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Ultimate Aces Poker


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.

  1. 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.
  2. 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


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.

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