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Video Poker Strategy Double Double Bonus

4/9/2022
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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.

However, in Double Double Bonus Poker four of a kind hands pay between 50 for 1 and 400 for 1. These pays range from equal to the pay for a straight flush to something much higher. Therefore to properly determine the rank of the paying hand, look at the pays, not the position in the pay table. Play video-poker Play keno VideoKeno.com Play contests Find in casinos Player challenges My Player Page Players Club Player directory Mobile apps View top scores Video poker for Android Video poker.

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.

HandPayout (with 5 coins)CombinationsProbability
Royal Flush4,0004954431360.000025
Straight Flush25021296042640.000107
4 of a Kind Aces80039037758120.000196
4 of a Kind 2’s to 4’s400105098663280.000527
4 of a Kind 5’s to K’s250326884173360.001640
Full House452295168699240.011514
Flush352168736450000.010880
Straight252236763199120.011221
3 of a Kind1514843911678560.074468
2 Pair525775236037520.129308
Jacks or Better542908109814440.215259
Nothing0108607108224360.544855
Total199332305172001.000000

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

OrderHand
1Royal Flush
2Straight Flush
3Four of a Kind
44 of a Royal Flush
5Full House
6Flush
7Three of a Kind
8Straight
94 of a Straight Flush
10Two Pair
11High Pair
123 of a Royal Flush
134 of a Flush
14Unsuited 10, J, Q, K
15Low Pair
164 of an Outside Straight
173 of a Straight Flush
18Suited J, Q
194 of an Inside Straight
20Suited J, Q or J, K
21Suited A,K A,Q or A,J
22Unsuited J,Q,K
23Unsuited J,Q
24Suited 10,J
252 Unsuited High Cards, K High
26Suited 10, Q
272 Unsuited High Card, A High
28J only
29Suited 10,K
30Q only
31K only
32A only
33Garbage, 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.

Double double bonus poker training

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.

This is meant as a guide only but if followed correctly it will give you the best chance of winning the session.

Related Articles:

Advanced Video Poker Strategy
How To Play Joker’s Wild Poker
Play Video Poker for Reall


Featured Gambling Guides

Double Double Bonus Poker video poker attracts those players who love to
gather big payouts in a single hand. By increasing the payouts for all four of a
kind hands, it brings players closer to the payouts they can rarely get in
common video poker. When you add in kicker hands that can pay even more, Double
Double Bonus Poker video poker represents one of the most potentially explosive
games to be found in casinos or top gambling websites.

The whole idea of bonus poker games is to increase the chances for large
payouts gathered from single hands. Those large payouts are few and far between
for those who play Jacks or Better, which is the most common form of video
poker. You can only really get a jackpot in that game by nabbing a royal flush,
which rarely occurs during gameplay.

Four of a kind hands, while still rare, are something that you can expect to
see if you play video poker regularly. Those quad hands are the ones who are
rewarded by bonus poker games. And, whenever you see words like “Triple” or
“Double” involved in the name of a game, you can bet that those four of a kind
payouts are going to be extremely lucrative.

In the case of Double Double Bonus Poker video poker, even the lowest payout
for a four of a kind hand is twice as high as what all four of a kind hands pay
off on Jacks or Better. But it gets even better than that. When the four of a
kind hands involved aces, twos, threes, or fours, the payouts spike even higher.

On top of that, those hands really get boosted to another level when those
same cards are included as kickers. Kickers are the odd card out in a four of a
kind hand. The four of a kind payoffs top off with a hand of four aces and a
kicker that is a two, three, or four, which comes in at odds of 400 to 1.

All of that might make Double Double Bonus Poker video poker seem like a
foolproof option for video poker players, but all of those payoff boosts for
four of a kind hands don’t come without a cost. The game reduces payoffs for the
common hand of two pair to make up for those higher payments on top of the
table, making gameplay somewhat unsteady in terms of trying to sustain your
bankroll.

The following article will give you all the information you need to know when
playing Double Double Bonus Poker video poker. You’ll learn about basic
gameplay, pay tables, and payback percentages. We’ll also talk about developing
strategy for the game, and we’ll go into the game’s benefits and drawbacks.

Basic Gameplay for Video Poker

While the name of the game might seem intimidating to those who are
relatively new to video poker, the fact is that Double Double Bonus Poker is as
simple to play as most other video poker games. Those who know how to play the
card game five-card draw
will have little trouble learning the basics. Even if you don’t know that game,
it won’t take you long to learn video poker.

Your basic goal is to create the best hand that you can from a five-card deal
and a subsequent draw round where you to get to discard cards and have them
replaced with others. The probabilities of receiving those cards are the same as
if you were playing with a deck of 52 at home. And the winning hands are also
pretty much the same as in standard five-card poker as well, ranging from a
simple high pair to the royal flush.

Double Double Bonus Video Poker Strategy Card

Let’s take a look at how to play Double Double Bonus Poker, from start to
finish. Just follow these steps, whether playing at your favorite casino or on a
gambling site that offers the game:

  1. Bankroll Establishment: Your bankroll is another
    name for the money that you insert into the machine (or, if playing online,
    the account that you create with the site in question). Each credit, or
    coin, will be equal to the denomination that you choose to play. Therefore,
    the number of credits that you have will be equal to the amount of money
    that you insert divided by the denomination.
  2. Making a Bet: You can bet anywhere between one
    and five coins for each hand that you play of Double Double Bonus Poker
    video poker. We recommend that you bet five coins each hand because the
    reward for a royal flush with five coins played far outweighs what you will
    get if you play one through four coins. But, if you must play less than five
    credits, you have that option open to you.
  3. Seeing the Deal: Five cards will appear on your
    screen. You have to decide which of those cards are worthwhile enough to
    hold and which should be thrown back and replaced with others on the draw.
    You’ll base this decision on the probabilities of making winning hands with
    the cards that you received on the deal and those that remain in the
    simulated deck.
  4. Making the Draw: Once you have made the
    decision, the machine will replace the cards that you have discarded with
    ones from the top of the deck. Keep in mind that you can keep all five cards
    from your original deal if you think that you like it as is. In any case,
    after the draw, the hand is complete, and the computer will score it and add
    any winnings.
  5. Playing Again or Quitting: You can play as many
    hands of video poker as you want if you still have credits left in the
    machine or your account. Alternatively, you can cash out at any time and
    redeem your ticket. Those who have lost their entire bankroll will have to
    insert more money to continue.

It’s as simple as that, and simplicity is one of the reasons why video poker
is such a popular game. You can dive in and play reasonably well within minutes
of first starting.

Many people who like video poker also enjoy slot machines because they are
often found in the same section of casinos. But slot machines don’t allow you
any real control over gameplay, while video poker does. Also, slot machines are
not tethered to probabilities, which means that you have no real idea of what
your outcomes will be over time when playing the slots.

Video poker gives you a firm grasp on what you can expect, on average, to
take away from a machine, thanks to the probabilities and pay tables. And it
consistently pays off more than slot machines. In all those respects, video
poker resembles table games, like blackjack, more than it does slot machines.

But it also holds an edge over table games in that it’s just you and the
machine: no questioning casino employees, no angry patrons frustrated with your
decisions. You play at your own leisure and pace.

All of the positive qualities apply to Double Double Bonus Poker. Now it’s
time to look at the pay table and see how this game veers off from common video
poker.

The Pay Tables for Double Double Bonus Poker Video Poker

The only way to play video poker at an expert level is to really understand
the pay tables provided to you. And that goes beyond the simple act of knowing
how to read them. You have to learn their intricacies to compare one game to
another, develop a proper strategy and bankroll management, and choose the most
lucrative games.

Before we get to all that, let’s take a look at a common pay table for Double
Double Bonus Poker video poker. This is known as the 9/6 version of the game
because the payoffs attached to the full house and flush hands are set at 9 to 1
and 6 to 1 respectively. This pay table also reflects the full-pay version of
the game, meaning it provides the maximum in terms of returns to players on
average.

9/6 Double Double Bonus Poker Video Poker Pay Table

Hand/Coins1 Coin2 Coins3 Coins4 Coins5 Coins
Royal flush25050075010004000
Straight flush50100150200250
Four aces w/ any 2,3,4400800120016002000
Four 2s, 3s, 4s w/ any A,2,3,4160320460640800
Four aces160320460640800
Four 2s, 3s, 4s80160240320400
Four 5s through Ks50100150200250
Full house918273645
Flush612182430
Straight48121620
Three of a kind3691215
Two Pair12345
Pair of jacks +12345

First of all, let’s concentrate on how to read this pay table. You simply
need to combine the winning hand you have with the amount of coins that you’ve
played.

For example, a straight achieved on a 5-coin bet will return you 20 coins.
Keep in mind that the 20 coins include the original bet, so your profit upon
making that hand would actually be 15 coins.

It’s difficult to understand what makes this pay table unique without some
contrast. With that in mind, let’s take a look at a pay table for the full-pay
version of Jacks or Better, which is also a 9/6 game:

9/6 Jacks or Better Video Poker Pay Table

Coins/Hands1 coin2 coins3 coins4 coins5 coins
Royal flush25050075010004000
Straight flush50100150200250
Four of a kind255075100125
Full house918273645
Flush612182430
Straight48121620
Three of a kind3691215
Two pair246810
Jacks or better12345

If you look at the top half of the two pay tables, you’ll see where the big
differences come into play. On the one hand, there is a uniform payment for all
four of a kind hands in Jacks or Better. Meanwhile, Double Double Bonus Poker
video poker features distinctive payoffs for four aces, four twos through fours,
and four fives through kings.

In addition, Double Double Bonus Poker video poker includes special payouts
for some hands with certain kickers. A kicker is the fifth card in a five-card
hand that isn’t included in a four of a kind combination. For example, look at
the following hand:

In that hand, the kicker is the seven of spades. This hand would be scored in
the “Four 2s, 3s, 4s” row for the Double Double Bonus Poker video poker pay
table because the kicker is not one that boosts the payment. As for the Jacks or
Better game, it would simply be included under the blanket four of a kind
payout.

Besides the distinctions for different cards involved in quad hands in Double
Double Bonus Poker video poker, there is also the fact that the payouts are much
higher than in Jacks or Better. Even the four of a kind of fives through kings
hands in Double Double Bonus Poker, which pays out the least among all the quad
hands on that pay table, pays off twice as much as all four of a kind hands in
the Jacks or Better game.

The fact that four aces with a kicker of 2, 3, or 4 come in at 400 to 1 is
very significant. It actually pays more than the royal flush on a bet of one
through four coins. As for five coins played, it still comes in at 50% of the
royal flush.

Double Double Bonus Video Poker Free Online

In most video poker games, the royal flush stands all alone at the top with
no other payouts approaching it. That isn’t the case in Double Double Bonus
Poker video poker. For that reason, Double Double Bonus Poker is ideal for those
who like the idea of a quick strike and large payment, as they are much more in
play in this game than in Jacks or Better.

But Double Double Bonus Poker video poker is not an ideal game for those who
would like to play for a long time without first establishing a monster
bankroll. The reason lies in the payout for two pair. In Double Double Bonus
Poker, two pair will net you an even-money payback, compared to 2 to 1 for Jacks
or Better.

That might not seem like a big deal to you, but it is, simply because two
pair hands are so common. You can expect to see them popping up about one in
every ten hands that you play.

When you consider that you’ll be getting a reduced payout every time you get
a two pair, you’ll start to understand how your bankroll might dwindle. Of
course, if you can land a four of a kind hand, with its elongated payouts, the
reduced two pair won’t bother you too much. But four of a kind is still a tough
hand to make.

Basically, Double Double Bonus Poker video poker takes something away for
what it gives. And you have to decide if that give-and-take is worth your while
and fits what you’re looking for out of a video poker game.

Payback Percentage for Double Double Bonus Poker Video Poker

The funny thing about Double Double Bonus Poker video poker, compared to
Jacks or Better, is that despite all their differences, in the long run, the two
games return similar amounts to gamblers. For 9/6 Double Double Bonus Poker, the
payback percentage is 98.98. 9/6 Jacks or Better comes in slightly higher at
99.54%.

What does all that mean? Well, a payback percentage is basically the average
amount that you can expect to receive in return from a specific video poker
game. In other words, you would have “x” percentage of your original bankroll
remaining after playing the game for an undetermined period of time.

You have to realize that payback percentages are not predictive of what might
happen when you play the game. For example, you might get lucky with a four of a
kind hand in the early stages of your session, which would likely lead to a
positive outcome and a personal payback percentage of well more than 100%.
Alternatively, you could lose ten hands in a row to start gameplay, which would
put your percentage at zero.

Over time, however, the probabilities combine with the pay tables to yield
the percentage. The more you play, the closer you’ll likely get to the quoted
percentage. On average, $10,000 put into a Double Double Bonus Poker video poker
machine will leave you with a bankroll of $9,898 after all the initial coins are
played, which is a $102 loss.

By that measure,
9/6
Jacks or Better is technically the better game for gamblers to play, if they
were going to seriously play one of the two for a long period of time. Casual
players might have different reasons for playing. As we said, someone looking to
walk away from a single session with a huge profit is actually better off
playing Double Double Bonus Poker video poker because of the higher top-end
payouts.

You must also understand that there can be other pay tables that you might
find for Double Double Bonus Poker video poker, either in brick-and-mortar
casinos or online. These pay tables will generally return you less than the 9/6
version of the game. For example, there is a 9/5 version that pays only 5 to 1
for a flush and comes in at a payback percentage of 97.87%.

You should always check out the pay tables if you find competing versions of
the same game. It might not make much of a difference if playing casually for a
short session, but long-term play will require you to look for the best
available pay table if you want to max out your winnings.

Building a Strategy for Playing Double Double Bonus Poker Video Poker

When we talk about payback percentages, those are calculated with the idea of
a player who makes every single decision correctly when playing the game. What
does it mean to make a “right” decision when playing video poker? Well, it’s the
decision that brings the highest expected value to the hand based on
probabilities and pay tables.

Let’s look at an example concerning Double Double Bonus Poker Video Poker to
understand this a little better. Imagine that you were playing the game and
received the following five cards on the deal:

This is a hand with several possibilities that show up immediately. Right off
the bat, you’ll notice that you have two pair with jacks and aces. You also
might realize that you have three cards to a straight flush with the jack, king,
and ace of hearts.

What might have eluded you is the fact that a pair of aces is an excellent
starting point all by themselves in Double Double Bonus Poker video poker. This
is because of the premium put on four aces in the game.

So, what should you play? Well, believe it or not, you should keep the aces
and toss everything else, even though the two pair is also a winning hand by
itself.

Strategy

As we mentioned above, two pair only gives you even money payback in Double
Double Bonus Poker video poker, which is the same as a pair of aces. And holding
the two pair will eliminate your chances of bringing in four aces.

What about the three to the royal flush? That, too, is also outweighed by the
aces. After all, you would have a one in 47 shot and then a one in 46 shot to
draw the ten and queen of hearts consecutively to make the royal flush.

Keep in mind that, just because you make the right choice, doesn’t
mean you’ll win the hand. And making the wrong choice doesn’t mean
that you’ll lose it.

The draw will ultimately decide how you do on a single hand, and luck is a
huge factor in that scenario. But, over the long haul, you’ll be better off
playing the aces, because that will give you the highest return if you played
the hand an infinite amount of times.

Having the ability to take all of that information into account in a split
second and make the right decision while sitting at the machine probably is
beyond most people. That’s why it’s important to get some help in making the
right decisions for each and every hand that comes down the pike. Here are the
two best ways to do that:

  • Strategy Charts: You can print these video poker strategy charts
    right off the internet, and, since Double Double Bonus Poker video poker is
    a popular game, you shouldn’t have a hard time finding one for it. A
    strategy chart ranks all the possible hands you might receive on the deal,
    concentrating on the seeds of winning hands within them. You simply have to
    compare your hand to the ones on the chart to see what to hold and discard.
  • Video Poker Trainers: These are pieces of
    software that allow you to simulate video poker play. They will alert you to
    when you are making an incorrect move with a hold or discard. Playing the
    hands over and over will make you realize the right plays when you see them
    once you’re actually playing for real money.

Using one or both of these two methods will get you very close to perfect
play. That will mean that you’ve maxed out your possible winnings. But, if
you’re determined to play the game without doing this due diligence, here are a
few tips to help get you started.

Quick Tips for Playing Double Double Bonus Poker Video Poker

  • Always Max Out: The difference between a royal
    flush accomplished with five coins and one achieved with less than that
    played is too significant to ignore. You’re talking about a difference of
    800 to 1 to 250 to 1. That’s why, if playing five credits per hand is too
    rich for your blood, you should switch to a lower denomination.
  • Low Pair Over Straight: This is one key
    difference between Double Double Bonus Poker video poker and Jacks or
    Better. In the latter, you would hold onto four cards to a straight instead
    of a low pair, but the premium placed on the four of a kind hands encourages
    you to shoot for the quads and hold the low pair in Double Double Bonus
    Poker.
  • Take It Slow: As you can see by the example
    hand, you can easily overlook a good possibility if you move too quickly.
    That’s why you should try to take your time when playing the game. Unless
    you’re in a tournament, there is no reward for playing the game at a high
    rate of speed.

Pros and Cons of Playing Double Double Bonus Video Poker

Pros
  • Big payoffs for four of a kind hands make the game exciting for
    jackpot-lovers
  • Easy gameplay that is similar to other video poker varieties
  • Not too many different pay tables connected to the game that confuse you
Cons
  • Low payout for two pair means that you could lose your bankroll quickly
    without a four of a kind
  • Strategy can be confusing considering premium placed on four 2s, 3s, and
    4s
  • Kicker hands that pay out extensively are still extremely rare

Conclusion

Double Double Bonus Poker video poker brings the possibilities of jackpots
much closer to those who are playing the game than if those same folks were at a
Jacks or Better machine. You have to realize that you will lose out a bit when
the two pair hands come down the pike. But, if you get one or two four of a kind
hands, you won’t mind that sacrifice one bit.