Ultimate X Wheel Poker

Ultimate X Wheel Poker has been around for a while, but I've never analyzed it because I didn't know the wheel weightings. Now, VideoPoker.com is kind enough to disclose the theoretical returns on many games, including this one, which gives me enough information to make a page for the game.

That said, Ultimate X Wheel Poker is like regular multi-play Ultimate X, except the player spins a prize wheel for a full house (or straight flush in deuces wild games). That's about it. The wheel is obviously weighted, but rough math shows an average win to be a 40x multiplier. The cost is an extra 5 credits bet per game, as opposed to per play.

Please click the link and let me know what you think.

The question for the poll is would you play Ultimate X Wheel Poker?



Play for free at VideoPoker.com

I've played it quite a bit, (online only), and it can be kind of fun, and profitable.

The real money comes when you already have a multiplier and then get the wheel. It's the 250-2000 segments that bring the big wins since the multiplier applies to those as well.

Quote: Wizard

The wheel is obviously weighted, but rough math shows an average win to be a 40x multiplier.

I was kind of wondering about this. If Nevada law says that video dice and cards must behave like they would in the real world, where do video wheels stand? On some games you can see where the wheel is going to land a few seconds before it stops because its diminishing speed behaves with "real world" physics. Other wheels, however, simply spin at a constant rate and stop when they stop, behaving more like a flattened video slot reel.

Your forgot to write “strategy generator” or whatever under #2 of Strategy.

The game is pretty fun but also seems like a lot of variance.

Quote: Gialmere

I was kind of wondering about this. If Nevada law says that video dice and cards must behave like they would in the real world, where do video wheels stand?

There's no such thing as a standard video wheel in the real world, so they can do weight it however they want, within any laws that are set up for this type of thing. I assume there are probably some laws around not allowing a 0 weight on a slice etc.

While UX Wheel Poker seems to be Gold only at videopoker.com it happens to be the game of the week starting, (in a few minutes), on 8/19 so anyone with a videopoker.com account should be able to play it all week.

It's REAL hard to win the weekly, but perhaps there should be a WOV sub-contest too.

Quote: Gialmere

I was kind of wondering about this. If Nevada law says that video dice and cards must behave like they would in the real world, where do video wheels stand? On some games you can see where the wheel is going to land a few seconds before it stops because its diminishing speed behaves with "real world" physics. Other wheels, however, simply spin at a constant rate and stop when they stop, behaving more like a flattened video slot reel.

The law says it only needs to have the appropriate probabilities if it simulates a live gambling game, or simulates live casino equipment. There isn't a table game where you're spinning a real wheel for a multiplier or a credit bonus.

And Wizard, you suggest valuing a full house multiplier at 40X for strategy purposes makes me question things as the boosts given by the paytables seems to vary greatly among the paytables.

For example the payback in 3 line Bonus Poker UX with perfect play is the following.
7/5 Bonus = 99.28%
6/5 Bonus = 98.12%

But for UX wheel poker 3 line Bonus is...
7/5 Bonus = 99.52% (a 0.24% increase over normal UX)
6/5 Bonus = 97.27% (a 0.85% DECREASE! over normal UX)

The only way I could expect such a discrepancy is either an outright typo, or the wheels are weighted significantly different based on the paytable used. :( No way I'd assume both the 7/5 Bonus and the 6/5 Bonus game would both have a rough full house multiplier value of 40X.

I think that's got to be a typo. I thought the law says that any feature added to video poker must increase the payback over the standard pay table.

Quote: tringlomane

And Wizard, you suggest valuing a full house multiplier at 40X for strategy purposes makes me question things as the boosts given by the paytables seems to vary greatly among the paytables.

For example the payback in 3 line Bonus Poker UX with perfect play is the following.
7/5 Bonus = 99.28%
6/5 Bonus = 98.12%

But for UX wheel poker 3 line Bonus is...
7/5 Bonus = 99.52% (a 0.24% increase over normal UX)
6/5 Bonus = 97.27% (a 0.85% DECREASE! over normal UX)

The only way I could expect such a discrepancy is either an outright typo, or the wheels are weighted significantly different based on the paytable used. :( No way I'd assume both the 7/5 Bonus and the 6/5 Bonus game would both have a rough full house multiplier value of 40X.

The 40x was based on looking at just one game and pay table. Maybe I should remove the reference.

Best thing about the wheel: you can get it on the draw. Several of their games, a feature like that only triggers with a dealt hand.

Worst thing about the wheel. I got 33 of them in an hour, not one was a bonus amount, just multipliers. Only 3 of those hit. 2 of them for JOB, 1 for another FH.

Still, I think it's one of their better games, and I'll definitely play it, even at.11x bet for max to get the wheel.

Quote: rsactuary

I think that's got to be a typo. I thought the law says that any feature added to video poker must increase the payback over the standard pay table.

Does the game let you bet 10 without the wheel Bonus? It still beats 6/5 Bonus without Ultimate X (96.87%). And what law was that? I have read the slot/VP section of Nevada law a lot and never saw it.

There were one of the Wizard's other analyses that suggest not to make the Bonus bet. It was in certain versions of Deuces Wild/Deuces Wild Bonus poker for Wheel Poker.

https://wizardofodds.com/games/video-poker/tables/wheel-poker/

Quote: tringlomane

But for UX wheel poker 3 line Bonus is...
7/5 Bonus = 99.52% (a 0.24% increase over normal UX)
6/5 Bonus = 97.27% (a 0.85% DECREASE! over normal UX)

The only way I could expect such a discrepancy is either an outright typo, or the wheels are weighted significantly different based on the paytable used. :( No way I'd assume both the 7/5 Bonus and the 6/5 Bonus game would both have a rough full house multiplier value of 40X.

Paytables are different at max bet. I don't have gold membership, but the weekly contest has 5-play 7/5 Bonus paying 7/6 at max bet. I would guess the 6/5 version remains 6/5 at max bet.

At a casino I visited, the 3-play selections had greater enhancements, probably because the 5-coin bonus bet is relatively more expensive. In some cases, straights were bumped up from 4 to 5.

Quote:

Does the game let you bet 10 without the wheel Bonus?

The article says yes, but my recollection is no.

Quote: tringlomane

Does the game let you bet 10 without the wheel Bonus?

No. If I said otherwise, I was in error.