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Ultimate Aces Poker
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Introduction
Ultimate Aces Poker is a video poker variant I noticed at the Suncoast casino in Las Vegas in October, 2013. The twist to the game is if the player gets at least one ace on the deal, then he will be awarded a multiplier. The more aces, the greater the average multiplier. To pay for this feature, the player must double his bet while wins are based on half the total wager.
Rules
Ultimate Aces Poker has the same rules as ordinary triple-play video poker, except as noted below.
- To enable the multiplier feature, the player must bet a max five-coin bet on all three lines and pay an additional 15 coins to enable the feature, for a total of 30 coins bet. This additional wager is non-refundable, so wins are based on half the total wager.
- If the player gets at least one ace on the deal, then each hand on the draw will be awarded a multiplier. The multipliers range from 2 to 10. The greater the number of aces, the greater the average multiplier.
I've been asked if the player must hold the aces to keep the multipliers. The answer is no. Once they are earned, they can't be taken away.
Example
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In the example above, I bet 30 coins, which was 5 for each of 3 hands plus another 15 to enable the multiplier feature. I was awarded the ace of hearts on the deal, which earned a random multiplier of 3x. For the second hand, on the draw, I got a high pair, paying 3 × 1 × 5 = 15 credits. For the third hand, on the draw, I got a three of a kind, paying 3 × 3 × 5 = 45 credits. My total win was thus 15+45=60 credits.
Analysis of 9-5 Double Bonus
The following table shows the average multiplier according to the number of aces for 9-5 double double bonus.
9-5 Double Double Bonus — Average Multiplier
| Aces | Average Multiplier |
|---|---|
| 0 | 1.000000 |
| 1 | 3.400000 |
| 2 | 4.520830 |
| 3 | 6.000000 |
| 4 | 7.666667 |
My source for this information is IGT. This contradicts the rule screens, which say the average multiplier is always 3.53.
The following table shows the return for 9-5 Double Double Bonus. The return column is the product of the win, probability, and 0.5. The reason for dividing by 2 is wins are based on half the bet only.
Double Double Bonus — 9-5
| Aces | Hand | Pays | Average Multiplier | Combinations | Probability | Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | Royal flush | 800 | 7.666667 | - | 0.000000 | 0.000000 |
| 4 | Straight flush | 50 | 7.666667 | - | 0.000000 | 0.000000 |
| 4 | Four aces + 2-4 | 400 | 7.666667 | 162,532,260 | 0.000008 | 0.012503 |
| 4 | Four 2-4 + A-4 | 160 | 7.666667 | - | 0.000000 | 0.000000 |
| 4 | Four aces + 5-K | 160 | 7.666667 | 205,613,100 | 0.000010 | 0.006327 |
| 4 | Four 2-4 | 80 | 7.666667 | - | 0.000000 | 0.000000 |
| 4 | Four 5-K | 50 | 7.666667 | - | 0.000000 | 0.000000 |
| 4 | Full house | 9 | 7.666667 | - | 0.000000 | 0.000000 |
| 4 | Flush | 5 | 7.666667 | - | 0.000000 | 0.000000 |
| 4 | Straight | 4 | 7.666667 | - | 0.000000 | 0.000000 |
| 4 | Three of a kind | 3 | 7.666667 | - | 0.000000 | 0.000000 |
| 4 | Two pair | 1 | 7.666667 | - | 0.000000 | 0.000000 |
| 4 | Jacks or better | 1 | 7.666667 | - | 0.000000 | 0.000000 |
| 4 | Nothing | 0 | 7.666667 | - | 0.000000 | 0.000000 |
| 3 | Royal flush | 800 | 6.000000 | - | 0.000000 | 0.000000 |
| 3 | Straight flush | 50 | 6.000000 | - | 0.000000 | 0.000000 |
| 3 | Four aces + 2-4 | 400 | 6.000000 | 368,145,360 | 0.000018 | 0.022163 |
| 3 | Four 2-4 + A-4 | 160 | 6.000000 | - | 0.000000 | 0.000000 |
| 3 | Four aces + 5-K | 160 | 6.000000 | 1,104,436,080 | 0.000055 | 0.026595 |
| 3 | Four 2-4 | 80 | 6.000000 | - | 0.000000 | 0.000000 |
| 3 | Four 5-K | 50 | 6.000000 | - | 0.000000 | 0.000000 |
| 3 | Full house | 9 | 6.000000 | 2,114,877,600 | 0.000106 | 0.002865 |
| 3 | Flush | 5 | 6.000000 | - | 0.000000 | 0.000000 |
| 3 | Straight | 4 | 6.000000 | - | 0.000000 | 0.000000 |
| 3 | Three of a kind | 3 | 6.000000 | 31,018,204,800 | 0.001556 | 0.014005 |
| 3 | Two pair | 1 | 6.000000 | - | 0.000000 | 0.000000 |
| 3 | Jacks or better | 1 | 6.000000 | - | 0.000000 | 0.000000 |
| 3 | Nothing | 0 | 6.000000 | - | 0.000000 | 0.000000 |
| 2 | Royal flush | 800 | 4.520830 | 7,832,880 | 0.000000 | 0.000711 |
| 2 | Straight flush | 50 | 4.520830 | 7,832,880 | 0.000000 | 0.000044 |
| 2 | Four aces + 2-4 | 400 | 4.520830 | 550,191,708 | 0.000028 | 0.024957 |
| 2 | Four 2-4 + A-4 | 160 | 4.520830 | - | 0.000000 | 0.000000 |
| 2 | Four aces + 5-K | 160 | 4.520830 | 1,650,507,012 | 0.000083 | 0.029947 |
| 2 | Four 2-4 | 80 | 4.520830 | - | 0.000000 | 0.000000 |
| 2 | Four 5-K | 50 | 4.520830 | - | 0.000000 | 0.000000 |
| 2 | Full house | 9 | 4.520830 | 10,314,063,936 | 0.000517 | 0.010526 |
| 2 | Flush | 5 | 4.520830 | 125,326,080 | 0.000006 | 0.000071 |
| 2 | Straight | 4 | 4.520830 | 46,997,280 | 0.000002 | 0.000021 |
| 2 | Three of a kind | 3 | 4.520830 | 90,650,805,696 | 0.004548 | 0.030839 |
| 2 | Two pair | 1 | 4.520830 | 127,092,905,280 | 0.006376 | 0.014412 |
| 2 | Jacks or better | 1 | 4.520830 | 565,019,707,428 | 0.028346 | 0.064073 |
| 2 | Nothing | 0 | 4.520830 | 464,098,140 | 0.000023 | 0.000000 |
| 1 | Royal flush | 800 | 3.400000 | 339,694,152 | 0.000017 | 0.023177 |
| 1 | Straight flush | 50 | 3.400000 | 379,041,732 | 0.000019 | 0.001616 |
| 1 | Four aces + 2-4 | 400 | 3.400000 | 144,766,896 | 0.000007 | 0.004939 |
| 1 | Four 2-4 + A-4 | 160 | 3.400000 | 587,131,116 | 0.000029 | 0.008012 |
| 1 | Four aces + 5-K | 160 | 3.400000 | 477,674,616 | 0.000024 | 0.006518 |
| 1 | Four 2-4 | 80 | 3.400000 | 1,521,383,688 | 0.000076 | 0.010380 |
| 1 | Four 5-K | 50 | 3.400000 | 6,415,313,964 | 0.000322 | 0.027356 |
| 1 | Full house | 9 | 3.400000 | 34,079,390,280 | 0.001710 | 0.026158 |
| 1 | Flush | 5 | 3.400000 | 79,087,266,336 | 0.003968 | 0.033725 |
| 1 | Straight | 4 | 3.400000 | 52,218,315,060 | 0.002620 | 0.017814 |
| 1 | Three of a kind | 3 | 3.400000 | 344,585,910,432 | 0.017287 | 0.088164 |
| 1 | Two pair | 1 | 3.400000 | 528,822,701,136 | 0.026530 | 0.045100 |
| 1 | Jacks or better | 1 | 3.400000 | 1,295,383,160,196 | 0.064986 | 0.110476 |
| 1 | Nothing | 0 | 3.400000 | 3,625,435,262,796 | 0.181879 | 0.000000 |
| 0 | Royal flush | 800 | 1.000000 | 149,989,656 | 0.000008 | 0.003010 |
| 0 | Straight flush | 50 | 1.000000 | 1,736,218,212 | 0.000087 | 0.002178 |
| 0 | Four aces + 2-4 | 400 | 1.000000 | 2,673,960 | 0.000000 | 0.000027 |
| 0 | Four 2-4 + A-4 | 160 | 1.000000 | 2,267,342,136 | 0.000114 | 0.009100 |
| 0 | Four aces + 5-K | 160 | 1.000000 | 21,579,072 | 0.000001 | 0.000087 |
| 0 | Four 2-4 | 80 | 1.000000 | 6,141,469,200 | 0.000308 | 0.012324 |
| 0 | Four 5-K | 50 | 1.000000 | 26,120,909,688 | 0.001310 | 0.032761 |
| 0 | Full house | 9 | 1.000000 | 170,131,504,824 | 0.008535 | 0.038408 |
| 0 | Flush | 5 | 1.000000 | 139,572,569,952 | 0.007002 | 0.017505 |
| 0 | Straight | 4 | 1.000000 | 205,714,886,052 | 0.010320 | 0.020640 |
| 0 | Three of a kind | 3 | 1.000000 | 1,035,522,054,672 | 0.051950 | 0.077924 |
| 0 | Two pair | 1 | 1.000000 | 1,798,829,182,080 | 0.090243 | 0.045121 |
| 0 | Jacks or better | 1 | 1.000000 | 2,367,537,677,964 | 0.118773 | 0.059387 |
| 0 | Nothing | 0 | 1.000000 | 7,379,101,369,812 | 0.370191 | 0.000000 |
| Total | 19,933,230,517,200 | 1.000000 | 0.981964 |
The bottom right corner shows a return of 98.20%. The return for conventional 9-5 Double Double Bonus is 97.87%. So, making the feature bet adds 0.33% to the return.
Other Games
The following table shows all the games and pay tables Ultimate Aces is available in. The multipliers for each number of aces, except zero, is shown. The multiplier for zero aces is always one. The right two columns show the return with and without the feature enabled.
Ultimate Aces Game Menu
| Game | Pay Table | Multiplier | Return | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | w/o Feature | With Feature | ||
| BONUS POKER | 7/5 | 3.675000 | 4.645833 | 6.000000 | 7.666667 | 98.07% | 98.11% |
| BONUS POKER | 6/5 | 3.750000 | 4.645833 | 6.000000 | 7.666667 | 96.87% | 97.99% |
| BONUS POKER | 6/5 | 3.700000 | 4.645833 | 6.000000 | 7.666667 | 96.87% | 97.38% |
| BONUS POKER | 6/5 | 3.665000 | 4.625000 | 6.000000 | 7.666667 | 96.87% | 96.89% |
| BONUS POKER DLX | 8/5 | 3.875000 | 4.791667 | 6.100000 | 7.666667 | 97.40% | 98.47% |
| BONUS POKER DLX | 8/5 | 3.825000 | 4.791667 | 6.100000 | 7.666667 | 97.40% | 97.87% |
| BONUS POKER DLX | 7/5 | 3.875000 | 4.791667 | 6.100000 | 7.666667 | 96.25% | 97.41% |
| BONUS POKER DLX | 7/5 | 3.800000 | 4.791667 | 6.100000 | 7.666667 | 96.25% | 96.51% |
| DBL DBL BONUS POKER | 9/5 | 3.400000 | 4.520833 | 6.000000 | 7.666667 | 97.87% | 98.20% |
| DBL DBL BONUS POKER | 9/5 | 3.400000 | 4.507937 | 5.875000 | 7.666667 | 97.87% | 98.01% |
| DBL DBL BONUS POKER | 9/5 | 3.392500 | 4.491270 | 5.866525 | 7.785714 | 97.87% | 97.88% |
| DBL DBL BONUS POKER | 8/5 | 3.400000 | 4.520833 | 6.000000 | 7.666667 | 96.79% | 97.33% |
| DBL DBL BONUS POKER | 8/5 | 3.375000 | 4.458333 | 6.050000 | 8.000000 | 96.79% | 96.93% |
| DBL DBL BONUS POKER | 7/5 | 3.400000 | 4.520833 | 6.000000 | 7.666667 | 95.71% | 96.47% |
| DEUCES BONUS POKER | 10/4/3/3 | 4.075000 | 5.083333 | 6.200000 | 7.666667 | 97.36% | 98.13% |
| DEUCES BONUS POKER | 10/4/3/3 | 4.025000 | 5.083333 | 6.200000 | 7.666667 | 97.36% | 97.52% |
| DEUCES BONUS POKER | 12/4/3/2 | 4.125000 | 5.083333 | 6.200000 | 7.666667 | 96.22% | 97.25% |
| DEUCES BONUS POKER | 12/4/3/2 | 4.050000 | 5.083333 | 6.200000 | 7.666667 | 96.22% | 96.36% |
| DEUCES WILD POKER | 20/12/10/4/4/3 | 4.225000 | 5.270833 | 6.300000 | 7.666667 | 97.58% | 98.22% |
| DEUCES WILD POKER | 20/12/10/4/4/3 | 4.200000 | 5.229167 | 6.250000 | 7.666667 | 97.58% | 97.82% |
| DEUCES WILD POKER | 25/16/13/4/3/2 | 4.225000 | 5.270833 | 6.300000 | 7.666667 | 96.77% | 97.11% |
| DEUCES WILD POKER | 20/10/8/4/4/3 | 4.225000 | 5.270833 | 6.300000 | 7.666667 | 95.96% | 96.84% |
| DOUBLE BONUS POKER | 9/6/5 | 3.600000 | 4.583333 | 6.000000 | 7.666667 | 97.81% | 98.26% |
| DOUBLE BONUS POKER | 9/6/5 | 3.575000 | 4.562500 | 6.000000 | 7.666667 | 97.81% | 97.88% |
| DOUBLE BONUS POKER | 9/6/4 | 3.625000 | 4.562500 | 6.000000 | 7.666667 | 96.38% | 97.36% |
| DOUBLE BONUS POKER | 9/6/4 | 3.575000 | 4.562500 | 6.000000 | 7.666667 | 96.38% | 96.76% |
| JACKS OR BETTER POKER | 8/6 | 3.762500 | 4.812500 | 6.000000 | 7.666667 | 98.63% | 98.42% |
| JACKS OR BETTER POKER | 8/5 | 3.825000 | 4.708333 | 6.000000 | 7.666667 | 97.30% | 97.73% |
| JACKS OR BETTER POKER | 7/5 | 3.850000 | 4.833333 | 6.000000 | 7.666667 | 96.15% | 97.39% |
| JACKS OR BETTER POKER | 7/5 | 3.775000 | 4.812500 | 6.000000 | 7.666667 | 96.15% | 96.42% |
| TRIPLE DBL BONUS POKER | 9/5 | 3.300000 | 4.250000 | 5.550000 | 6.666667 | 97.02% | 98.13% |
| TRIPLE DBL BONUS POKER | 9/5 | 3.250000 | 4.208333 | 5.550000 | 6.666667 | 97.02% | 97.37% |
| TRIPLE DBL BONUS POKER | 8/5 | 3.280000 | 4.233333 | 5.550000 | 6.666667 | 95.97% | 97.00% |
| TRIPLE DBL BONUS POKER | 8/5 | 3.250000 | 4.208333 | 5.550000 | 6.666667 | 95.97% | 96.55% |
Strategy
The strategy is the same for the same game and pay table as conventional video poker. My strategy maker can be used effectively for this game.
External Links
Sales literature from IGT.
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank IGT for providing the list of available games, multipliers, and feature returns.