Readers keep asking about Double Double Bonus Poker. There's no denying the popularity of this IGT game, even though its maximum payback with the best (9/6) pay schedule is only about 98.8%, and many machines have an even lower pay schedule. There are several possibilities for this interest, including:
* It's widely known that full pay Double Bonus Poker is a favorite of professional players, and there may be a perception that if Double Bonus is good then Double Double Bonus must be even better.
* Some players may be confusing it with the much more attractive Double Double Jackpot game by Sigma.
* Maybe it's just that it's more widely available than 100%-plus games, especially outside Nevada.
* But most likely, it's the assortment of mini-jackpots on various quads that can be doubled if you have the right "kicker." Recreational players love the volatility (the Volatility Index is about 5.53).
In any case, a description of the game and the playing strategy follow. Before going on, however, I want to make it clear that I don't recommend this game unless you value the variety of medium size jackpots over a long term edge, although a very good promotion could make it attractive. Here are the per-coin payoffs (for 5 coins played) and expected frequency of final hands (assuming perfect play):
| Final Hand |
Per-coin Payoff |
Probability |
Contribution to Payback |
 |
|
|
|
| Royal flush |
800 |
.0000245 |
1.961% |
| Straight flush |
50 |
.0001096 |
.548% |
| Four aces * |
160 |
.0002351 |
5.172% |
| Four 2's, 3's, 4's ** |
80 |
.0005275 |
5.276% |
| Four 5's - K's |
50 |
.001437 |
8.150% |
| Full house |
9 |
.01086 |
9.774% |
| Flush |
6 |
.01136 |
6.815% |
| Straight |
4 |
.01277 |
5.107% |
| Three or a kind |
3 |
.07526 |
22.579% |
| Two pair |
1 |
.12306 |
12.306% |
* Four aces with a 2, 3 or 4 kicker pays 400-for-1. ** Four 2's, 3's or 4's with an A, 2, 3 or 4 kicker pays 160-for-1.
This analysis was done several years ago, using an early version of Video Poker Tutor. To account for the increased payoffs on certain quads with certain kickers, it was necessary to use an average payoff of 220 for four aces and 100 for four 2's, 3's and 4's. Current versions of Video Poker Tutor and WinPoker will actually handle such kicker situations, and the resulting probability figures will be a bit different, but the strategy is not significantly affected, so there's nothing to be gained by a new analysis. The slightly simplified playing strategy given below will yield very close to the game's maximum payback.
The Strategy: Hold any made pay of three-of-a-kind or better, except break a flush or a straight for any RF4. Also, if you are dealt quad A's, 2's, 3's or 4's you should hold the "kicker" (the fifth card) only if it's an A through 4. For any lesser dealt hand, select the first combination in the following hand rank table:
RF 4
SF 4
Pair of aces
Two pair
Pair of J - K
RF 3
Flush 4
Pair of 2, 3 or 4
Straight 4
Pair of 5 - 10
SF 3 i h1, h2
SF 3 di h2
A-K-Q-J *
RF 2 (no 10)
SF 3 i h0
Straight 4 i h3
SF 3 di h1
Q-J (unsuited)
One ace
K-Q-J **
1 or 2 high cards
RF 2 (with 10, no A)
SF 3 di h0
Zilch
* If any three of A-K-Q-J are suited, the hand should be played as an RF 3. ** If any two of K-Q-J are suited, the hand should be played as an RF 2.
Note that we do not hold two or three unsuited high cards that include an ace. Dealt an ace and one or two other unsuited high card, we hold only the ace. The exception is when dealt A-Q-J unsuited we hold the Q-J.
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