Ultimate X Poker
Ultimate X Poker is a soon to be released video poker game by the gaming producer duo International Game Technology (IGT) and Action Gaming. The game has not yet received much attention but will be likely to become a popular pick for casinos around the US and the world. It reminds me of Multi-Strike Poker because each hand has a multiplier that can boost winning hands. The multiplier is not automatically activated but depends on the result of the previous hand played. If on the previous hand there was a winning poker hand, depending on which hand the player got, the next hand will have a multiplier ranging from 2x to 12x. A max bet of 10 credits must be played per hand to have the multiplier feature activated.
The Ultimate X Poker machine comes with several well-known video poker games:
- Bonus Poker
- Bonus Poker Deluxe
- Deuces Wild Poker
- Double Bonus Poker
- Double Double Bonus Poker
- Jacks or Better
- Joker Poker
The payback rates for these games vary between 95.6% to a 99.9% if played with optimal strategy. Since the multiplier feature does not affect the rules, all the games can be played with their normal strategy.
Ultimate X Poker is powered by the IGT’s Game King AVP platform. As is common with other Game King machines, the game comes with multi-hand option in Triple Play, Five Play and Ten Play.
Where to Play Ultimate X Poker
The game has been tentatively released but it won’t be after IGT’s Global Gaming Expo
in Las Vegas on Nov. 18-20th 2008 that the game will be officially out. At the moment
there is no official press release by IGT with a list of casinos that will (or are)
providing this game.
How to Play Ultimate X Poker
If you are video poker junkie like us then you won’t need much of an introduction to this game. It plays like all other standard video poker games. The multiplier feature is set off automatically and no skill is necessary to modify its outcome. To see what multiplier each hand triggers follow our multiplier schedule below.
If you are new to video poker then you just need to learn the basics of draw poker and you are set to play Ultimate X Poker.
The Game King machine will provide a list of video poker games (shown above). Select which game you want to play. After pressing on the game button, the game’s interface will appear. On it you will see 3 meters, one for the WON coins, another for the BET amount and finally one with the total credits you have in the machine. Press the Max Bet button to bet 10 credits per each hand you are playing. Five cards will be automatically dealt on the main hand. Hold the best cards and discard the rest. The cards you hold on the main hand will be duplicated on all other hands in multi-hand version. Hit the Draw button to get new cards for the discarded ones and your final 5-card poker hand is completed. On multi-hand version each hand will receive its new cards from a separate deck (that does not hold the initially held and discarded cards).
A payout will be made according to each game’s pay table. Let’s take for example the Bonus Poker Deluxe pay schedule on Ultimate X Poker:
| Poker Hands; | Coin 1 | Coin 2 | Coin 3 | Coin 4 | Coin 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Royal Flush | 250 | 500 | 750 | 1000 | 4000 |
| Straight Flush | 50 | 100 | 150 | 200 | 250 |
| 4 of a Kind | 80 | 160 | 240 | 320 | 400 |
| Full House | 8 | 16 | 24 | 32 | 40 |
| Flush | 6 | 12 | 18 | 24 | 30 |
| Straight | 4 | 8 | 12 | 16 | 20 |
| 3 of a Kind | 3 | 6 | 9 | 12 | 15 |
| Two Pair | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Jacks or Better | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
The special features of this game are its multipliers. Multipliers will appear on the left of each current hand if you are able to complete a winning hand on the previous played hand. During the game, if you complete a winning hand, a small box on the left side of each hand will announce by how much that hand’s winnings will be multiplied on the next round.
| Royal Flush | 2x |
| Straight Flush | 2x |
| 4 of a Kind | 2x |
| Full House | 12x |
| Flush | 11x |
| Straight | 7x |
| 3 of a Kind | 4x |
| Two Pair | 3x |
| Jacks or Better | 2x |
So, for example, if on one hand you get a Two Pair, the little box will announce that next round you will get a 3x multiplier on that hand, so all winnings will be multiplied by 3. If on the current hand you don’t complete a winning combination, then next round won’t have a multiplier.
The multiplier feature will only take place if you bet 10 credits per hand, which is double from what you normally wager on a video poker game. The extra 5 credits on each hand don’t get matched on winning hands, only the original five coins. Although this sounds like a risky deal, the game payback rates are high because of the multipliers which do make a big difference in the end.
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