New Video Poker Versions

When I write about video poker, I often fall back on 9-6 Double Double Bonus Poker. It's long been one of the most popular video poker games, and the 9-6 version is more commonly available than high-paying versions of other games.

Tightening of video poker pay tables has hit even Double Double Bonus. When I do spot checks at casinos from my Chicago area base, I sometimes can find 9-6 DDB (98.98 percent return with expert play) and less often 99-percent-plus payers on other games.

But sometimes, 8-5 DDB (96.79 percent) is as good as it gets. Full houses pay 8-for-1 and flushes 5-for-1 instead of the 9-for-1 and 6-for-1 in the 9-6 game, and that takes a bite out of the ol' bankroll.

DDB remains popular, though away from high-paying hot spots such as Las Vegas locals’ casinos, there has been shrinkage in video poker play. Those who remain still are drawn by the 2,000-coin payout -- half a royal -- for a five-coin bet when you draw four Aces with a 2, 3 or 4 as the fifth card.

Getting the most out of 8-5 Double Double Bonus requires some adjustments in strategy. Adjustments are driven mainly by the smaller return on flushes. Even on hands with straight flush or royal flush possibilities, the reduced pay of flushes impacts the value of possible draws.

The reduced pay on full houses affects your overall return, costing about 1.1 percent of your total payback. But it does not drive any strategy changes.

Let's sum up the main strategy adjustments when dropping from 9-6 to 8-5 Double Double Bonus Poker, then look at a few sample hands.

• With an 8-5 pay table, a pair of Kings, Queens or Jacks is more valuable than all three-card royals. In the 9-6 game, the only three-card royal with a higher average return than a high pair is the suited King-Queen-Jack. When the flush return drops, the pair is a better hold than that hand, too.


• Unsuited King-Queen and Queen-Jack are more valuable holds than suited Jack-10, the opposite of the play you’ll find on the strategy sheet for 9-6 DDB.


• Unsuited King-Queen-Jack becomes a better play than holding the three-card inside straight flushes King-10-9, Queen-9-8 and Jack-8-7.

Some sample hands:

King of diamonds, Queen of clubs, Jack of hearts, 8 of hearts, 7 of hearts

Should you hold King-Queen-Jack, or Jack-8-7? With the reduced flush pay, it’s King-Queen-Jack, with an average return of 2.45 coins vs. 2.36 on the three-card, double-inside straight flush draw. Those steeped in 9-6 DDB strategy would make the opposite play. King-Queen-Jack has the same 2.45-coin average return at the higher pay table, but the 6-for-1 pay on flushes increases the average return on suited Jack-8-7 to 2.56 coins. So we hold K-Q-J in 9-6 DDB, but J-8-7 in the 8-5 game.

Queen of clubs, Jack of hearts, 10 of hearts, 6 of spades, 2 of diamonds

The two-card royal Jack-10 is actually the third best play in the 8-5 game, with average returns of 2.28 on Queen-Jack, 2.25 on Queen-Jack-10 and 2.23 on Jack-10. When you’re down into hundredths of a coin, a mistake isn’t going to cost you a lot, but this is the play for those who want the most out of the game.

King of clubs, Queen of clubs, Jack of clubs, Jack of spades 6 of spades

That three-card royal is tempting, and with a higher flush payback we’d go for it. But here the average return is 7.18 coins on Jack-Jack and 7.15 on King-Queen-Jack. In the 9-6 game, average return on suited K-Q-J vaults to 7.35 and is the better play.

This article is provided by the Frank Scoblete Network. Melissa A. Kaplan is the network's managing editor. If you would like to use this article on your website, please contact Casino City Press, the exclusive web syndication outlet for the Frank Scoblete Network. To contact Frank, please e-mail him at fscobe@optonline.net.