Many video poker variations offer all kinds of bonus payouts and other prizes. However, there is the classic version of the game, which is called Bonus Poker. It has the same basic rules as most others. Precisely this model is discussed in this article.
Description of Bonus Poker
Bonus Poker is very similar to Jacks or Better.
Its main difference from Jacks or Better is features of the pay table in which combinations are paid according to some special multipliers (read more below).
A standard 52-card deck is used in this video poker. Jokers are not available. All cards take part in each hand.
It is allowed to play on one hand in the standard version, but some games accept bets on several lines. Gamers can usually wager from one to five coins. Players can choose their value from the provided range. The game on five coins usually offers additional benefits (read about them below).
The goal is to get poker combinations that are provided by the rules.
If necessary, it is possible to exchange once up to five cards. This option is free of charge.
The combinations from a pair of jacks to a royal flush are considered winnings. The game's feature is different multipliers for three types of four of a kind.
We will list all the hands according to their value in ascending order indicating the most frequent payouts (if the bet is one coin).
- Pairs of jacks, queens, kings, or aces - 1
- Two pairs - 2
- Three of a kind - 3
- Straight - 4
- Flush - 5
- Full house - 8
- Fours of a kind (fives, sixes, sevens, eights, nines, tens, jacks, queens, or kings) - 25
- Fours of a kind (deuces, threes, fours) - 40
- Fours of a kind (aces) - 80
- Straight flush - 50
- Royal flush - 250
Royal Flush brings disproportionately high payouts in some video pokers when you play betting five coins. It is usually 4,000 coins.
Users should also pay attention to the fact that four aces are paid better than a straight flush.
Bonus Poker Gameplay
The gameplay is carried out according to standard rules. The user makes a bet and receives five cards. Then he chooses the cards worth holding in the game, and the other cards are exchanged for new ones. Users who are satisfied with the initially received hands may skip the exchange. To do this, hold all the cards.
The first five cards are dealt on the starting line if you make a bet on several hands simultaneously. When the player selects the cards for holding, they are duplicated in all positions. The new cards for each hand are dealt from a new deck, but the duplication is impossible.
After the exchange, all formed combinations are paid. If the rules give the game even chances, the customer can participate by staking credited money (sometimes users can wager half). Players need to face up one of the hole cards randomly. The payout is doubled if its rank is higher than the dealer's card. Otherwise, money goes to the casino.
Bonus Poker Versions
The main differences between the various versions of Bonus Poker include diverse payouts for multiple combinations. The overestimated payout for a royal flush with the bet of five coins, the presence/absence of the game on even chance, progressive jackpots, and offers to make bets on more than one hand can be considered other differences.
The range of models from Microgaming has a game called Double Double Bonus Poker. It has unique multipliers for the calculation of winnings. Users may become familiar with this game in the independent review on Casinoz.
Summary
First, we want to save novice video poker fans from premature conclusions. Increased payouts for some high-ranking hands in Bonus Poker do not mean that this game is more profitable than Jacks or Better. Reduced payouts compensate for the lost house advantage for a flush and a full house.
For comparison, in the classic 9/6 Jacks or Better, the payout percentage is over 99.5%, and in 8/5 Bonus Poker, this index does not even reach 99.2%.
More information about this issue is in the article. In it, the authors have compared two popular models. On Casinoz, there is a detailed description of Bonus Poker strategies.
We are waiting for your impressions of Bonus Poker with stories of your personal experience at casinos.