Double Big Wheel Poker

Introduction

Double Big Wheel Poker is an engaging video poker option that features a chance multiplier. This game serves as an added bonus to 3-play, 5-play, and 10-play video poker formats. Players who bet 10 coins per line can anticipate winnings based on a 5-coin wager but can also benefit from a chance-based multiplier.

Rules

1. This variant of Double Big Wheel Poker is an optional add-on to the classic 3-play, 5-play, and 10-play video poker games.
2. When a player wagers between 1 to 5 coins each round, the game functions similarly to traditional multi-hand video poker.
3. By placing a bet of 10 coins, players become eligible to activate the Double Big Wheel feature.
4. When the Double Big Wheel feature is available, it will randomly trigger with a probability of 1 in 5.049 for each deal.
5. If the feature is activated, two spinning wheels will make their appearance.
6. The outer wheel contains multipliers ranging from 1x to 4x.
7. The inner wheel features multipliers that vary from 2x to 4x.
8. Once the feature is active, players receive a multiplier that results from multiplying the values of both the inner and outer wheels. For instance, if the outer wheel lands on 3x and the inner on 4x, the player would earn a 12x multiplier.
9. The average feature multiplier is 6.05.
10. With the Double Big Wheel feature in play, the winnings are calculated based on a five-coin wager.

Analysis

The outer wheel is divided into four equal segments, each representing 1x, 2x, 3x, and 4x multipliers. Assuming every segment has the same chance of being selected, the average multiplier from the outer wheel would be 2.5.

The inner wheel includes five segments of 2x, five segments of 3x, and two segments of 4x multipliers. If each segment had an equal probability, the average multiplier for the inner wheel would calculate to 33/12, approximately 2.75.

• Calculating the product of the average multipliers results in 2.5 multiplied by 2.75, giving a total of 6.875. However, according to the game's help documentation, the indicated average multiplier is reported as 6.05, suggesting that the wheel sections are not equally weighted and are more likely to stop on lower multiplier segments.

  Thus, the overall average multiplier can be determined as: probability of getting a multiplier times 6.05, added to the probability of getting no multiplier times 1, which evaluates to (1/5.049) times 6.05 plus (4.049/5.049) times 1, equaling approximately 2.00019806.

  Considering that players must wager an equivalent amount to their five-coin bet per line, the expected value remains almost identical with or without the feature. More precisely, if the return without this feature is r, the return with it approximates to r times 1.0001.

Example

In my recent game experience, I received a pair of aces along with a 12x multiplier. I chose to keep my aces.

There were no improvements in my hand. My total win from three wins of 5 for holding a high pair and a multiplier of 12x amounted to 5 times 3 times 12, summing up to 180 credits.

Return Table

The table below illustrates the returns, comparing scenarios with and without the Double Big Wheel Feature for various well-known games and pay tables.

Written by: Michael Shackleford