Double Bonus Video Poker Strategy
Double Bonus video poker gives you a real chance to play with positive expected returns when you find the right pay table and use the correct strategy. The 10/7 version of this game offers a return rate of 100.17% with perfect play, which means you can actually have a slight edge over the casino. However, most players lose money because they use the wrong strategy or play machines with worse pay tables.
Learning the right strategy for Double Bonus is essential because this game plays very differently from standard Jacks or Better video poker. The pay table only gives you 1 credit for two pair instead of 2 credits, but it pays much more for four aces and other premium hands. This change affects which cards you should hold and which ones you should discard in almost every situation.
You need to understand the rules, find good pay tables, and memorize the correct plays if you want to get the best results. This guide will show you how Double Bonus works and give you the strategy you need to play it the right way.
Double Bonus Video Poker Rules and Pay Tables
Double Bonus video poker follows standard five-card draw poker rules but rewards four-of-a-kind hands with significantly higher payouts than traditional Jacks or Better games. The pay table structure determines your expected return, with full-pay versions offering the best odds when you use correct strategy.
Understanding the Game Mechanics
You start each hand by placing a bet of one to five coins. The machine deals you five cards, and you choose which cards to hold and which to discard.
After you make your selections, the machine replaces your discarded cards with new ones from the deck. Your final hand determines your payout based on the pay table.
The minimum winning hand is a pair of jacks or better. You need at least jacks, queens, kings, or aces as your pair to receive a payout. Lower pairs don’t win anything.
The game uses a standard 52-card deck with no wild cards. Each hand starts with a fresh shuffle, so previous hands don’t affect your current odds.
Analyzing Pay Table Variations
The most common way to identify pay tables is by their full house and flush payouts. A 10/7 Double Bonus game pays 10 coins for a full house and 7 coins for a flush per coin bet.
Common Pay Table Versions:
- 10/7 Full Pay – Returns 100.2% with perfect play
- 9/7 – Returns 99.1% with perfect play
- 9/6 – Returns 98.0% with perfect play
- 8/5 – Returns 96.4% with perfect play
The full pay 10/7 version is rare but offers a positive expected return. Most casinos offer 9/7 or lower pay tables.
You should always check the full house and flush payouts before playing. These two payouts have the biggest impact on your overall return percentage.
Ranking Hands and Payouts
Four aces pays 160 coins per coin bet in Double Bonus, compared to 25 coins in Jacks or Better. Four 2s, 3s, or 4s pays 80 coins per coin bet.
Standard Double Bonus Payouts (10/7 version, per coin):
| Hand | Payout |
|---|---|
| Royal Flush | 800 |
| Straight Flush | 50 |
| Four Aces | 160 |
| Four 2s-4s | 80 |
| Four 5s-Kings | 50 |
| Full House | 10 |
| Flush | 7 |
| Straight | 5 |
| Three of a Kind | 3 |
| Two Pair | 1 |
| Jacks or Better | 1 |
The reduced two pair payout of just 1 coin per coin bet is the key difference from Jacks or Better. This lower payout balances the increased four-of-a-kind payouts and changes optimal strategy significantly.
Optimal Double Bonus Video Poker Strategy
Double Bonus video poker rewards four-of-a-kind hands with premium payouts, which changes how you should play certain hands compared to Jacks or Better. Your decisions should prioritize opportunities to hit these high-paying quads while maintaining the balance needed for consistent returns.
Basic Strategy Overview
Double Bonus strategy centers on one key principle: you need to chase four-of-a-kind hands more aggressively than in standard video poker. The enhanced payouts for quads, especially four Aces, change the expected value of many hands.
You should hold single high cards more often in Double Bonus. When you have a choice between keeping a low pair or holding high cards, the decision shifts based on the specific situation. A low pair (2s through 10s) is less valuable here than in Jacks or Better.
The game penalizes two pair by only paying even money instead of 2-to-1. This affects your strategy significantly. When you hold two pair, you’re only drawing to a full house, which makes certain draws less profitable than keeping just one of the pairs.
High pairs (Jacks through Aces) remain your strongest starting hands. You should always keep these and draw three cards.
Strategy Chart Breakdown
Here’s how to prioritize your hands from strongest to weakest:
Premium Hands (Never Break These)
- Royal flush, straight flush, four-of-a-kind
- Full house, flush, straight
- Three-of-a-kind
Drawing Hands (In Order of Priority)
- Four cards to a royal flush
- High pair (Jacks or better)
- Four cards to a straight flush
- Three cards to a royal flush
- Low pair (2s through 10s)
- Four cards to a flush
- Four cards to an open straight
- Two high cards (same suit)
- Three cards to a straight flush
- Two high cards (different suits)
- One high card
- Three cards to a flush with no high cards
You’ll notice this differs from Jacks or Better. You keep low pairs over four-card flushes in Double Bonus. You also keep single high cards more frequently.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Breaking up paying hands costs you money. Never discard a paying pair to chase a four-card flush or straight. The only exception is when you have four cards to a royal flush.
Many players keep two pair, which seems logical. However, you should sometimes break up two pair in specific situations. If you have two high pairs, keep them both. If you have one high pair and one low pair, you might keep just the high pair depending on the paytable.
Costly Errors to Watch For:
- Holding three cards to a flush over a low pair
- Breaking high pairs to chase straights or flushes
- Keeping kickers with pairs
- Holding inside straight draws without high cards
You should never keep a kicker with any pair. Draw three cards to maximize your chances of hitting three-of-a-kind or better.
Bankroll Management Techniques
Double Bonus has higher volatility than Jacks or Better. You need a bigger bankroll to handle the swings. Plan for at least 300 betting units for a single session.
Your bet size should match your total bankroll. If you have $1,000 to play with, stick to quarter machines ($1.25 per hand) or lower. Playing max coins is required to get the full royal flush payout.
Set loss limits before you start playing. A reasonable stop-loss is 40% of your session bankroll. When you hit this point, take a break or end your session.
Track your results across multiple sessions. This helps you identify if you’re making strategy errors or just experiencing normal variance. You should expect losing sessions even with perfect play since the house edge exists on most paytables.