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Unusual VP Game in an Indian Casino

#1

This is a WMS game that used to be common in the Chicago Area with much
better paytables. FH = 35 not 25 which is 99.52% per Frugal VP. A few of
those in the Chicago area also paid 500 instead of 250 for the SF which is
100.24% per Frugal VP. (Frugal has a couple of versions of this pre-loaded.
Winpoker cannot handle.) I supplied the strategy info for John Grohowski in
his Video Poker Answer Book. I used the old Stanford Wong software which
could handle the three of a kinds and making other adjustments manually
where needed. My strategy was very close but not perfect. Frugal VP can
produce a slightly better one. This game disappeared in the Chicago Area
for several reasons. One: It usually also contained a BJ game with very
good rules (Player edge 0.46% and you could let your winnings ride and you
got full comps.) Two: Some versions of this game had an "easter egg" that
the programmer put in to allow a set of button presses to activate a cheat
mode! The programmer fled to Canada and I do not know what happened since.
Several Chicago Area casinos got stung on this for six figures each and
sued WMS. Also on this machine there may have been a game called Bonus
Flush which is easily the most volatile version of VP ever seen. A 9-6
jacks except that no payout for any pair and two pair was a push! The
gimmick was that after any flush you got paid one unit for every card of
the same suit as the flush in the final hand for the next seven deals. In
the non-bonus segment you never discarded all five cards. 2FL was playable,
3FL was better than any pair, etc.

ยทยทยท

[Original Message]
From: brumar_lv <brumar_lv@yahoo.com>
To: <vpFREE@yahoogroups.com>
Date: 8/25/2004 6:44:59 PM
Subject: [vpFREE] Unusual VP Game in an Indian Casino

I visited the Spokane Indian Casino in Chewelah yesterday and came
across an unusual VP game I'd never seen before.

The machine offered a variety of game options (Keno, slots, etc.),
and one was called Multi-Pay Plus. This was a VP game, but not like
the Multi-Play common in LV. Instead, it payed for each instance of
a winning hand. For example, a Full House of 3 Kings and 2 Fours
would pay the Full House, 3 of a Kind (the 3 Kings), two pair (2
Kings and 2 Fours), and 1 Pair (2 Kings). However, if a hand
consisted of 2 Kings and 2 Aces, it would pay for 2 Pair, and 1 Pair
(2 Aces), but not the second pair. In other words, it would pay for
only 1 instance of a specific type of winning hand.

To offset the multiple payoffs the basic pay schedule was reduced as
follows: 4000 (RF), 250 (SF), 100 (4 of Kind), 25 (FH), 25 (FL), 20
(ST), 15 (3 of a Kind), 10 (2 Pair), 5 (1 Pair). Also, a winning
Pair had to be Aces or Kings.

Is there any way to compute the return of this game using Winpoker or
FrugalVP? Since this casino is filled with old machines, my guess is
this was a game that failed in Nevada, probably in the late 80's or
early 90's.

Incidently, this casino is now included in the VPfree casino
database. I'll report later on some of the other VP there which,
amazingly, includes several 9/6 JorB 5 cent games! Try to find that
in Las Vegas. There are also several 8/5 JorB 5 cent games with a
progressive RF ... several of which exceeded $400. These were
standalone progressives ... each machine has it's own progressive RF,
which I'd never seen before.

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#2

--- In vpFREE@yahoogroups.com, "Howard Stern" <howard.w.stern@e...>
wrote:

Thanks for the very interesting background on Multi-Play!

This game disappeared in the Chicago Area

for several reasons. One: It usually also contained a BJ game with

very

good rules (Player edge 0.46% and you could let your winnings ride

and you

got full comps.)

Another reader inquired privately regarding the BJ game. If I return
this summer I will check it out. Are the "very good rules" you
referred to due to letting winnings ride, or something more?
Unfortunately, Chewelah doesn't offer comps at this time.

Two: Some versions of this game had an "easter egg" that

the programmer put in to allow a set of button presses to activate

a cheat

mode! The programmer fled to Canada and I do not know what happened

since.

Several Chicago Area casinos got stung on this for six figures each

and

sued WMS.

Another reader inquired privately regarding the double-up option for
VP ... that there was some kind of flaw. Is this what you are
referring to? I'll check that out too.

Also on this machine there may have been a game called Bonus

Flush which is easily the most volatile version of VP ever seen. A

9-6

jacks except that no payout for any pair and two pair was a push!

The

gimmick was that after any flush you got paid one unit for every

card of

the same suit as the flush in the final hand for the next seven

deals. In

the non-bonus segment you never discarded all five cards. 2FL was

playable,

3FL was better than any pair, etc.

I don't recall Bonus Flush, but will check to be sure.

Incidently, another reader inquired regarding bonusing slots ...
whether they can be found in Chewelah. I don't play slots much, but
hope to check that out too. The thing that puzzles me about bonusing
slots is how, even with a high bonus, does one know when the EV
exceeds 100%? I don't see how it's possible to profit, in the long
run, unless the EV can be determined. The 8/5 JorB game in Chewelah
(with a prog RF) has a poor pay schedule, but at least its possible
to calculate the game goes positive when the RF exceeds $433. But it
can't be calculated with a slot ... or am I missing something?

#3

--- In vpFREE@yahoogroups.com, "Howard Stern" <howard.w.stern@e...>
wrote:
"This is a WMS game.... Also on this machine there may have been a
game called Bonus Flush which is easily the most volatile version of
VP ever seen. A 9-6 jacks except that no payout for any pair and two
pair was a push! The gimmick was that after any flush you got paid
one unit for every card of the same suit as the flush in the final
hand for the next seven deals. In the non-bonus segment you never
discarded all five cards. 2FL was playable, 3FL was better than any
pair, etc."

The game was called Money Fever, and the first version of the game
had 7 fever rounds. The latter version had 2 fever rounds. If you
search gamemasteronline, you will probably find a review of the
game. According to Paymar, one version of the game had a return of
100.50%.

I disagree with Howard about the volatility because the variance of
the game under the correct strategy was substantially less than some
double bonus-structure games. Secondly, I wouldn't call the fever
mode a gimmick given the fever mode, fever cards, and role of fever
kickers. Nonetheless, I have a lot of respect for Howard's views.