Double Bonus Video Poker
Double Bonus video poker is fast starting to rival Jacks or Better video poker in popularity because of its increased wins for all Four of a Kind hands and big payouts on Four of a Kind Aces. The variance is also almost 2X that of Jacks or Better, and this makes Double Bonus more volatile with bigger ups and downs.
Double Bonus Hand Ranking
Below are the ranked hands for Double Bonus video poker, from highest to the lowest.
- Royal Flush
- Straight Flush
- Four Aces
- Four 2s to Four 4s
- Four 5s to Four Ks
- Full House
- Flush
- Straight
- Three of a Kind
- Two Pair
- Jacks or Better
Easy to Follow Strategy for Beginners
If you are new to this game then it is best you stick to beginner strategy for it is simple and easy to follow. It will also help you learn to make fast decisions as you continue learning the game, which is a honed skill that helps seasoned video poker players get the most out of their online video poker sessions.
Let’s start with an example hand. Imagine that you are dealt a J, K, Q, 10 and 4; this means you have an open ended Straight Flush. However, you also have a Pat Flush, as well as a draw to a Royal Flush. By looking at the strategy below, you will realize that a Royal Flush is better than a Pat Flush, so Double Bonus strategy would direct you to discard the 4 and go for a Royal Flush or a Straight Flush. Below are the basics of Double Bonus video poker to ensure that you incur more wins.
- Pat Straight Flush vs. Royal Flush Draw; go for the Straight Flush.
- Pat Flush vs. Royal Flush Draw; keep the Royal Flush Draw.
- Full House vs. Three of a Kind Aces; keep the Aces.
- Four to a Straight Flush vs. Pat Straight; keep the Pat Straight.
- A Pair of Aces vs. Two Pair; keep the Two Pair.
- Four to a Straight vs. four to a Flush; keep the four to a Flush.
- Open four to a Straight vs. a Pair (Jacks through to Aces); keep the Pair.
- A Pair (2s through to 10s) vs. Open four to a Straight; keep the Straight Draw.
- Discard everything vs. Jack/Queen/King/Ace; keep the Jack/Queen/King/Ace.
Strategy for More Advanced Players
This strategy is best for someone with basic play experience. Just like it is with beginners’ strategy, you need to find and compare hands to ensure you end up with the most rewarding hand. For instance, if you have Q of Hearts, J of Hearts, J of Spades, 10H, and 3D, a more experienced player will likely realize this hand can pass for two possible winning hands (four to a Flush and Q-J-10 suited). The latter will offer a higher payout than four to a Flush, so you need to keep the suited match and ditch the rest.
Compare your hands with the list below to find the best possible hand:
- Pat Royal Flush
- Four of a Kind
- Pat Straight Flush
- Royal Flush Draw
- Three of a Kind
- Pat Full House
- Pat Flush
- Three of a Kind
- Pat Straight
- Open Straight Flush Draw
- Inside Straight Flush Draw
- Two Pair
- Four to a Flush
- Pair of Jacks, Queens, Kings
- Four to a Straight
- Three to a Straight Flush
- Three to a Flush
- Three to a Straight
Anything else will require you to dump all five cards and draw new cards.
Double Bonus Video Poker Is Not the Best Game for Rookies
In summary, Double Bonus video poker is a high volatility game that is best reserved for seasoned players. If you are new to online video poker, you might want to start with a more straightforward variant with less volatility like Tens or Better or Jacks or Better. Work your way through the many different video poker variants, trying your hand at Double Bonus once you’ve mastered some more basic video poker games.
