Poppin' Multipliers Poker

Introduction

Poppin' Multipliers is a unique video poker game that randomly awards multipliers both after the initial deal and after drawing cards. Participating in this feature requires players to wager 8 credits per hand instead of the standard 5. The extra 3 credits serve as a non-refundable charge to activate this feature.

Rules

1. This game serves as an optional addition to traditional multi-hand video poker.
2. When a player places bets of one to five credits, the gameplay follows conventional video poker rules.
3. By betting eight credits, players activate the special feature. Wins are calculated based on a five-coin wager, with the additional three coins covering the feature cost. Other rules pertain specifically to this feature.
4. There's a 1 in 8.24 chance that players will receive a multiplier right after the deal, which applies to every subsequent play. On average, this multiplier stands at 3.64, encompassing all integers from 2x to 10x, excluding 9x.
5. If no multiplier is awarded after the initial deal, players still have the opportunity to earn a multiplier following the draw. The likelihood and average value of the multiplier remains unchanged, even if the player chooses to hold all five cards from the initial deal.

Examples

In the previous example, I received a 2x multiplier right after the deal. After the draw, I ended up with four pairs, one three of a kind, and one full house. Initially, these hands would have paid out 10, 15, and 45 respectively. Consequently, my total winnings for that hand equated to 2 * (4 * 10 + 15 + 45) = 200.

From that same example, I acquired two multipliers after the draw. One was a 3x multiplier in the upper-left hand, which unfortunately did not result in a win. However, I also got a 7x multiplier in the third row, middle column, with a hand qualifying as jacks or better, which generally pays 5. Additionally, I had three more hands that were jacks or better, but they didn’t earn a multiplier. Thus, my overall winnings totaled 7 * 5 + 3 * 5 = 50 credits.

Analysis

This game proved to be quite straightforward for analysis. To determine the returns when utilizing the feature, one simply multiplies the standard return by a factor of 1.001184.

The table below presents a variety of popular games and payout structures created by Action Gaming, the developers behind Poppin' Multipliers, showing returns with and without the feature.

Written by: Michael Shackleford