aces and three 2s, 3s, or 4s.
gordonm888
Administrator
gordonm888
  • Threads: 61
  • Posts: 5292
Joined: Feb 18, 2015
Thanked by
smoothgrh
October 27th, 2019 at 9:32:09 PM permalink
Quote: smoothgrh

I didn't see them while I was there—but then, I wasn't looking for them.

So could someone confirm my math to pull an ace and deuce: (1/46)*(2/45) = .021*.044 = .0009 or roughly 1 in 10,000?

The jackpot is getting four aces and three 2s, 3s, or 4s.



If you drew an Ace and a Deuce to make a full house AAA-22, then there were two aces and three deuces left in the deck, I would say the odds of drawing an Ace and a Deuce to make the full house were:

2*(2/47)*(3/46) =0.00555 or about 1/180.
So many better men, a few of them friends, are dead. And a thousand thousand slimy things live on, and so do I.
Wizard
Administrator
Wizard
  • Threads: 1510
  • Posts: 26894
Joined: Oct 14, 2009
Thanked by
smoothgrh
October 28th, 2019 at 7:48:45 AM permalink
I think that game basically failed to catch on. Nevertheless, I still see them once in a while. I think the Gold Coast has several. That game was a tough one to analyze.
"For with much wisdom comes much sorrow." -- Ecclesiastes 1:18 (NIV)
smoothgrh
smoothgrh
  • Threads: 91
  • Posts: 1517
Joined: Oct 26, 2011
October 28th, 2019 at 4:25:33 PM permalink
Quote: gordonm888

If you drew an Ace and a Deuce to make a full house AAA-22, then there were two aces and three deuces left in the deck, I would say the odds of drawing an Ace and a Deuce to make the full house were:

2*(2/47)*(3/46) =0.00555 or about 1/180.



Hm. With AAA-22, there's only one ace and 2 deuces left, and one other card was discarded so only 46 cards left in the deck.

So that would make it 2*(1/46)*(2/45) = .0019?

Apologies for my limited mathematical ken, but why do you multiply that by 2?
CTheWorld
CTheWorld
  • Threads: 0
  • Posts: 12
Joined: Oct 21, 2018
December 5th, 2019 at 9:53:59 PM permalink
Quote: rsactuary

Lots of these machines at the El Cortez


There used to be. Unfortunately they got rid of a bunch and are down to just 3.
(I had my best hit ever on one of those El Cortez machines when I got 4 aces and 3 fours: 120,000 nickels on a $4.50 bet.)

Be aware that the paytable there, while good, is not the paytable that the strategy on the Wizard’s page was generated for (in fact the paytable isn’t even listed on the page), and so optimal play requires strategy differences on many common hands.


Quote: smoothgrh

Hm. With AAA-22, there's only one ace and 2 deuces left, and one other card was discarded so only 46 cards left in the deck.

So that would make it 2*(1/46)*(2/45) = .0019?

Apologies for my limited mathematical ken, but why do you multiply that by 2?


Are you’re asking why there is a 2 at the start of the last equation? It is because the cards could come in either order.
AxelWolf
AxelWolf
  • Threads: 167
  • Posts: 22390
Joined: Oct 10, 2012
Thanked by
smoothgrh
December 5th, 2019 at 10:04:36 PM permalink
Quote: Wizard

I think that game basically failed to catch on.

from my observation, I noticed a lot of Asian people like to play those machines. I think the Palms used to have quite a few of them as well. I don't know if they still do or not.

I remember Double Down stud used to be really popular back in the day.
♪♪Now you swear and kick and beg us That you're not a gamblin' man Then you find you're back in Vegas With a handle in your hand♪♪ Your black cards can make you money So you hide them when you're able In the land of casinos and money You must put them on the table♪♪ You go back Jack do it again roulette wheels turinin' 'round and 'round♪♪ You go back Jack do it again♪♪
tringlomane
tringlomane
  • Threads: 8
  • Posts: 6284
Joined: Aug 25, 2012
Thanked by
smoothgrh
December 7th, 2019 at 6:50:12 AM permalink
Quote: smoothgrh

I just saw the Wizard's page on 3-Way Action video poker.

But I recently learned about the game through an article from 2001.

It's also on the Arcade History site, though they say it's only 9 years old. (For grammar enthusiasts, the hyphen on the glass artwork is oddly between Way and Action instead of between 3 and Way.)

Did the game fail to catch on, and they're trotting it out again 18 years later?? Seems like fun—I'd like to try it!

G.



Patent ran out then probably. I don't even know why WMS bothers with VP.
smoothgrh
smoothgrh
  • Threads: 91
  • Posts: 1517
Joined: Oct 26, 2011
December 7th, 2019 at 9:16:03 AM permalink
Quote: CTheWorld

There used to be. Unfortunately they got rid of a bunch and are down to just 3.
(I had my best hit ever on one of those El Cortez machines when I got 4 aces and 3 fours: 120,000 nickels on a $4.50 bet.)


Are you’re asking why there is a 2 at the start of the last equation? It is because the cards could come in either order.



Thanks for the explanation—I did learn that at some point.

You lived the dream on that game—four aces and a 3 kickers! Amazing!
handsNftRmangos
handsNftRmangos
  • Threads: 3
  • Posts: 20
Joined: Mar 11, 2020
June 27th, 2020 at 2:22:52 PM permalink
Does anyone have any clue on the variance/SD of this game? Can’t seem to find it anywhere. My initial impression is that it could be very volatile considering the massive hit chance on the 4A’s + 3 low card kicker.
AlanMendelson
AlanMendelson
  • Threads: 167
  • Posts: 5937
Joined: Oct 5, 2011
June 28th, 2020 at 2:39:25 AM permalink
Quote: Wizard

I think that game basically failed to catch on. Nevertheless, I still see them once in a while. I think the Gold Coast has several. That game was a tough one to analyze.



You can't get a seat at Red Rock for these games-- during normal times. Most players are at 1-cent denomination.
CTheWorld
CTheWorld
  • Threads: 0
  • Posts: 12
Joined: Oct 21, 2018
January 21st, 2021 at 11:05:34 PM permalink
Quote: handsNftRmangos

Does anyone have any clue on the variance/SD of this game? Can’t seem to find it anywhere. My initial impression is that it could be very volatile considering the massive hit chance on the 4A’s + 3 low card kicker.



You can sort of estimate this from the return tables on the Wizard’s page, by computing the variance for each of the three individual sub hands. It depends on the pay table, but each of those individual hands has a variance in the ballpark of 40.
How to go from that to an overall variance is beyond me, since the three hands are somewhat correlated. But that’s probably good enough to give you a feel for the variance.

The 4A+3K on the 7 card hand isn’t as impactful as you think. It adds only about as much variance as the RF does on the draw. (It pays 5X as much, but the RF is ~28x more likely.).
The RF on the draw is the hand that adds the most variance. It pays as much as the 4A+3K and is roughly twice as likely, so it adds more to the return and variance.
handsNftRmangos
handsNftRmangos
  • Threads: 3
  • Posts: 20
Joined: Mar 11, 2020
January 22nd, 2021 at 6:07:56 AM permalink
Good info right there, thank you!

I sat at one of these machines last weekend, made it through only about 3 hands before I bailed. The interface was terrible, like a video game from the early 90’s, and the intrigue of the 3 way payouts wasn’t enough to get past that (and past the presumed volatility). I find the idea appealing but this game will probably remain a pass for me.
loldongs
loldongs
  • Threads: 2
  • Posts: 55
Joined: May 9, 2014
January 22nd, 2021 at 6:38:53 PM permalink
Quote: AlanMendelson

You can't get a seat at Red Rock for these games-- during normal times. Most players are at 1-cent denomination.



it's available a few other spots around town. most station casinos have a few of them, as well as south point and the boyd joints. i've seen one of these at the wynn, and one at bellagio, too.

a fun game, i enjoy it much :



handsNftRmangos
handsNftRmangos
  • Threads: 3
  • Posts: 20
Joined: Mar 11, 2020
January 22nd, 2021 at 7:40:47 PM permalink
Wynn has a couple. Had been turned off during covid but recently machines moved around and now at least 2 of them are back on. $0.25 min denominations.
CTheWorld
CTheWorld
  • Threads: 0
  • Posts: 12
Joined: Oct 21, 2018
January 22nd, 2021 at 9:34:33 PM permalink
Quote: handsNftRmangos

The interface was terrible, like a video game from the early 90’s, and the intrigue of the 3 way payouts wasn’t enough to get past that



Which variation were you playing?
There are two variations of this game. Both play exactly the same, only the look/interface is different.
One is the picture show above, the other variation (which I think is less common) is shown in the picture on the wizardofodds page.

I really like playing the one pictured above, but I don’t like playing the other. I realize that doesn’t really make sense given they are the same game.
  • Jump to: