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Ultimate X (single line)
Introduction
Ultimate X is a popular video poker variant. The twist is that if the player doubles his bet, then any paying hand not only pays according to the pay table but also awards a multiplier on the following hand. This page addresses the single-line version of Ultimate-X Poker, which can be found on Five Star machines. I have a separate page for the multi-line version.
Rules
- For one to five coins bet, the game plays conventional single-line video poker.
- If the player doubles a five-coin bet, then he will enable the Ultimate X feature.
- In the Ultimate X feature, if the player wins, then he will be paid normally as well as winning a multiplier on the next hand.
- Any multipliers shall apply to the win on the next hand, but not additional multipliers.
- The tables below show some known multiplier tables.
Multiplier Table for Non-Wild-Card Games
| Hand | Jacks or Better 8-6 |
Bonus Poker 7-5 |
Bonus Poker Deluxe 8-6 |
Double Bonus 9-6-5 |
Double Double Bonus 9-5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Royal flush | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| Straight flush | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| Four of a kind | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| Full house | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 |
| Flush | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 |
| Straight | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 |
| Three of a kind | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Two pair | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Jacks or Better | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
Multiplier Table for Deuces Wild
| Hand | Multiplier |
|---|---|
| Royal flush (natural) | 2 |
| Four deuces | 2 |
| Royal flush (wild) | 2 |
| Five of a kind | 2 |
| Straight flush | 11 |
| Four of a kind | 7 |
| Full house | 5 |
| Flush | 5 |
| Straight | 3 |
| Three of a kind | 2 |
Multiplier Table for Joker Poker
| Hand | Multiplier |
|---|---|
| Natural royal flush | 2 |
| Five of a kind | 2 |
| Wild royal flush | 2 |
| Straight flush | 2 |
| Four of a kind | 2 |
| Full house | 6 |
| Flush | 6 |
| Straight | 5 |
| Three of a kind | 4 |
| Two pair | 3 |
| Kings or better | 2 |
Example
Following are three consecutive hands I played at VideoPoker.com. Images are used with permission.
In the hand above, I got a pair of queens, which paid 5 credits and a 2x multiplier on the next hand.
In the next hand, I got a flush. Normally, it would pay 30 credits, but with the 2x multiplier it paid 60. I also earned a 10x multiplier on the next hand.
In the third hand, with a big 10x multiplier, I got nothing.
Return
The following table shows the returns for known Ultimate X games and pay tables. As usual, all returns are based on optimal player strategy.
Return Table
| Game | Pay Table | Return |
|---|---|---|
| Jacks or Better | 9/6 | 99.72% |
| Jacks or Better | 8/6 | 98.57% |
| Jacks or Better | 8/5 | 97.38% |
| Jacks or Better | 7/5 | 96.23% |
| Jacks or Better | 6/5 | 95.08% |
| Bonus Poker | 8/5 | 99.21% |
| Bonus Poker | 7/5 | 98.09% |
| Bonus Poker | 6/5 | 96.94% |
| Bonus Poker Deluxe | 9/6 | 99.96% |
| Bonus Poker Deluxe | 8/6 | 98.82% |
| Bonus Poker Deluxe | 8/5 | 97.47% |
| Bonus Poker Deluxe | 7/5 | 96.32% |
| Bonus Poker Deluxe | 6/5 | 95.41% |
| Double Bonus | 9/7/5 | 99.21% |
| Double Bonus | 9/6/5 | 98.11% |
| Double Bonus | 10/6/4 | 97.76% |
| Double Bonus | 9/6/4 | 96.62% |
| Double Bonus | 9/5/4 | 95.39% |
| Double Double Bonus | 9/6 | 99.05% |
| Double Double Bonus | 9/5 | 97.93% |
| Double Double Bonus | 8/5 | 96.80% |
| Double Double Bonus | 7/5 | 95.80% |
| Joker Poker | 50/17/7/5 | 98.24% |
| Joker Poker | 50/16/7/5 | 97.38% |
| Joker Poker | 50/15/7/5 | 96.52% |
| Joker Poker | 40/20/5/4 | 95.66% |
| Deuces Wild | 25/15/9/4/4/3 | 99.05% |
| Deuces Wild | 20/12/10/4/4/3 | 97.88% |
| Deuces Wild | 25/16/13/4/3/2 | 96.81% |
| Deuces Wild | 20/10/8/4/4/3 | 96.21% |
Analysis
The following table shows my analysis of 8-6 Jacks or Better. The table is in order of the highest total win. The return is the product of the probability, win, and 0.5. The reason for multiplying by 0.5 is the player must bet two units, but the wins are based on a one-unit bet. The lower right cell shows a final return of 98.573%.
Analysis of 8-6 Jacks or Better
| Hand | Base Win | Multiplier | Total Win | Probability | Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Royal flush | 800 | 12 | 9600 | 0.00000026 | 0.00123396 |
| Royal flush | 800 | 10 | 8000 | 0.00000033 | 0.00133036 |
| Royal flush | 800 | 7 | 5600 | 0.00000030 | 0.00082621 |
| Royal flush | 800 | 4 | 3200 | 0.00000148 | 0.00236745 |
| Royal flush | 800 | 3 | 2400 | 0.00000250 | 0.00300244 |
| Royal flush | 800 | 2 | 1600 | 0.00000389 | 0.00311026 |
| Royal flush | 800 | 1 | 800 | 0.00001077 | 0.00430808 |
| Straight flush | 50 | 12 | 600 | 0.00000123 | 0.00037039 |
| Straight flush | 50 | 10 | 500 | 0.00000163 | 0.00040805 |
| Straight flush | 50 | 7 | 350 | 0.00000148 | 0.00025965 |
| Four of a kind | 25 | 12 | 300 | 0.00002673 | 0.00400923 |
| Four of a kind | 25 | 10 | 250 | 0.00003553 | 0.00444122 |
| Straight flush | 50 | 4 | 200 | 0.00000776 | 0.00077583 |
| Four of a kind | 25 | 7 | 175 | 0.00003239 | 0.00283418 |
| Straight flush | 50 | 3 | 150 | 0.00001338 | 0.00100339 |
| Straight flush | 50 | 2 | 100 | 0.00002128 | 0.00106380 |
| Four of a kind | 25 | 4 | 100 | 0.00016990 | 0.00849500 |
| Full house | 8 | 12 | 96 | 0.00013025 | 0.00625198 |
| Full house | 8 | 10 | 80 | 0.00017310 | 0.00692416 |
| Four of a kind | 25 | 3 | 75 | 0.00029367 | 0.01101258 |
| Straight | 6 | 12 | 72 | 0.00012856 | 0.00462822 |
| Straight | 6 | 10 | 60 | 0.00017258 | 0.00517742 |
| Full house | 8 | 7 | 56 | 0.00015769 | 0.00441535 |
| Straight flush | 50 | 1 | 50 | 0.00006132 | 0.00153310 |
| Four of a kind | 25 | 2 | 50 | 0.00046624 | 0.01165594 |
| Flush | 4 | 12 | 48 | 0.00012750 | 0.00305991 |
| Straight | 6 | 7 | 42 | 0.00016741 | 0.00351553 |
| Flush | 4 | 10 | 40 | 0.00017281 | 0.00345610 |
| Three of a kind | 3 | 12 | 36 | 0.00084193 | 0.01515472 |
| Full house | 8 | 4 | 32 | 0.00082648 | 0.01322362 |
| Three of a kind | 3 | 10 | 30 | 0.00111842 | 0.01677631 |
| Flush | 4 | 7 | 28 | 0.00016787 | 0.00235022 |
| Four of a kind | 25 | 1 | 25 | 0.00130455 | 0.01630690 |
| Full house | 8 | 3 | 24 | 0.00142757 | 0.01713089 |
| Straight | 6 | 4 | 24 | 0.00096036 | 0.01152426 |
| Two pair | 2 | 12 | 24 | 0.00146181 | 0.01754168 |
| Three of a kind | 3 | 7 | 21 | 0.00101651 | 0.01067339 |
| Two pair | 2 | 10 | 20 | 0.00194104 | 0.01941037 |
| Straight | 6 | 3 | 18 | 0.00174723 | 0.01572506 |
| Full house | 8 | 2 | 16 | 0.00226398 | 0.01811187 |
| Flush | 4 | 4 | 16 | 0.00091550 | 0.00732402 |
| Two pair | 2 | 7 | 14 | 0.00176238 | 0.01233667 |
| Straight | 6 | 2 | 12 | 0.00292130 | 0.01752782 |
| Flush | 4 | 3 | 12 | 0.00159399 | 0.00956393 |
| Three of a kind | 3 | 4 | 12 | 0.00531450 | 0.03188700 |
| Jacks or Better | 1 | 12 | 12 | 0.00242594 | 0.01455562 |
| Jacks or Better | 1 | 10 | 10 | 0.00321625 | 0.01608127 |
| Three of a kind | 3 | 3 | 9 | 0.00917096 | 0.04126934 |
| Full house | 8 | 1 | 8 | 0.00633796 | 0.02535183 |
| Flush | 4 | 2 | 8 | 0.00258472 | 0.01033888 |
| Two pair | 2 | 4 | 8 | 0.00920835 | 0.03683341 |
| Jacks or Better | 1 | 7 | 7 | 0.00288911 | 0.01011187 |
| Straight | 6 | 1 | 6 | 0.00894827 | 0.02684481 |
| Three of a kind | 3 | 2 | 6 | 0.01452988 | 0.04358963 |
| Two pair | 2 | 3 | 6 | 0.01588337 | 0.04765012 |
| Flush | 4 | 1 | 4 | 0.00818824 | 0.01637648 |
| Two pair | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0.02514420 | 0.05028841 |
| Jacks or Better | 1 | 4 | 4 | 0.01490949 | 0.02981898 |
| Three of a kind | 3 | 1 | 3 | 0.04040025 | 0.06060037 |
| Jacks or Better | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0.02548336 | 0.03822503 |
| Two pair | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0.06992255 | 0.06992255 |
| Jacks or Better | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0.03978941 | 0.03978941 |
| Jacks or Better | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0.10808767 | 0.05404383 |
| All other | 0 | 12 | 0 | 0.00617284 | 0.00000000 |
| All other | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0.00821401 | 0.00000000 |
| All other | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0.00755548 | 0.00000000 |
| All other | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0.04007864 | 0.00000000 |
| All other | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0.06970767 | 0.00000000 |
| All other | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0.11153294 | 0.00000000 |
| All other | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.31965107 | 0.00000000 |
| Total | 1.00000000 | 0.98573037 |
The standard deviation of 8-6 Jacks or Better is 5.71, relative to the total amount bet.
The following table shows the probability of each multiplier in 8-6 Jacks or Better under optimal strategy.
Multiplier Probability
| Multiplier | Probability |
|---|---|
| 1 | 56.29% |
| 2 | 19.93% |
| 3 | 12.53% |
| 4 | 7.24% |
| 7 | 1.38% |
| 10 | 1.50% |
| 12 | 1.13% |
| Total | 100.00% |
On average, the player will have a multiplier of 2.0095.
Strategy
For the single-line version of Ultimate X, it is important to have a separate strategy for each multiplier on the current hand. In the multi-line version you can get away with a single strategy, because the multipliers averaged out somewhat across hands, but not in this version.
You can generate strategies yourself for any game and pay table using my video poker strategy maker. To use it, for any given multiplier enter into the "prize" column for each hand: win + multiplier - 1. For example, with a 4x multiplier and a pay table win of 25, enter as the prize 4+25-1=28.
To save you some time, here are some links to the strategies for 8-6 Jacks or Better.
A huge advantage can be had if you find a game abandoned with multipliers! If you see this, play one hand at five coins per line, and then cut and run. Likewise, never leave a game with multipliers on it. Either wait for a losing hand on all lines, or bet five credits per line on your last hand. Don't risk abandoning a game with a multiplier by making a max coin bet with the last of your money. You never want to have to leave a game with a multiplier because you don't have enough money to make another bet.
Acknowledgement
A big thanks to Gary J. Koehler for sharing with me the returns indicated on this page. My own analysis agreed with the return of the Jacks or Better game.
Internal Links
- Ultimate X Poker Analysis by Gary J. Koehler (437K) is an 18-page academic paper on the methodology behind analyzing Ultimate X.
- Ultimate X — The standard version played with 3, 5, or 10 hands.
- Ultimate X Bonus Streak
Outside Links
There is a very realistic Ultimate X game that can be played at VideoPoker.com. A free membership is required.