Another new concept, the U1

[uniman]

Just got back from Henderson, NV. Stopped at The Mystic Lodge Casino and played the U1 Keno/Poker/Slot machine. Wow, this is something different!
The machine looks like one of those Bally HotShot slant tops. It is about 4' wide and has a big LCD screen. (20+ inches). There is an office like black recliner for a chair. On the left you can raise/lower the deck and screen. You can also tilt the screen to your desire with a push of a button.
When I selected poker games there were two sets of the same games. (job, dw, db, ddb, etc.) One set was called pro-hold poker. With pro-hold the game selects the proper hold cards on every draw. If you wish you can change the selection.
On the lower right hand corner of the screen there is a denom selector. Five cents at a time, twentyfive cents, and one dollar. And there is a percent payout display! As you wager higher the payout percentage increases. This payout percentage display is on all games, keno, poker, and slots.
The poker games were fun but the percent payout didn't excite me, I can find better. But the keno games are good, imaginative, and have good graphics. Sure beats Caveman and Triple trouble.
Here is a link to an article from Gaming Today;  http://www.gamingtoday.com/articles/article/28256-U1_machine

Percent payouts displayed on every game, take note IGT, Bally's, Williams, etc!!

[uniman]

A couple more pics. My full view pic came out blurry. Had to hurry as to not attract attention.

[brichter]

Nice! I'll have t check those out next time I'm down that way...

[uniman]

Did a little digging and found out that the U1 is made by U1 Gaming from Bozeman, Mt.  Where? 
This company apparently has 5-9 employees. The machine seems to be the brainchild of software engineer Matt Ervin. Found his resume online.
This machine is designed for bar tops but is also available in a floor model.  Platform is Windows XP embedded.
If they become successful, wonder how long before IGT buys them out.

[StatFreak]

This is exciting news!   

Many online casinos reveal the payback percentage to the player and it's great to see that practice implemented in brick and mortar machines. Why am I not surprised that it took a new innovative start up company to bring this opportunity for change to the casinos.

The graphics look very good, and I noticed that there are some unusual bonuses that certainly should attract player interest. I also am glad to see that they have taken up and furthered the idea of designing the machines for player comfort and enjoyment. Casino operators should like that because it encourages players to stay and play longer.

...If they become successful, wonder how long before IGT buys them out.

It's an unfortunate truth that IGT will probably buy them out once they are a competitive threat, but until that time, I think that we should strongly support these machines by playing them whenever practical (as long as the payback and game are acceptable) to help the company succeed.


P.S. I'm not sure why they chose to present a percentage "thermometer" below the stated payback. That might not be in the best interests of the casinos unless the range of the bar is programmable so that they can always make it look like their slots are at the top of the bar.

[brichter]

Support them by playing the machines? How about supporting them by investing now or buying stock when they go IPO? That way we can make a profit at IGT's expense... 

[jay]

Which Vegas casinos are actually sporting these ? henderson is a bit off the beaten track, They must have passed the Nevada gaming board which is the biggest hurdle.  Wonder what do they go for new ?

[StatFreak]

Support them by playing the machines? How about supporting them by investing now or buying stock when they go IPO? That way we can make a profit at IGT's expense... 

Oh, believe me, I thought of that.

[brichter]

Support them by playing the machines? How about supporting them by investing now or buying stock when they go IPO? That way we can make a profit at IGT's expense... 

Oh, believe me, I thought of that.

So, what's the skinny? IPO imminent? Private opportunity to invest?

[StatFreak]

I only know what you know. It's reported as a private company with under 10 employees, so there certainly does not appear to be any plan to take the company public in the immediate future. Their reported annual sales are under 1 million and their website is a single static page with only an address, a regular (not toll free) phone number, and a general email address. No names are given. The address and phone number on the company's website don't match what I found on merchant/business websites.

If someone were interested in privately offering them venture capital then that person or company would obviously have to contact U1 Gaming directly to see if they had any interest or need. I am certainly not in a position to do so.

[stayouttadabunker]

Awfully nice looking graphics on this poker machine. 
I hope they do well!   
Please let us know when and if we can buy into their stock notes!   

[uniman]

A distributor named United Coin seems to have the inside track on their distribution. Right now all I know is that in Henderson, the Stetson Casino and Mystic Lodge have them.
My wife says two weeks ago she saw the same machines on the floor at The Eureka Casino in Mesquite not yet installed. Went there last week and they are gone. So either she is mistaken or something happened. 
Time will tell how far they can go with these.

[knagl]

I played these machines at the South Point and the Gold Spike casinos in Las Vegas.  I'm a sucker for gimmicky video poker games, and there were a bunch of them on this platform that were very enjoyable to play.  My only complaint is that these machines do not have button panels (touchscreens only), which makes it difficult to play video poker for any length of time, and it reduces the number of hands per hour that I can play (in theory, that's good for me and not-so-good for the casino).  If they added a physical button panel for playing video poker, I'd camp out in front of them.

[uniman]

Which Vegas casinos are actually sporting these ? henderson is a bit off the beaten track, They must have passed the Nevada gaming board which is the biggest hurdle.  Wonder what do they go for new ?

I emailed U1 Gaming and they told me where to find the U1.

 "In addition to Mystic Lodge, you can now find U1s at South Point, El Cortez, Las Vegas Club, Stetson’s, Big Dog's Sahara, Casino Valle Verde, R-Bar, and Triple Play, also at all 74 Dotty’s locations in Nevada, at 16 of the 7-11 stores and 3 Circle K stores, and about a dozen other bars in the Las Vegas area."

I will try and get to The Las Vegas Club the first weekend of March and play this machine again!

 

[knagl]

Oh, yeah, sure enough I now remember seeing them at the Vegas Club.

You may want to consider playing them at El Cortez, instead, if you're going to play for any length of time.  It's pretty easy to get future comps at the ElCo, and their accommodations are leaps and bounds ahead of the Vegas Club.

[uniman]

Oh, yeah, sure enough I now remember seeing them at the Vegas Club.

You may want to consider playing them at El Cortez, instead, if you're going to play for any length of time.  It's pretty easy to get future comps at the ElCo, and their accommodations are leaps and bounds ahead of the Vegas Club.

I do prefer the ElCo over the Vegas Club for video poker play, but I would never park my car down there. Too many freaky people in that hood!!