Double Bonus Poker

As you already know, there are many different variations of video poker, and Jacks or Better in particular. One of the options that offer both a fun experience and give players the chance to sweep good payouts is Bonus Poker. It resembles Jacks or Better since there are only 52 cards in the deck and there are no wilds included in the gameplay. The difference comes from the boosted payouts on different Four of a Kind hands. And while this sounds very lucrative, there are definitely some Bonus Poker variations that give players better winning chances than others.

One of the Bonus Poker variants that are worth playing is Double Bonus Poker. If you come across the best-paying option, you do have the opportunity to enjoy a rather rewarding game of video poker. The way the game is played is nowhere near as difficult as or different from the typical Jacks or Better video poker. However, depending on the paytable of Double Bonus Poker variant, you might have to resort to a different strategy which will provide the ultimate rewarding gambling.

How to Play Double Bonus Poker

How to PlayIt is definitely very easy to play Double Bonus Poker, especially if you have previously tried Jacks or Better. You will have to select the size of the bet you would like to make but, as usual, you are advised to stake the maximum amount as it will guarantee you that you will receive the biggest payout for a Royal Flush.

After you have chosen the size of your bet, you will be dealt five cards and you will have to determine whether you will discard some of them and which ones may help you form a winning hand. Generally speaking, Double Bonus Poker does resemble Jacks or Better a lot. However, the paytables of the two video poker variations do differ. The usual payout of 2 to 1 for Two Pair has dropped down and this hand pays even money. On the other hand, Four of a Kind hands offer much larger payouts which can make one’s gambling experience very rewarding. And while newer video poker players may be fooled by the major payouts for Four of a Kind and neglect the amount Two Pair pays, it is this hand that lowers the expected return of Double Bonus Poker. While Four of a Kind can bring you a good reward, if you land any of the other hands, you might actually be left disappointed with the payout you will enjoy.

Double Bonus Poker Gameplay


 

Paytables on Double Bonus Poker Variations

PaytablesIf you are a fan of video poker, then you probably already know that the best version of every video poker game is the full-pay one. Double Bonus Poker makes no exception to this rule and its variation that offers the highest possible payouts is known as the 10/7 one. The 10 indicates the payout of 10 to 1 on a Full house, while Flush pays 7 to 1. There is, however, another hand to pay attention to when looking at the paytable and this is the Four of a Kind formed of any low-rank card. The full-pay version of Double Bonus Poker offers 50 to 1 for Any Four of a Kind and if you use a perfect strategy, the payback percentage will be 100.17%. This would mean that players will have an advantage over the house.

It is pretty obvious why the full-pay version of Double Bonus is pretty difficult to find. In fact, virtual players will have to settle down with the lower-paying version as the full-pay one is not available online. The one Double Bonus Poker option that comes as close to the full-pay one as possible is the 45/10/7/5 variant which pays 45 to 1 for Any Four of a Kind, 10 to 1 for Full House, 7 to 1 for Flush and 5 to 1 for Straight. The payback percentage for this variant when one uses a perfect strategy is estimated at 99.37%.

The paytable for the full-pay variant of Double Bonus Poker is:

Hand Paytable
Royal Flush 250 to 1
Straight Flush 50 to 1
Four of a Kind Aces 160 to 1
Four of a Kind 2s, 3s or 4s 80 to 1
Four of a Kind 5s to Ks 50 to 1
Full House 10 to 1
Flush 7 to 1
Straight 5 to 1
Three of a Kind 3 to 1
Two Pair 1 to 1
Jacks or Better 1 to 1

Double Double Bonus Poker

video pokerOne very common derived form of the game is Double Double Bonus Poker. You will notice that the two video poker variations with bonus paybacks are very similar to each other. Both of them offer very high payouts for Four of a Kind hands and are played with the same rules. And while the two options are almost the same game, the one difference is in the requirements for a winning Four of a Kind hands.

With Double Bonus Poker, the kicker, which is the fifth card in a Four of a Kind, does not play any role. Meanwhile, with Double Double Bonus Poker, it is also important what your fifth card will be, i.e. the kicker. If you happen to form a hand with four Aces, you will enjoy a payout of 160 to 1. However, if the kicker in this hand is 2, 3 or 4, the payout will be much more generous with 400 credits for betting 1 coin.

When playing Double Double Bonus Poker, you will also notice that holding a Four of a Kind with four 2s, 3s or 4s and a kicker either Ace, 2, 3 or 4 will pay 160 to 1 which is a great opportunity to boost your gaming balance.

The full-pay version of Double Double Bonus Poker is one of the video poker games that gives players an advantage over the house. If you use the perfect strategy, the payback percentage is estimated to be 100.07%. The payout for a Full House on the full-pay version is 10 to 1, while a Flush pays 6 to 1. This variant of Double Double Bonus Poker, however, is very hard to be found and currently, it is not offered online. Instead, the best version you can find is with a lowered payout for a Full House of 9 to 1. Although it may look like the payout is not that drastically changed, it actually lowers the RTP to 98.98%.

The paytable of the full-pay version of Double Double Bonus Poker looks like this:

Hand Paytable
Royal Flush 250 to 1
Straight Flush 50 to 1
Four Aces with a kicker 2, 3 or 4 400 to 1
Four 2s, 3s or 4s with a kicker Ace, 2, 3 or 4 160 to 1
Four Aces 160 to 1
Four 2s, 3s or 4s 80 to 1
Four 5s to Kings 50 to 1
Full House 10 to 1
Flush 6 to 1
Straight 4 to 1
Three of a Kind 3 to 1
Two Pair 1 to 1
Jacks or Better 1 to 1

Double Bonus Poker Strategy

video poker strategyAlthough Double Bonus Poker is a variation of Jacks or Better, this does not mean that you will be able to enjoy a fruitful game if you use the same strategy. In fact, it is also important to know which Bonus Poker variation you are playing in order to utilize the best possible strategy. In order to make the right move on video poker, you must know the rank of hands and determine which possible combination will bring you a better payout.

Of course, it is logical to hold your hand if you have drawn a Royal Flush, a Straight Flush, a Four of a Kind, a Flush, a Straight and a Full House. However, if you are holding a Full House with three Aces, it is the best to keep the Aces and discard the pair in an attempt to form Four of a Kind.

If you are holding three cards to a Flush with one high-valued card, keep the three cards instead of holding two high-valued cards. Players should also keep a hand of Three to a Flush, even if there are no high-valued cards. This is a completely different strategy, compared to the one used on Jacks or Better which is why you should always make sure to use the exact strategy, corresponding to the video poker game you are playing.

If you are wondering between Three to a Flush with one high-valued card and two high-valued cards, keeping the first hand is a better option on Double Bonus Poker. With this versions of Bonus Poker, it is also suggested to keep any Four cards to an Open Straight.

When choosing between a pair of Aces and a 3-card Royal Flush, you should always keep the Aces. This also applies if you have four cards to Flush, as you have better payout chances when keeping the high pair. If the pair, however, consists of two Jacks, Queens or Kings, you should go for the 4-card Flush.

The strategy chart for Double Bonus Poker ranks the hands like this:

Hand Decision
Royal Flush, Four of a Kind, Straight Flush keep your hand
Four cards to a Royal Flush keep the hand and draw one card
Three Aces draw two more cards
Straight Flush, Full House keep the hand
Three of a Kind draw two more cards
Four cards to a Straight Flush draw one card
Two Pair keep the pairs and draw one card
High Pair keep the pair and draw three cards
Four cards to a Flush draw one card
Three cards to a Royal Flush draw two cards
Four-card Open Straight draw one card
Low Pair keep your pair and draw three cards
Jack, Queen, King, Ace of different suits draw one card
Three cards to a Straight Flush (more high-valued cards) draw two cards
Four-card Inside Straight (three high cards) draw one card
Jack and Queen of the same suit draw three cards
Three cards to a Flush (with 2 high-ranked cards) draw two cards
Two high-ranked cards of the same suit draw three cards
Four-card Inside Straight (with 2 high-valued cards) draw one card
Jack, Queen, King of different suits draw two cards
10 and Jack of the same suit draw three cards
Jack and Queen of different suits draw three cards
Three cards to a Flush (with one high-ranked card) draw two cards
10 and Queen of the same suit draw three cards
Three cards to a Straight Flush (2 gaps, no high-ranked cards) draw two cards
Jack and King, Queen and King of different suits draw three cards
Ace keep the Ace and draw four cards
10 and King of the same suit draw three cards
High-valued card (J, Q or K) keep the card and draw four more
Four-card Inside Straight (no high-ranked cards) draw one card
Three cards to a Flush (no high-ranked card) draw two cards
No winning hands discard all five cards

Double Double Bonus Poker

video poker strategyWith Double Double Bonus Poker, it is important to keep any Aces as they play important role in forming high-paying hands. This is why, even if you are dealt a Full House, it is a good idea to break it up if it is comprised of any Aces.

In order to make the best decisions, you should know the rank of hands of Double Double Bonus Poker. This is how the strategy chart is ranking the winning hands you should keep:

Hand Decision
Royal Flush keep your hand
Four Aces with a kicker 2, 3 or 4 or Four 2s, 3s or 4s with a kicker A keep your hand
Other Four of a Kind keep your hand
Straight Flush hold your hand
Four to a Royal Flush draw one card
Three Aces draw two cards
Three of a Kind, Full House, Straight, Flush keep your hand
Four to a Straight Flush draw one card
Two Aces draw three cards
Two Pair keep the pairs and draw one card
Three to a Royal Flush draw two cards
High Pair keep the pair and draw three cards
Four to a Flush draw one card
Low Pair keep the pair and draw three cards
Four to a Straight draw one card
Ace keep the ace and draw four cards
Two high-ranked cards of the same suit draw three cards
Three to a Straight Flush draw two cards
Two high-ranked cards of different suits (hold the lowest two) draw three cards
10 and Jack, 10 and Queen or 10 and King of the same suit draw three cards
Any high-ranked card keep the card and draw four more
No winning hands discard all five cards

Conclusion

poker handsIf you are looking for a way to make your video poker experience more exciting, then you may try any of the Double Bonus Poker variations. Although they resemble Jacks or Better, there are major rewards awaiting players who manage to form specific Four of a Kind hands. It is obvious why so many video poker enthusiast are tempted to play Double Bonus Poker.

And while the game sounds very attractive, it is also important to check the paytables as even the slightest change in the other winning hands will affect the potential payback. If you have found the variation with the best possible payouts, you should also utilize the right strategy. This will ultimately change your gameplay and give you the best chances of sweeping great payouts.

And while the big rewards on Four of a Kind do sound tempting, you should also consider the cases when you will draw some of the other hands. Keep in mind that Double Bonus and Double Double Bonus are great only for those special hands. If you still want to enjoy better payout on the rest of the winning hands, you might want to stick to standard Jacks or Better. Nevertheless, Double Bonus Poker is a wonderful variation for those who are willing to take the risk in order to hit those high-paying Four of a Kind hands.