Ultimate X Wheel Poker

Introduction

Ultimate X Wheel Poker is the same game as Multi-line Ultimate X, except the player may bet an extra five credits (total, not per-play) to replace the multiplier earned for a full house on the draw (in non wild-card games) with a prize wheel. In deuces wild games, the prize wheel is earned with a straight flush. This prize wheel offers large multipliers and instant wins.

Rules

The following rules assume the reader is already familiar with standard multi-line Ultimate X video poker.

1. Ultimate X Wheel Poker is available in 3-play and 5-play only.
2. The game may be played in two formats:
   • Standard multi-line video poker, at a bet of 1 to 5 credits per play.
   • With the Ultimate X Wheel Feature enabled. The cost is 10 credits per play plus an extra 5 credits. In other words, a total bet of 35 credits in 3-play and 55 credits in 5-play. Wins are based on a 5 credit bet per play.
3. If the player pays for the Wheel feature and any play results in a full house in non-wild card games, or a straight flush in wild card games, then instead of a fixed multiplier, the player will spin a prize wheel.
4. The possible wins on the prize wheel are:
   • A multiplier of 14x, 15x, 16x, 17x, 18x, 19x, or 20x
   • A flat win of 250, 500, 1000, or 2000 credits.
5. The weightings of the prize wheel are unknown. In my sampling of spinning the wheel about 20 times, I have never won a fixed prize. Of the multipliers, the game seems to favor the 20x one, but this may be due to a small sample size.

If these rules were unclear, I think they are easier to show with an example (below) than put them in words.

Example

In the image below, I was dealt a two pair on the deal, which I held.

The game scores the hands on the draw starting from the bottom. In a given row, it starts on the left. Here we see the third hand to be scored is a full house. The game pauses for me to press "spin."

I clicked spin for hand #3 and got a 20x multiplier.

Hand #4 also results in a full house. The game pauses again for me to press the "spin" button.

After pressing "spin," the wheel stops on a 14x multiplier for hand #4.

Hand #5 also results in a full house. Again, the game pauses for me to press "spin."

The wheel stops on a 20x multiplier for hand #5.

Here is the final result of the hand that started with a two pair on the deal. Note the 3x multipliers also earned for hands 1 and 2, for a two pair.

After the deal on the following hand the two viable plays were to hold the high pair or four to a flush. I chose the high pair.

On the draw, hands 1, 2, and 3 did not improve, hand 4 improved to a three of a kind, and hand 5 improved to a two pair. Following is how the win is calculated:

• Hand 1: Win of 5 at 3x multiplier = 15
• Hand 2: Win of 5 at 3x multiplier = 15
• Hand 3: Win of 5 at 20x multiplier = 100
• Hand 4: Win of 15 at 14x multiplier = 210
• Hand 5: Win of 10 at 20x multiplier = 200
• Total win: 15+15+100+210+200 = 540.

Return Tables

The following table shows the return, under optimal strategy, for 3-play Ultimate X Wheel Poker.

The following table shows the return, under optimal strategy, for 5-play Ultimate X Wheel Poker.

Strategy

Based on some simple math, I calculate the average Wheel spin to be worth about a 40x multiplier. Then follow the advice given in my page in my standard Ultimate X page to determine a strategy:

1. For each poker hand, determine: (adjusted win) = 2×(base win) + (multiplier) - 1. For example, if the base win for a full house is 8 and the multiplier is 40, then the adjusted win is 2 × 8 + 40 - 1 = 55.
2. Put each adjusted win in my video poker strategy maker, to create a strategy.

Acknowledgements

VideoPoker.com for letting me make and use screenshots from their game, which you may play for fun for free.

External Links

Discussion about Ultimate X Wheel Poker in my forum at Wizrad of Vegas.

Written by: Michael Shackleford