Double Double Bonus Poker
Double Double Bonus Poker is one of the more recent and insanely successful variants, primarily made popular by online gamblers. Double Double Bonus Poker (DDB) is categorized as online video poker but it is also played at land-based casinos.
Double Double Bonus Poker has more winning combinations than other traditional or older versions. It is actually the relative simplicity of the conventional versions that make them more popular among veteran gamblers. However, Double Double Bonus Poker and the likes make the game more rewarding. The winning possibilities are faster and more diverse. Since there are more possible combinations, the competition can be fiercer and things can get quite complicated. Deciding which card to hold and what to expect based on the card you choose to drop is a daunting task. One such instance is when you have aces, perhaps a pair or two along with a kicker or perhaps a pair of kickers, maybe a jack too or something else of significance.
Double Double Bonus Poker Paytable
Let us consider a scenario wherein a player has two aces and one pair. How does one go about playing this hand? We shall take the following pay-table to set the context.
- Royal Flush is rewarded with 4,000.
- Straight Flush is rewarded with 250.
- 4 Aces with a Kicker is rewarded with 2,000.
- 4 Aces No Kicker is rewarded with 800.
- 4’2s, 3’s or 4’s with Kicker is rewarded with 800.
- 4’2s, 3’s, o 4’s No Kicker is rewarded with 400.
- 4 of a Kind is rewarded with 250.
- Full House is rewarded with 45.
- Flush is rewarded with 30.
- Straight is rewarded with 20.
- 3 of a Kind is rewarded with 15.
- Tow Pair is rewarded with 5.
- Pair of Jacks or Better is rewarded with 5.
First Scenario – Two Aces, A Pair, and A Jack
A♣ A♥ 7♠ 7♦ J♠ – You should hold on to the two aces because it has more potential for a higher reward. The sheer mathematical or quantifiable value of aces trumps others. This does not mean you should let go off the other pair. You can hold on to both but since you have a jack, there is a possibility you can monetize that with a potential pair or another greater combination. Holding on to both the pair and the aces would reduce your chances of winning a bigger reward.
Second Scenario – Two Two Aces, A Pair of Kickers and A Jack
A♦ A♣ 9♠ 9♦ J♠ – If the pay-table is the one as mentioned above then you should hold onto both the pairs. If the pay-table is worse, such as in cases of Triple Double Bonus Poker, then you would be better off holding on to the aces and discarding the pair or other cards. There are pay-tables that reduce the reward value of full house and flush. This does not augur well for a player in the long run. The aforementioned pay-table is more rewarding in that sense so you can win big in the long run with the chances of the house getting an edge on you being substantially reduced.
Simple Strategy for Double Double Bonus Poker
You would be dealt five cards while playing Double Double Bonus Poker. You may get a straight flush with nine, ten, jack, queen and king in your first hand. You may hold onto it and hope to secure a reward, even if it is relatively less valuable than other greater returns. You may discard the nine hoping that you would draw an ace and that would give you a royal flush. Most gamblers will aim for the royal flush but beginners and safer players will secure the straight flush win than to bet everything with the possibility of winning nothing.
You may have two kings and two eights. You may be tempted to part with the eights. This does not augur well for most players because vying for a full house has more favorable odds. Yet, if someone who is an astute gambler gets rid of the eights and bags a king or two more kings then the scenario changes quite a bit. It is to a large extent up to you to determine the risk you would take and if you are willing to lose the bet to take a chance to win big or to win something that may be much less but reducing the chances of losing it all.
Aiming for four of a kind, especially with kings or aces, can get you anywhere from eight hundred to two thousand dollars. The odds of converting a pair of aces or kings to two pairs of aces or kings respectively are one in three hundred and sixty times. Another tricky instance is when you have a straight but not a straight flush. You may discard the one card that impairs a straight flush and hopes to get it replaced or another higher or lower card in the straight to complete the flush. This too has less probability so holding onto the straight may be better than vying for the straight flush.
What to do?
In Double Double Bonus Poker, it is always wiser to be safe so you can secure a winning hand and get some return. You can always keep bankrolling yourself as you continue to win smaller amounts. You can take some risk later if that is something you may want to do. Winning big or nothing is not a sane strategy for Double Double Bonus Poker, not when you are just getting started.
