Extra Draw Frenzy

Introduction

Extra Draw Frenzy is a variant of video poker that I first discovered at the Fremont casino in Las Vegas on December 7, 2013. The main concept of this game is that when the player receives a three of a kind, they unlock an additional 3 to 7 hands for drawing. This game is based on formats of three-play, five-play, and ten-play video poker, and requires players to place an extra bet per hand to activate the Extra Draw feature.

Rules

In Extra Draw Frenzy, gameplay resembles that of traditional multi-hand video poker, enhanced by specific rule modifications.

1. Players have the option to place an extra bet per hand when drawing in order to activate the Extra Draw feature.
2. When the Extra Draw feature is activated, if a player is dealt a natural three of a kind (excluding full houses or four of a kinds), they will receive an additional three to seven hands for drawing, not counting the hands already covered by their original bet. All the drawing hands, both standard and Extra Draw, will be presented simultaneously on the screen.
3. Just like in traditional multi-hand video poker, each draw hand is dealt from a different deck, with the initial five cards from the deal removed.

Note: I'm unsure how the number of extra drawing hands is determined.

Example

I played triple-play video poker and staked six coins for each hand to enable the feature, resulting in a total bet of 18 credits. Eventually, I was dealt three sixes. The game then swiftly transitioned to the feature screen where a total of six hands were displayed. Three were the hands I originally paid for, and the additional three were from the Extra Draw.

Upon pressing the draw button, none of my three of a kinds improved, unfortunately.

The game communicated my earnings from the additional hands. Each of the six three of a kinds granted 15 credits, culminating in a total 'win' of 6 × 15 = 90 credits. After subtracting my original wager of 18 credits, my net gain was 90 - 18 = 72 credits.

After this, only the three hands I had paid for were shown on the screen.

Return

IGT graciously provided me with a table displaying the availability of Extra Draw Frenzy across various games, including pay tables, ranges of extra hands, the average count of extra hands, and returns based on optimal strategies.

Example

Let's look at 9-6 jacks or better triple play.

1. In the standard version, the return is calculated to be 0.995439.
2. The odds of receiving a three of a kind on the first deal are 13*. combin (12,2)*4³/combin(52,5) = 0.021128.
3. As indicated in the table, the average number of extra hands awarded is 6.57.
4. According to the subsequent table, the expected value for each additional hand comes out to be 4.302498.
5. The expected return of each bonus is 0.021128 * 6.57 * 4.302498 = 0.597247.
6. Keep in mind that this is a triple play scenario, with winnings based on five credits per hand; thus, the total return per wager is calculated as 5 × (3 × 0.995439 + 0.597247) = 17.917820.
7. The player is making a total bet of 18 coins (six for each hand).
8. The expected return is this 17.917820/18 = 0.995434.

The information from IGT states that the return is at 99.55%. I would attribute the 0.01% discrepancy to a rounding error, possibly related to the average multiplier.

Acknowledgment

I would like to thank IGT I appreciate them for supplying the return table mentioned above.

Written by: Michael Shackleford