How to Play Double Bonus Video Poker

Written by

Nicola Davidson on 10/10/2012

Double Bonus Poker is a video poker variant found at all Microgaming online casinos, as well as many other land-based and online casinos. At a glance, it may not have the best pay table for casual gamers, but it offers some very lucrative, extended payouts for landing a Four of a Kind. Depending on the cards that make up the Four of a Kind, a single coin bet could pay anywhere from 50x to 160x. The trade off is a lower payout for more common hands, as 2 Pair pays the same even money as a Pair of Jacks or Better, and Flushes and Straights pay 7 and 5 respectively.

The rules and payouts detailed below apply specifically to Double Bonus Video Poker games at Microgaming online casinos. If you play this game at a land-based casino, or an online casino powered by a different software platform, the pay table may vary.

Let’s take a look at the basic screen options of Double Bonus Video Poker.

• Optional Coin Sizes: $0.25, $0.50, $1, $2, $5
• Coins per Play: 1 to 5
• Min / Max Bet: $0.25 / $25
• Max Payout: 4000 Coins
• Lowest Winning Hand: Pair of Jacks or Better

How to Play Double Bonus Video Poker

This is a very easy game to play. The first thing you’ll want to do is select a coin size by clicking on the plus (+) and minus (-) buttons, then bet the desired amount of coins. To bet one or more coins, click the Bet One button as many times as needed, then press Deal to start the game. To bet the maximum 5 coins, simply press Bet Max and the game will start on its own with 5 coins wagered.

You get a starting hand of five cards, all dealt face-up. Some of these cards may have a HELD sign on them already. This is because Microgaming online casinos apply automatic strategy to help novices make the most profitable choices. You do NOT have to keep these cards if you don’t want to. Clicking on any card will change its keep or discard status from HELD to un-held, and vice versa.

When you’ve finished selecting which cards to hold, press the Deal button and all un-held cards will be replaced with new ones to create a new 5-card hand. If your final hand falls within the winning hand ranks on the pay table, the rank and corresponding payout will be highlighted and the winnings instantly credited. If not, the bet is lost. Simply click Deal to re-bet, or change your bet first and click Deal to play again.

Each time you win a hand, you are given the opportunity to place a special double-or-nothing wager. If you choose to do so, press Double and a game of High-Low will ensue. If not, click Collect. Your winnings are paid and you are ready to play another round of Double Bonus Poker.

Double Bonus Video Poker Double Feature

The Double feature launches a new 5-card game screen. This time, it’s just a quick game of High-Low. One card is exposed, and you have to choose one of the face-down cards to beat the exposed card. If the card you choose ranks higher than the first card, you double your winnings. If not, the winnings are lost and the screen returns to the Double Bonus Video Poker game.

Winning the Double gives you a chance to double your winnings yet again on another High-Low game. Click Double to do it again, or Collect to keep the winnings and go back to the video poker screen.

Double Bonus Video Poker Pay Table