Movin' On Up Poker

Introduction

Movin' On Up is not just the theme song This is a variant of video poker called 'Movin' On Up' developed by IGT, which I first encountered at the Peppermill in Reno, Nevada, in June 2013. The main attraction of the game is the opportunity to make an additional bet to receive two or three draws instead of just one.

Rules

Movin' On Up has two different styles: Double Draw and Triple Draw. To prevent any confusion, I will clarify each one separately.

Double Draw

1. The player places a base bet of 5 credits along with an additional 10-credit fee to activate the Double Draw feature.
2. Similar to traditional video poker, the player is dealt a hand of five cards from a standard 52-card deck.
3. The player selects which cards they want to keep while the remaining cards are drawn from the other 47 cards still in the deck.
4. Payouts are determined by the poker value of the first hand after the draw, based on the player's initial 5-credit wager.
5. In this rule, the player decides which cards to hold from their first hand, while the discarded cards are replaced from the remaining cards in the deck. This means any cards that were discarded can appear again during the second draw.
6. The player receives payment based on the poker value of the hand after the second draw in accordance with their 5-credit base wager.

Triple Draw

1. In this scenario, a player places a 5-credit base wager and pays a 25-credit fee to enable the Triple Draw feature.
2. Similar to traditional video poker, the player is dealt a hand of five cards from a standard 52-card deck.
3. The player selects which cards they want to keep while the remaining cards are drawn from the other 47 cards still in the deck.
4. Payouts are determined by the poker value of the first hand after the draw, based on the player's initial 5-credit wager.
5. The player selects which cards to keep from their hand during the previous stage, while the rest are replaced from the remaining cards available.
6. The player receives payment based on the poker value of the hand after the second draw in accordance with their 5-credit base wager.
7. The player retains the cards they wish to keep after the second draw, with the other cards being replaced from those that remain in the deck.
8. Payouts are again calculated based on the third hand after the draw and the player’s 5-credit base wager.

It’s important to note that during any draw, players can receive any card except those they have discarded. For instance, cards that are thrown away can show up again in either the second or third draws.

Examples

Double Draw

Using the earlier example, I only kept the jack of diamonds after the initial deal. During the first draw, my hand improved to a pair of jacks, yielding a payout of 5 credits. I held onto that pair, which then upgraded to two pairs in the second draw, resulting in a payout of 10 credits. Overall, I accumulated 5 plus 10 credits, totaling 15 credits. Given that was my original wager, I effectively broke even.

Triple Draw

In a different hand, the only card I chose to keep after the deal was the king of diamonds. The first draw transformed my hand into two pairs, which earned me 10 credits. I decided to hold onto those pairs, enhancing my hand to a full house on the second draw with a payout of 60 credits. I maintained the full house for the third draw and received another 60 credits. Ultimately, my total earnings amounted to 10 plus 60 plus 60, equal to 130 credits. Since my initial wager was 30 credits, my profit came to 100 credits.

Odds

The level of complexity involved in analyzing this game is akin to the challenge of computer programming, just as climbing Mount Everest is for a mountaineer. So, I opted for an easier route and requested the pay tables and returns from IGT, who kindly provided the information. It can be found below.

Written by: Michael Shackleford