Video Poker Strategy Double Bonus
This article shows our strategy for Bonus Poker. The expected return of Bonus Poker is 99.17%. This version of video poker is very popular so this strategy is very handy to learn. The first versions of Video Poker came about at the same time as personal computers in the 1970s. Double bonus poker is a version of the all-time favourite Jacks or Better video poker, with bonus payouts. Double bonus video poker offers the maximum bonus for a Four of a kind hands with four aces. Bonus poker like other video poker games gives players a choice of 1 to 5 coins. When you play the max number of coins you will get the highest. Traditional 8/5 Bonus Poker is often the best video poker game in the casino. If you play with the appropriate strategy, the payback percentage for this variation is 99.17%. In a 7/5 Bonus Poker game, the payback percentage drops to 98.01%. In a 6/5 Bonus Poker game, the payback percentage drops again, this time to 96.87%.
Double Bonus is a unique video poker game in the aspect that players can actually beat the house edge and win money by following perfect strategy and using their player card. Of course, this is only possible when you're playing a full pay version of the game. This article will discuss the rules of Double Bonus, various pay tables that are used (including full pay), and recommend an online casino for playing full pay Double Bonus.
| Rank | Casino | Sign Up Bonus | Visit Site |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | 888 Casino | up to $/€/£888 | Play Now! |
| #2 | Spin Palace Casino | up to $/€/£1000 | Play Now! |
| #3 | Bet365 Casino | Details at Bet365 | Play Now! |
Double Bonus Rules
Double Bonus is a bit more complicated than other video poker games, but it is still much simpler than table games like Craps or Blackjack. To get started you insert either your player card or your virtual money, depending if you're playing at a live casino or online. Then, you select how many coins you'd like to bet per hand. You can bet between one and five coins, but you should always bet five coins because there is an additional royal flush payout bonus.
Once you've selected your coins click 'Deal' to start the hand. You'll receive five cards, and you can click 'Hold' to select which cards you'd like to keep. Once you've decided which cards to hold, click 'Draw' to receive your new cards. If you final hand is a pair of Jacks or Better you'll receive a payout.
This is where Double Bonus differs from other video poker games. After you make a winning hand, you'll have the option of either taking your money or trying to double the payout. If you choose to take your money, the hand will end and you receive your payout.
If you try to double the payout, five cards will show up on the screen. Four will be face down, and one will be face up. To double your bet you have to pick one of the four face-down cards. If the card you pick is higher than the original face-up card, you double your payout. If the card you pick is lower than the original face-up card, you lose your payout.
Another thing to take note of is that if you do happen to double your bet, you're presented with the same option to either take the money or double it. You can keep doubling until you loser or elect to take the payout.
Pay Tables
Double Bonus has many different pay tables that are used at various casinos. We're going to go over the full pay version as well as a few low pay versions now.
Full Pay Double Bonus
Full pay Double Bonus refers to Double Bonus games that use the best pay table. Although full pay does not mean the player will automatically win, it does mean that the house has the smallest advantage. Here is the full pay Double Bonus pay table:
| Hand: | 1 Coin: | 2 Coins: | 3 Coins: | 4 Coins: | 5 Coins: |
| Royal Flush | 250 | 500 | 750 | 1000 | 4000 |
| Straight Flush | 50 | 100 | 150 | 200 | 250 |
| Four Aces | 160 | 320 | 480 | 640 | 800 |
| Four Two's-Four's | 80 | 160 | 240 | 320 | 400 |
| Four Five's-King's | 50 | 100 | 150 | 200 | 250 |
| Full House | 10 | 20 | 30 | 40 | 50 |
| Flush | 7 | 14 | 21 | 28 | 35 |
| Straight | 5 | 10 | 15 | 20 | 25 |
| Three of a Kind | 3 | 6 | 9 | 12 | 15 |
| Two Pair | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Jacks or Better | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
If you want to play Double Bonus we recommend checking out Bovada Casino. Although they don't offer full pay games, they offer as close as you can get to full pay Double Bonus online (they only pay out 45x for four Five's-King's instead of 50x). Most other casinos offer low pay pay tables, which we'll discuss now.
Video Poker Strategy Double Double Bonus
Low Pay Double Bonus
Most live and online casinos only offer low pay double bonus. There are a ton of variations of low pay Double Bonus, so we have a separate page with all of the Double Bonus Return Tables.
Double Bonus Strategy
Double Bonus strategy is much different from standard video poker strategy because of the increased payouts for four of a kind Aces through Fours. Here are a few tips for proper double bonus strategy. If you want more, read our full Double Bonus strategy article.
- Keep four to a royal flush over a straight. It is a better idea to take a chance and go for the royal flush than to take the made straight.
- You should keep a high pair over four to a flush. You're better off to take the pair payout than to try for the flush.
- If you have a full house with three Aces, you should discard the pair and go for four Aces. It's worth giving up the full house in exchange for the possible quad Aces.
- If you have four to a straight flush you should keep it over a high pair. Even if it's not an open ended straight flush draw, it's still better than just a pair.
Make sure to click the strategy link above to learn more about the exact strategies to use.
Double Bonus Online
As of now I haven't found any online casinos that offer true full pay Double Bonus, but the closest I've found so far is BovadaLife.com. They have a fair pay table (even though it isn't full pay) and offer the best odds online. Plus they have a 10% unlimited sign up bonus to make up for the pay table.
This article shows our strategy for Bonus Poker. The expected return of Bonus Poker is 99.17%. This version of video poker is very popular so this strategy is very handy to learn.
Introduction
The first versions of Video Poker came about at the same time as personal computers in the 1970s. These were very basic however and offered only a couple of versions, nothing like what is available now. Video Poker has grown since then to become one of the most played games in casinos as it offers players the chance of solitude as well as some nice wins, especially if the holy grail of poker hands the Royal flush comes in.
Bonus Poker Rules
Bonus Poker is a version of Video Poker that is very similar to Jacks or Better.
In fact, the only difference is that in Bonus Poker you get better payouts for Four of a Kind.
So, to start you need to choose your stake, then you are dealt 5 cards from a standard 52 card deck. At this point, you can hold or discard each card. Any you discard are then replaced by other cards from the same deck. You are then paid out based on the strength of your hand. You aren’t playing against a dealer or other players, so if your hand is a Pair of Jacks or better, you get paid. It’s that simple!
You still get a payout for a pair of Jacks or better as the screenshot below demonstrates.
As you will see above, Four of a Kind Aces pays out significantly more than a Straight Flush, Four of a Kind 2’s, 3’s or 4’s pay slightly more than a Straight Flush whilst any other Four of a Kind – 5’s through to Kings – pay the same as a Straight Flush. As with most versions of Video Poker, playing with 5 coins increases the jackpot for a Royal Flush significantly.
Paytable and Odds
The table below outlines the payout for each hand, the number of possibilities for each hand and the probability of each coming in.
| Hand | Payout (with 5 coins) | Combinations | Probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| Royal Flush | 4,000 | 495443136 | 0.000025 |
| Straight Flush | 250 | 2129604264 | 0.000107 |
| 4 of a Kind Aces | 800 | 3903775812 | 0.000196 |
| 4 of a Kind 2’s to 4’s | 400 | 10509866328 | 0.000527 |
| 4 of a Kind 5’s to K’s | 250 | 32688417336 | 0.001640 |
| Full House | 45 | 229516869924 | 0.011514 |
| Flush | 35 | 216873645000 | 0.010880 |
| Straight | 25 | 223676319912 | 0.011221 |
| 3 of a Kind | 15 | 1484391167856 | 0.074468 |
| 2 Pair | 5 | 2577523603752 | 0.129308 |
| Jacks or Better | 5 | 4290810981444 | 0.215259 |
| Nothing | 0 | 10860710822436 | 0.544855 |
| Total | 19933230517200 | 1.000000 |
Bonus Poker Strategy
The strategy shown below gives you the best chance of getting a payout with Bonus Poker. As there are many variations of Video Poker and each has a slightly different strategy, make sure it is Bonus Poker you are playing before referring to it.
Start at the top of the table, working your way down until you find a hand that is relevant for the initial 5 cards you are dealt with. When you come across your hand, follow the instructions for the best chance to win.
Bonus Poker has an expected return of around 99.17% which makes it not a bad game to play from a payout perspective.
Best to Worst Hands
| Order | Hand |
|---|---|
| 1 | Royal Flush |
| 2 | Straight Flush |
| 3 | Four of a Kind |
| 4 | 4 of a Royal Flush |
| 5 | Full House |
| 6 | Flush |
| 7 | Three of a Kind |
| 8 | Straight |
| 9 | 4 of a Straight Flush |
| 10 | Two Pair |
| 11 | High Pair |
| 12 | 3 of a Royal Flush |
| 13 | 4 of a Flush |
| 14 | Unsuited 10, J, Q, K |
| 15 | Low Pair |
| 16 | 4 of an Outside Straight |
| 17 | 3 of a Straight Flush |
| 18 | Suited J, Q |
| 19 | 4 of an Inside Straight |
| 20 | Suited J, Q or J, K |
| 21 | Suited A,K A,Q or A,J |
| 22 | Unsuited J,Q,K |
| 23 | Unsuited J,Q |
| 24 | Suited 10,J |
| 25 | 2 Unsuited High Cards, K High |
| 26 | Suited 10, Q |
| 27 | 2 Unsuited High Card, A High |
| 28 | J only |
| 29 | Suited 10,K |
| 30 | Q only |
| 31 | K only |
| 32 | A only |
| 33 | Garbage, discard everything |
Outside Straight is a hand that needs a card at either end – e.g. 5, 6, 7, 8 – either a 4 or 9 would complete the Straight.
Inside Straight is a hand that needs a card in the middle – e.g. 3, 4, 6, 7 – only a 5 would complete the Straight.
How To Win At Double Bonus Video Poker
This is meant as a guide only but if followed correctly it will give you the best chance of winning the session.
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