Lucky Suit

Introduction

Lucky Suit is a video poker variant that awards a multiplier if the first card dealt matches the "lucky suit." The multiplier depends on the rank of that first card.

I first saw the game at the 2021 Global Gaming Expo. It is made by King Show and distributed by IGT. The game should not be confused with Lucky Suit Poker, which uses a 65-card deck, including a suit of clovers.

Rules

The following are the rules for Lucky Suit.

1. Lucky Suit is an optional feature added to conventional video poker. Any number of plays may be used.
2. If the player bets 1 to 5 coins per play, then the game plays like conventional video poker.
3. If the player bets 10 coins per play, then the Lucky Suit feature will be activated. Wins will be based on a five-coin bet per play and the 5 coins bet per play are a fee to pay for the feature.
4. With the feature activated, a particular suit will be designated as the Lucky Suit. The player may accept the default or choose his own.
5. If the first card dealt, in the left position, matches the suit of the Lucky Suit, then the player will be awarded a multiplier. The multiplier will depend on the rank of that same card, as follows:
   • Ace = 12x
   • King = 10x
   • Queen = 8x
   • Jack = 6x
   • 10 = 5x
   • 2-9 = 2x-4x
   • The multiplier is not lost if the player discards the card that earned it.
6. The rest of the game plays out as in conventional video poker.

I asked the game makers, King Show Games, for the average multiplier when the rank is 2 to 9. They kindly told me that for 9-6 double double bonus, the average is 2.58.

Example

In the image above, the Lucky Suit is spades. The first card dealt from the left is in spades, so I earn a multiplier. A six earns a multiplier from 2 to 4, which in this case is 4.

I hold the pair of sixes. Note that holding the six of spades is not required to keep the multiplier. One hand improves to a two pair and another to a three of a kind. Normally, these hands would win 10 and 15 credits respectively. However, with the 4x multiplier, my total win is 4×(10+15) = 100.

Analysis

The following analysis is for 9-6 Double Double Bonus only.

To first analyze Lucky Suit Poker, one must find the expected value of the hand on the draw according to the rank of the first card on the deal.

The following table shows the number of combinations, probability, and contribution to the return when the first card on the deal is a 2.

The following table shows the number of combinations, probability, and contribution to the return when the first card on the deal is a 3.

The following table shows the number of combinations, probability, and contribution to the return when the first card on the deal is a 4.

The following table shows the number of combinations, probability, and contribution to the return when the first card on the deal is a 5.

The following table shows the number of combinations, probability, and contribution to the return when the first card on the deal is a 6.

The following table shows the number of combinations, probability, and contribution to the return when the first card on the deal is a 7.

The following table shows the number of combinations, probability, and contribution to the return when the first card on the deal is an 8.

The following table shows the number of combinations, probability, and contribution to the return when the first card on the deal is a 9.

The following table shows the number of combinations, probability, and contribution to the return when the first card on the deal is a 10.

The following table shows the number of combinations, probability, and contribution to the return when the first card on the deal is a jack.

The following table shows the number of combinations, probability, and contribution to the return when the first card on the deal is a queen.

The following table shows the number of combinations, probability, and contribution to the return when the first card on the deal is a king.

The following table shows the number of combinations, probability, and contribution to the return when the first card on the deal is an ace.

The next table shows the expected value by the first card on the deal, the average multiplier, and the product of the expected value and multiplier. This table will be applicable when the first card matches the Lucky Suit only. The bottom right cell shows the average win is 4.95x the base bet amount.

When the player does not get the Lucky Suit, the expected value is the same as conventional 9-6 Double Double Bonus, as follows. The lower right cell shows an expected return of 98.98%.

The final table summarizes the average win according to whether the player matched the Lucky Suit. The return column is the product of the probability of matching the Lucky Suit, average win, and 1/2. The reason for dividing by two is the player must double his bet to invoke the Lucky Suit Feature. The bottom right cell shows an expected return of 98.99%. Recall the expected return of 9-6 Double Double Bonus, without the feature, is 98.98%. So, invoking the feature increases the expected return by 0.01%.

In conclusion, I predict the game maker, King Show Games, likely sets the multipliers to attain an expected return with the feature slightly more than without it. This is largely based on industry norms in video poker.

Strategy

The strategy is exactly the same as conventional video poker for the given game and pay table.

Written by: Michael Shackleford