Play Ultimate X Poker Online

Ultimate X video poker is a game where you get the chance to double your bet. If you get a paying hand, you win a multiplier which will go into effect on your next hand. Ultimate X video poker is available in both a single-line and multi-line version.

How to Play Ultimate X Video Poker

Ultimate X video poker plays in a similar manner to other variations. In fact, the “Ultimate X” is an option—it’s not something that you take advantage of in every hand. If you skip that, you’re just going to be playing a regular video poker game.

Hundred Play Draw Poker Sandy64 2,415; Classic Single Hand (Game King) redbuck 320; Ultimate X Poker Herself 2,075; Hundred Play with Quick Quads cadalackjack 2,380; Double Super Times Pay Poker Birdie63 2,065; Hundred Play with Super Times Pay Five-0 16,065; Split Card Poker Five-0 1,870; Super Draw 6 Card Poker TOM.B.STONE 300. Ultimate X Poker is a variation of many normal video poker games that gives players the chance to win multipliers on the following hand. It’s available in single play, three play, and 10 play versions. The difference between the three available versions is how many hands you play. Play 100 Play Draw Poker for FREE. Click on a game below to play now. Or, to see if this game is available at your favorite casino, click on that casino below. You can find 100 Play Draw Poker at the.

You’ll find detailed instructions on the various kinds of video poker elsewhere on the site, but in case you missed one of those pages, here are the basics:

The game is similar to a slot machine, but instead of having spinning reels, you have 5 spots where playing cards are dealt. It’s a video game, so those cards are just animated, but the odds of getting those cards are the same as they would be if you were playing any other card game.

Video poker uses a RNG (random number generator) which is programmed to duplicate the odds of a regular deck of cards. And that is, indeed, the major difference between video poker and slot machines. Both games have payouts based on combinations of symbols.

But in video poker, you know what the odds of each of those symbols coming up are.

Ultimate X Video Poker Pay Tables and Strategy Tips

All video poker games feature a pay table which details the payouts for the various combinations you might receive. These payouts are based (generally speaking) on the relative rarity of the poker hands they represent. In fact, the only difference between most games is the payout structure.

For example, in Jacks or Better, you get paid even money for a pair, 2 to 1 for 2 pairs, 3 to 1 for 3 of a kind, and so on, up to a royal flush—which pays off at 800 to 1. In most games, the royal flush is the top hand, and it almost always offers that 800 to 1 payoff, but there’s a catch:

You can bet between 1 and 5 coins per hand in most video poker games. If you want the 800 to 1 payout for the royal flush (and you should), you have to place the max bet—5 coins. If you bet less than that, the hand only pays out at 250 to 1.

The other major difference from one game to another is the lack or presence of wild cards. In Joker Poker (or Jokers Wild), the game is played with a virtual 53 card deck—the extra card is a joker. It can be used to “fill in” or “substitute” for any card you might need to complete a particular hand.

In Deuces Wild, all the 2s are wild. This means that the average strength of a hand goes up considerably, so the payoffs reflect this. In fact, in order to win the 800 to 1 payoff for the royal flush, you have to get a “natural” royal flush. There’s a smaller payout for a “wild” royal flush.

Because the variation is an option that’s added on top of other variations. You might be playing Ultimate X Jacks or Better, Ultimate X Deuces Wild, or Ultimate X Bonus Poker, or one of another dozen or so variations.

To activate the Ultimate X feature, you have to place the max bet—in this game, it’s 10 coins. If you play for fewer coins than that, the Ultimate X feature isn’t activated, and the game plays just like its base game.

When you do activate the feature, if you get a paying hand, you also get a multiplier which increases the winnings on your next hand.

Here’s an example of how that works:

You’re playing Ultimate X Jacks or Better, and you place the maximum bet. The multipliers vary based on which hand you wind up with—this can vary from machine to machine, but here’s a common example, by hand:

Note that those AREN’T the payouts for those hands—the standard payouts for each hand apply. A royal flush still pays off at 800 to 1, a straight flush at 50 to 1, and a 4 of a kind at 25 to 1.

Those are the MULTIPLIERS that apply to your winnings on the next hand. Depending on the machine and how many hands you’re playing at once, these multipliers might vary. For example, if you’re playing a 10 hand version of the game, the multiplier for a royal flush might be 7X instead of 2X.

When you play the next hand in the sequence, you get to apply the multiplier even if you don’t place the max bet. You only have to place the max bet in order to activate the multiplier.

Once you’ve done so, the multiplier applies to the next hand.

Let’s say on the first hand you get a 3 of a kind. You get the standard payout for 3 of a kind (3 to 1). But you also get a multiplier on your next hand of 4X.

On your next hand, you’re dealt a pair of jacks. That normally pays off at even odds, but since you have the multiplier from before, you get paid off at 4 to 1.

In some video poker variations that have multipliers, it’s hard to calculate the odds because you don’t know what the odds are of getting certain multipliers. But in Ultimate X, you know which hands create which multipliers.

This is one of the fundamental differences between video poker and slots, by the way. One is a game of incomplete information (slots) and one is a game of complete information (video poker). In both games, you know what the payoffs are for the various combinations. But you need more information than that to come up with a payback percentage and/or a playing strategy. You also need to know the odds of getting each hand.

You can find Ultimate X versions of the following games:

• Bonus Deuces
• Bonus Poker
• Bonus Poker Deluxe
• Deuces Wild
• Double Bonus
• Double Double Bonus
• Jacks or Better
• Joker Poker
• Triple Double Bonus

The payback percentages for all these games vary based on the pay table and the size of the multipliers. For example, an 8/6 Jacks or Better game with the multiplier schedule we included above has a payback percentage of 99.42% if played with the correct strategy. (An 8/6 Jacks or Better game pays off at 8 to 1 for a full house and at 6 to 1 for a flush.)

Most online casinos do not offer this variation, but you can find a free version of this game at VideoPoker.com. It’s not a play-for-money site, though—you play for credits which have no actual monetary value. On the other hand, the games are realistic—with the exception of the Ultimate X game. The multipliers on that game are especially generous.

Conclusion

Ultimate X video poker is one of the better variations of the game. Many games, especially those which require you to play for additional credits, offer worse odds or a payback percentage that can’t be calculated. But in this case, with a minimal amount of research, you can determine which pay table you’re facing.

Strategy varies only slightly from the original versions of the game. One strategy that works for Ultimate X that isn’t available on other games is the “vulturing” strategy. You search the casino for games which have unclaimed multipliers available. Since someone else won the multiplier, you’re often playing with a big edge against the casino—you didn’t risk anything in order to get such a multiplier.

This is a legitimate way to get an edge against the casino, but it’s not something you could do consistently enough to make a living. But as an occasional means of getting a little extra edge against the casino, it’s worthwhile.

Most video poker games resemble each other closely. The big differences from
game to game are the pay tables and the presence of any multipliers. (Some games
have wild cards, too.)

In Ultimate X Poker, you can double your bet and activate a random
multiplier.

One other variation from one game to another is how many hands (or lines) you
get to play. Many video poker variations only come in single line or multi line
versions, but Ultimate X is available in both versions.

This page covers the basics of how to play video poker in general and
Ultimate X specifically. This is probably the only page you’ll need to read
before playing the game. We also go into detail about the pay tables and
strategies for the games.

The Basics of Playing Ultimate X Video Poker

Ultimate X video poker follows the usual pattern for video poker in general:

You insert money into the video poker machine, which is converted into
credits based on the denomination of the machine. For example, if you insert
$100 into a quarter machine, you have 400 credits. Insert that same $100 into a
$5 machine, and you only have 80 credits.

The terms “credits” and “coins” are used interchangeably.

You then decide how many coins to bet on your hand-you can choose 1 coin, 5
coins, or any number of coins in between.

But the correct strategy is always to make the 5-coin bet. Here’s why:

• The payoff for a royal flush is the jackpot. If you bet 1, 2, 3, or 4 coins,
  the payoff for that hand is either 200 for 1 or 250 for 1, depending on the
  game.
• But if you bet 5 coins, the payoff is 800 for 1.

That’s a huge difference. A royal flush only comes up once every 40,000 hands
or so, but the difference in payoff is enough that it will subtract 2% or so
from the overall payback percentage of the machine. (We’ll explain more about
payback percentages in the next section.)

After you choose how many coins to play, the machine “deals” you a 5-card
poker hand. You can choose to keep or discard any, all, or none of the cards in
your hand. You do this by pushing the “hold” button beneath each card, or you
can just touch the card on the screen.

The machine replaces the cards you’ve discarded, and you win an amount based
on the poker hand you’re left with. The machine has a posted pay table which
indicates how much each hand is worth.

You’ll notice that video poker isn’t like traditional poker because you don’t
have to beat another player’s hand. You just get paid based on how good your
hand is.

You’ll also notice that video poker isn’t like a slot machine, either. The
symbols on slot machines are arbitrary with arbitrary probabilities assigned to
each of them. A slot machine has a pay table, but without knowing the
probability of getting each symbol, you have no way to calculate the payback
percentage or house edge for the game.

With video poker games, including Ultimate X Poker, you know that the
probabilities are based on those of a 52-card deck. That’s not enough for the
average player to calculate the actual payback percentage for the game, but with
a computer, making that calculation is easy.

That’s a huge difference, by the way. In one game, you can know what the odds
you’re facing are. In the other, you can’t. We always go for a known over an
unknown.

The wrinkle that Ultimate X Poker adds to this gameplay is the option to
double your bet in exchange for a multiplier applied to your winnings.

Here’s how that works:

The maximum bet on a normal video poker game is 5 coins. If you bet 5 coins
on an Ultimate X game, the game proceeds as if it were a regular video poker
game. In fact, depending on the pay table, Ultimate X IS another video poker
game-it’s just a video poker game with an optional multiplier you can activate.

To activate this multiplier, all you must do is bet 10 coins on the hand
instead of 5.

This isn’t that innovative a feature, but Ultimate X has a unique way of
applying their multiplier. Most video poker games offering multipliers assign a
random multiplier. Ultimate X bases the multiplier on the ranking of your final
hand.

Here’s an example:

• A royal flush, straight flush, or 4 of a kind results in a 2X multiplier.
• A full house results in a 12X multiplier.
• A flush results in an 11X multiplier.
• A straight results in a 7X multiplier.
• A 3 of a kind results in a 4X multiplier.
• 2 pairs result in a 3X multiplier.
• A pair of jacks or better results in a 2X multiplier.

We should point out that the sizes of the multipliers vary based on which
machine you’re playing. These are just example numbers from a commonly used pay
table.

It’s also important to point out that these are NOT the payouts for the
hands. This is a multiplier applied to the payout you would have had.

A royal flush pays off at 800 for 1 normally. In the above example, that hand
would pay off at 800 X 2, or 1600.

One of the perks of playing Ultimate X Poker is knowing the size of the
multipliers. Many video poker games assign multipliers randomly. This converts
those games into a slot machine of sorts, because without knowing how often or
when the multipliers are applied, you can’t calculate the payback percentage for
the machine.

But since we know the probability of getting each hand, we also know the
probability of getting the multiplier, so we can calculate what that does to the
payback percentage for the game.

Like many video poker variations, the feature of Ultimate X Poker sits on top
of an existing game variation and pay table. The following games are available
in an “Ultimate X version”:

• Bonus Deuces
• Bonus Poker
• Bonus Poker Deluxe
• Deuces Wild
• Double Bonus
• Double Double Bonus
• Jacks or Better
• Joker Poker
• Triple Double Bonus

The Pay Tables and Payback Percentages for Ultimate X Video Poker

The pay tables for the variations of Ultimate X Poker aren’t significantly
different from standard variations of the game. For example, it’s easy to find
an Ultimate X video poker game of Jacks or Better with an 8/6 pay table.

Here’s what that pay table looks like:

Let’s just talk about the basic pay table first. It’s a Jacks or Better pay
table, and it’s called an 8/6 Jacks or Better game because it pays 8 for 1 for a
full house and 6 for 1 for a flush. Those are the 2 hands that video poker game
designers modify the payouts on to adjust the payback percentage for the game.

The payback percentage for this game in its unvarnished (non-Ultimate X
version) is 98.4%.

That’s not bad, but the full pay version (9/6 Jacks or Better) game offers a
99.54% payback percentage.

Play Video Poker Ultimate X

That payback percentage assumes that you’re making the correct decision on
every hand, too. If you’re a novice or have no card sense, you can safely
subtract between 2% and 4% from that theoretical return.

Let’s also talk briefly about what that number means. The payback percentage
is the amount of each bet that the casino expects the machine to pay back to the
player over time. It’s expressed as a percentage.

With a game offering a 98.4% payback percentage, the casino expects you to
get back $98.40 for every $100 you put through the machine.

And the formula for calculating how much money you put through the machine is
easy enough, too. You just multiply the number of bets by the bet size.

An average video poker player plays about 600 hands per hour. That sounds
like a lot, but it’s a fast-paced game.

If you’re playing a quarter machine and making a 5-coin bet on every hand,
you’re putting 600 X $1.25 = $750 per hour into action.

It’s also important to understand that this is a long-term expectation. In
the short run, your results will almost certainly vary in one direction or
another. A long-term expectation starts to become closer to reality the more
bets you make. Over one or a dozen bets, you could be way off from the
expectation. But over 6000 or 60,000 bets, your results will start resembling
the mathematical expectation.

The effect of the multiplier on the payback percentage varies based on what
the multipliers are set for. If we assume that the example multipliers above are
in use on an 8/6 Jacks or Better game, the overall payback percentage for the
Ultimate X version of the game becomes 99.42%.

That’s almost (but not quite) as good as a standard full pay game.

Another effect that the multiplier has on the game is adding to its
volatility.

What’s Volatility?

That’s how much deviation from the expectation you can look forward to in the
short term. A game with low volatility has fewer swings in either direction. A
game with high volatility has larger swings.

When you’re doubling the amount of your wager on each hand from 5 to 10
coins, you increase your chances of having larger losing swings. You also
increase your chances of having larger winning swings because of the multiplier.

What does this imply to the player?

You need a larger bankroll than you might normally use on a lower volatility
game.

Then again, if you’re playing any casino game where the house has an edge
over the player, you’ll eventually lose all your money-if you play long enough.
The effect of a larger bankroll is merely to keep you in action longer before
going broke.

Becoming a professional gambler is beyond the scope of this page, but we’ll
say this:

Professional gamblers refuse to place a bet unless they have an edge over the
other party-the casino, the bookmaker, the competition at the poker table, etc.

You can find rare versions of video poker which have a payback percentage of
over 100%, but not in an Ultimate X edition. If you’re playing Ultimate X Poker,
you’re playing a game where the house has an unassailable mathematic edge.

Find Ultimate X Video Poker Online or Off

Free Ultimate X Poker Harrah's

Real money online casinos don’t generally offer Ultimate X Poker games. It’s
an IGT product, so it’s under trademark. You might find games resembling this
one at various online casinos, but it’s an unusual enough feature that we can’t
even think of a similarly-named knockoff to recommend.

If you’re determined to play online, you can play the free version of the
game available at VideoPoker.com, but keep in mind that the pay tables there are
more generous than you’ll usually be able to find in a casino.

Unlike a lot of video poker variations, Ultimate X is reasonably easy to find
in major casino destinations. According to the game’s page on VideoPoker.com, 98
casinos in Nevada offer the game, and the state has over 502 machines. Ultimate
X Poker is also popular at California casinos, 27 of which offer the game.

Ultimate X Poker Strategy

The strategy for Ultimate X Poker varies slightly from the base game-because
of the multipliers. Keep in mind that some hands are more valuable when those
multipliers are in effect.

You can find strategy charts for all the variations of Ultimate X we’ve
listed above on the game-specific pages for those variants. They all work the
same way-start at the top of the chart, compare your hand with what’s listed,
and stop when you get to a hand you have. Then keep those cards, discarding the
rest.

Most of the time, this means hanging onto your pat hands. The philosophy is
to let the machine deal you a winner. On rare occasions, you’ll have the
opportunity to choose between a huge draw (like 4 cards to a royal flush)
instead of hanging onto a pat hand (like a high pair). In those cases, the
payoff for the huge draw needs to be immense to make it worthwhile to break up a
hand that’s guaranteed to pay off.

Play Video Poker online, free Ultimate X

Finally, here’s one piece of meta-strategy specific to Ultimate X Poker:

The multipliers are added to your subsequent hands. This means that it’s
possible to walk away from the machine while multipliers are still left to be
applied.

In other words, you play a hand. Based on the final hand, you get a
multiplier which is applied to your next hand. If you run out of money before
playing that next hand, the multipliers are still on the machine.

And if you’re savvy and have the inclination, it’s worthwhile to find
Ultimate X machines where other players left before applying their multipliers.
If you only took advantage of those situations, you would have an edge over the
casino.

You’d be playing so few hands per hour with that strategy, though, that it
would be impossible to earn any respectable hourly winnings that way.

Conclusion

Ultimate X Poker is a great game with a subtle bonus feature that improves
the payback percentage. We’re fans of games with a transparent edge, which is
why we enjoy video poker so much. Unfortunately, many VP games fail to make the
effect of their bonus features on the payback percentage transparent.

Ultimate X Poker is a refreshing change of pace in that respect. We’re also
fans of games where the bonus feature improves the payback percentage instead of
decrease the payback percentage.

Play Ultimate X Poker Online

You’ll want to make subtle adjustments to your strategy, but your best bet
with Ultimate X Poker is to look for machines which have leftover multipliers on
them.