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Double Double Bonus Video Poker questions

7 August 2021

I received a question on Double-Double Bonus strategy from Jody.

Hi Stickman,
I'm hoping all is well with you.

I have a Double Double Bonus Video Poker Question.

I found a poker machine where four aces with a kicker (a 2, 3, or a 4) pays 4000 coins. This machine also pays 4000 coins for a royal flush.

What would you do if you were dealt the 5c, 6c, 10h, Kh, As?

Would you hold just the As with the hope of capturing the three other aces with a kicker .....or..... would you hold just the 10h and Kh to try get the royal flush?

Here is the pay schedule (betting 10 credits at a time):

Royal Flush...........................................................................4000 credits
Straight Flush........................................................................1250 credits
4 Aces with a kicker (a 2,3, or a 4) .......................................4000 credits
4 2's,3's, or 4's with a kicker (an Ace,2,3, or a 4) .................1600 credits
4 Aces without a kicker..........................................................1600 credits
4 2's,3's, or 4's without a kicker.............................................600 credits
4 5's- K's...............................................................................400 credits
Full House.............................................................................60 credits
Flush.....................................................................................50 credits
Straight..................................................................................40 credits
3 Of A Kind............................................................................30 credits
2 Pair.....................................................................................10 credits
Jacks or Better......................................................................10 credits

I appreciate your feedback. Keep well and stay safe Stickman.

Jody

Hi Jody,


Let’s talk a little bit about the game itself before answering your specific question. A Double-Double Bonus video poker game with the pay table you sent me has a total return of just 92.1882 percent.

Pay tables for a 10-credit maximum game can be a little misleading. You must play 10 credits to get the maximum return, so the pays shown would be half those amounts on a five-credit maximum game.

While 4,000 credits for quad aces with a kicker and for a royal flush sound like a decent return, the return on a game with a five-credit maximum would be only 2,000 credits for these five-credit bets.

Pays for other hands in this pay table are also lower than on the standard five-credit maximum game. To be equal, the pay for a full house should be 90 credits rather than 60 credits and the pay for a flush should be 60 credits rather than 50 credits.

Each of these reductions in the per-credit return has a significant impact on your bankroll.

But enough of that. Let’s look at the sample hand you submitted.

You mentioned two possible holds – the As and the Th Kh. There are actually two additional holds that pay in between the two holds you mentioned.

Starting from the highest return, the best holds for your example hand are as follows.

The best hold is just the As. It returns 2.2769 for 5 played (or 4.5538 for 10 played) on average.

The second-best hold is the Kh As. It returns 2.1819 credits for 5 played (or 4.3638 credits for 10 played) on average.

The third-best hold is just the Kh. It returns 2.0024 credit for five played (or 4.0048 credits for 10 played) on average.

Finally, holding the Th and Kh and shooting for a royal flush returns 1.9639 credits for 5 played (or 3.9278 credits for 10 played) on average.

There are actually three holds that are better than holding the two cards of a royal flush. It may be very exciting to get a royal flush, but it is really not worth the hit taken by your bankroll.

As always, may all your wins be swift and large, and your losses be slow and small.

Jerry “Stickman”

Note: Jerry Stickman’s email address has recently changed. See below.

Jerry “Stickman” is an expert in craps, blackjack and video poker and advantage slot machine play. He is a regular contributor to top gaming magazines. He authored the video poker section of Everything Casino Poker: Get the Edge at Video Poker, Texas Hold'em, Omaha Hi-Lo, and Pai Gow Poker! You can contact Jerry “Stickman” at stickmanjerryg@gmail.com
Jerry Stickman

Jerry “Stickman” is an expert in craps, blackjack and video poker and advantage slot machine play. He is a regular contributor to top gaming magazines. He authored the video poker section of Everything Casino Poker: Get the Edge at Video Poker, Texas Hold'em, Omaha Hi-Lo, and Pai Gow Poker! You can contact Jerry "Stickman" at stickmanjerryg@gmail.com.

Jerry Stickman Websites:

www.goldentouchcraps.com
www.goldentouchblackjack.com
Jerry Stickman
Jerry “Stickman” is an expert in craps, blackjack and video poker and advantage slot machine play. He is a regular contributor to top gaming magazines. He authored the video poker section of Everything Casino Poker: Get the Edge at Video Poker, Texas Hold'em, Omaha Hi-Lo, and Pai Gow Poker! You can contact Jerry "Stickman" at stickmanjerryg@gmail.com.

Jerry Stickman Websites:

www.goldentouchcraps.com
www.goldentouchblackjack.com