United Coin Machine Company has introduced the bartop U1 Keno, Poker and Slot gaming machine to Nevada.

It’s only in a few places so far, so GamingToday went to see the new machine in action at Stetson’s Saloon and Casino on Boulder Highway in Henderson.

Once there, General Manager Brad Fredella (pictured) showed off his casino’s newest addition, put in earlier that day.

"Here at Stetson’s, we are proud to have gotten some of the first groundbreaking U1 bartop machines to be installed in the entire country, and only a handful of United Coin/Gamblers Bonus locations in Nevada will have had them installed by the time this goes to print," shared Fredella.

These new machines at Stetson’s accept Gamblers Bonus slot club, so players can keep earning points.

"I hope all of the serious local keno and video poker players that read this come by Stetson’s to check the U1’s out," Fredella said. "I can guarantee they’ve never played another machine like these anywhere else."

Manufactured by U1 Gaming, the multi-game console, with a 24-inch high-resolution LCD monitor and touch screen, offers players their choice of seven different games with payouts up to $250,000 and 14 different games with payouts up to $225,000. It offers a variety of novel keno concepts with new ways to win and a variety of bonus features.

One great option available for the video poker games is called Pro Hold, where for a cost of 1 percent in payback, it will tell you which cards should be held to get your highest payback amount.

Of course, you may disagree with their suggestion and feel you must keep that low pair over a 4-card royal flush draw. And, you can do just that! The Pro Hold is simply a suggestion, but you are in charge of your own fate. It’s nice to finally have more options than what has been the industry standard for so long.

"Until now, multi-card keno and multi-hand poker were the last big things to happen to bar machines, and they’ve been out for many, many years," said Fredella. "There have been slight variations on them, but the basic games have remained the same – pick numbers or hold cards and press the deal/draw button to get a result. The U1 has changed all of this dramatically."

The graphics are fun, bright and vivid – you can have a couple of mules throwing horse shoes at your keno picks or watch them spin in the slots.

Don’t like mules? There are other critters to choose from. Want the numbers to look bigger? You can do that too as well as change the style of the cards you’re playing in video poker. You can even change them in the middle of playing. The customization choices definitely add to the overall experience.

"With the introduction of the U1, there is now an interactive keno and video poker based machine for bar players that has slot-like features," added Fredella. "Keno games with bonus rounds, dancing cows and singing mules. Poker games where you can win free hands much like slot players can win free spins. Bar players and casino floor players are often set in their ways and will not frequently move from one to the other.

"The floor players get new machines on what is almost a weekly basis, but the bar players have been forced to play the same old machines day in and day out for years," shared Fredella, obviously identifying with the player’s frustration. "Sure a few cosmetic changes and a new twist on an old game gets released for bartop machines every few years, but the U1 is the first truly unique bartop machine to be released by any manufacturer in decades."

The U1 bartop is more than just another manufacturer’s variation on the standard bar machine found on virtually every bar in Nevada.

"The U1 has so many new features, it wouldn’t surprise me if it revolutionized the way every manufacturer views bartop machines from this point on," Fredella added. "These U1 machines allow for left or right-handed play, offer two-player modes so that couples can play off of the same bankroll, have random bonus wheel spins that can trigger on any game at any bet amount, and even allow players to adjust screen tilt to eliminate glare."

Possibly the best feature of all is that the U1’s show the exact payback percentage of every game at every bet amount right on the screen as you play.

"That’s huge," Fredella said, showing his enthusiasm as only a true player can. "On most machines, you have to go into a separate screen just to see the paytable. The U1 doesn’t even have a paytable to see or a denomination to set. They are both completely variable and will change with every cent bet, giving the player a better payback percentage every time the bet is increased even by as little as a penny. No more being forced to play five coins to get a good payback."