By The Mystic Gambler
Double Double Bonus video poker is one of a variety of video poker games that are generally considered in the family of “Jacks or Better” games. These games are based on payback to the player beginning with holding a pair of jacks, as the name indicates. How the variations differ from each other is simply in the types of paying hands and how much each hand pays.
Double Double Bonus (DDB) is exciting to play because it pays better for certain four of a kind hands and even more when special kickers are also dealt. The casino makes up for all the bonus hands by lowering the pays for the more commonly dealt lower hands ( two pair, three of a kind, straight, flush and full house). Significantly, DDB pays only even money for two pair, compared to the basic Jacks or Better game that pays two times the bet.
DDB can be played with a proven strategy that, when played perfectly on a machine with a 9/6 paytable, can return almost 99% of what’s wagered over time. If earned points from a players club card added and by playing progressive machines, the expected return can be over 100%.
The numbers “9” and “6” above refer to the amounts paid for a single credit bet for a full house and a flush, respectfully. While a 10/6 paytable was once readily available (paying 100.07%) it is rarely seen these days. Even the 9/6 paytable will be hard to find outside of Nevada. The lower those two figures are, the worst the return will be. Keep in mind that, like all video poker games, pay tables can vary on the same casino floor. Always play the best pay table that you can find.
Strategy
If you’re interested in playing video poker with an advantage, you should know that each game has its own strategy. And each strategy can vary depending can vary slightly with different pay tables available for that game. So it can get complicated. One way to simplify learning the game is to begin by learning the basic Jacks or Better strategy first, which is fairly easy, then studying how to make changes to that strategy when playing other games. In this case, Double Double Bonus Video Poker.
The following video discusses some of the strategy differences between DDB and standard JOB (Jacks or Better). If you are unfamiliar with the strategy for JOB there is a link in the video to another video that will teach it to you. Dive a little deeper by practicing what you learn by clicking Free Play from the menu at the top of the page and selecting either JOB or DDB to practice what you learn – before you go into the casino.
