DOUBLE DOUBLE BONUS VIDEO POKER STRATEGY

Bonus Poker Deluxe which is something of an outlier among ‘Bonus Poker‘ games due to its relative simplicity. This will get us back to the ‘Bonus Poker‘ that we all know and (?) love.

The basic premise of all of the ‘Bonus Poker‘ variations is that a player receives a ‘bonus‘ for certain four of a kind draws. The difference between the various types of ‘Bonus Poker‘ is the specific rules surrounding how these bonuses are awarded. On ‘Double Double Bonus Poker‘ the ‘basic‘ four of a kind hands pay a bonus identical to ‘Bonus Poker‘. The new bonus hands introduced are for a four of a kind made up of Aces, with a 2,3 or 4 kicker. That pays 2000 coins for max bet—a hefty $500 on a .25 cent machine. The other bonus hand is a four of a kind comprised of 2,3 or 4 with a kicker of an Ace, 2, 3,4. That pays 800 or the same as 4 aces. As you’ve probably figured out by now the higher bonus for four of a kind hands means that the lower hands pay less than on a ‘full pay’ Jacks or Better machine. Using the 10/6 pay table reproduced below this game will return 100.7% with perfect play. This pay table is hard to find but it can be done—some Las Vegas casinos have it. The more common pay table is a 9/6 which pays 98.98% and uses the same strategy that we’ve outlined below.

Let’s take a look at the Double Double Bonus Poker pay table:

DOUBLE DOUBLE BONUS VIDEO POKER PAY TABLE

DOUBLE DOUBLE BONUS VIDEO POKER STRATEGY

The strategy for Double Bonus Poker is essentially the same as ‘Bonus Poker‘. There are a few adjustments in the hand hierarchy to reflect the higher payout on 4 aces and the lower payout on two pair. It’s similar to basic ‘Jacks or Better‘ except it seeks to minimize the ‘lower paying‘ hands while giving a player a better opportunity to hit the 4K bonuses. The only real difference between ‘Double Bonus Poker‘ and ‘Bonus Poker‘ is the payout on the 4K hands. The two pair payout is also reduced. One of the harder things for me to get used to playing the various bonus poker variations was holding the ‘Ace‘ when given a choice between high cards. In traditional JoB you’re discouraged from holding the Ace in that situation since it reduces the chance of drawing to a straight or straight flush.

• Royal Flush
• Straight Flush
• Any Four of a Kind with or without ‘winning‘ kicker
• 4 to a Royal Flush
• Three Aces
• Full House
• Flush
• Straight
• Three of a Kind (2-K)
• 4 to a Straight Flush
• Pair of Aces
• Two Pair
• 3 to a Royal Flush (KQJ)
• High Pair (JQK)
• 3 to a Royal Flush (AKQ, AKJ, AQJ, KQT, KJT, QJT)
• 4 to a Flush
• 3 to a Royal Flush (AKT, AQT, AJT)
• 4 to an outside straight
• Low Pair
• AKQJ Unsuited
• 3 to a straight flush
• 2 Suited High Cards
• 4 to an inside straight w/ three high cards
• Unsuited JQK
• Unsuited JQ
• Ace
• J10 Suited
• KQ, KJ Unsuited
• KT, QT Suited
• Jack, King or Queen
• 4 To an Inside Straight
• Discard Everything

FINAL NOTE ABOUT STRATEGY

As is the case in all ‘Bonus Poker‘ games the key is to shoot for the Four of a Kind hands. In this game, you need to be mindful of the kicker. Some video poker experts holding an appropriate three of a kind with a winning kicker. For example:

2D 2C 2H AD X

The strategy above doesn’t delineate this practice. I’ve personally used the ‘hold the kicker with 3K‘ method for years with good success.