Most of the video poker games you see in casinos are manufactured by International Game Technology. IGT has deep video poker roots and other game-makers have never really been able to challenge its dominance.
At the Global Gaming Expo in Las Vegas, IGT showed a number of new video poker wrinkles. One was a new take on Wheel Poker called Build a Wheel. In the original Wheel Poker, each four of a kind brings a spin of a bonus wheel mounted atop the machine. I once had a nice run passing time playing nickel Wheel Poker on a five-play game where I drew four-of-a-kind on consecutive hands. I got the two big spins of the wheel — a 2,000 credit win followed by a 1,000-credit win.
Build a Wheel is different. It doesn’t take four-of-a-kind to start the bonus event. Instead, you’re asked to fill in six blank slices on the eight-slice wheel. At the start of play, only two slices on the wheel are filled in with bonus amounts. Each time the player is dealt three-of-a-kind or better, it fills in another slice on the wheel. When all slices are filled, it spins for bonus credits.
Alternatively, all spaces will fill for an immediate bonus spin whenever the player is dealt a full house or better. But with the dealt three of a kind the standard for filling in slices, the spin happens often enough to hold player interest. An extra wager pays for the bonus event while the base game has standard video poker pay tables. The smart player will shop for the best base game pay tables, just as on any other video poker game.