10 PLAY NO KICKERS

[COLTON]

I have been playing a fair amount of Ultimate X Video Poker (25c)-10 Play recently in L.V.  In my last two trips to the casino I have been dealt three times a low quad (2-4's) on Double Double Bonus.  In all three of those occasions (representing 30 hands, 3 x 10), I have not obtained a single kicker on any of the 30 hands.  (I should note that these are the only low dealt quads I have hit since playing this machine---each happened on the same machine).  I brought this to the attention of the slot person after the third time it happened.  He said it was probably just a programming error.  In addition, I have been dealt quads a total of 7 times (the three low quads, and the other four 5-K).  I have never had better than a total of 1.5 x overall multipliers (according to the pay table the average should be 2.0, since I'm paying 10 coins to play)---does this seem suspicious to anyone?

[COLTON]

[Eduardo]

Just to be clear, you are saying you were dealt a 4 of a kind, held all 4 cards, and were drawing for only the kicker card each of these 3 times, on 10 lines? Not a 3 of a kind, right?

The 1.5x average is from way too small a sample to draw any conclusions. But in 30 draws for a kicker you could reasonably expect to get at least 1.

[COLTON]

Yes.  That is correct.

[Eduardo]

Is there any chance at all that you were playing Double Bonus and not Double Double Bonus?

[COLTON]

One might think, so.  But no.  100% certain it was Double Double Bonus.  The only game I play on ULtimate X is Double Double Bonus.  Furthermore, I have occasionally received a Kicker with a low quad when starting with normal hands (non-dealt 4 of a kinds), but I have never received a kicker when I've been dealt low quads on this particular machine. 

[onemoretry]

Isn't it a bit inconsistant to be fretting over whiffing on 30 consecutive attempts to draw a kicker (a 1 in 6900 probability), but accepting without question the highly improbable positive event of being dealt a low quad (probability of 1 in 18000) three times in a relatively small number of deals?

[Eduardo]

I don't think it is inconsistent. The deals came along, and the odds of a kicker being drawn in that situation are fairly good.

But yes, it's pretty amazing to see that many dealt low quads in a short time. I hope it was a profitable session, kickers or not.

We all know you can theoretically flip a fair coin 30 times in a row and get heads every time. But at some point, you do need to start wondering about that coin because od the low odds. The odds of a kicker aren't 50/50 here so more samples would be nice. Dealt quads are so rare (for me at least) that waiting around for that sample could be a test of your patience.



I have occasionally received a Kicker with a low quad when starting with normal hands (non-dealt 4 of a kinds), but I have never received a kicker when I've been dealt low quads on this particular machine. 

"Never" is a big word for only three times.   

It sounds like you have been playing this machine a LOT. How many kickers do you think you have gotten on non-dealt hands?

[Lucky Larry]

Colton,
We play lots of multi-hand 5¢ and on one trip I held over 400 hands of 4 to royal without a RF while Sweet C hit 5-6 holding 4 or less to RF on less than 200 hands.

Keep the faith. Last trip I caught a RF holding a lonely Ace on one of 15 hands.

[COLTON]

I seem to be getting kickers on non-dealt low quads an appropriate percentage, although I haven't kept track. What is puzzling to me is that over the past few years playing Double Double Bonus on other games (i.e., Quick Quads, Super Times, or regular Double Double Bonus), usually 10-play and occasionally 5 play, that I have always received at least one kicker on dealt low quads (not sure how many times I've been dealt low quads, but it's probably been 10-plus other times). These three recent hits on one machine on the Ultimate X game are the only ones I recall where I whiffed on every single hand after receiving dealt low-quads.

Finally, I am certainly not complaining about my good luck of having been dealt the three low quads in a very short period of time---but it would seem when you do have that good fortune, that the game should be fair!