BONUS POKER DELUXE STRATEGY
Bonus Poker Deluxe is another variation of Jacks or Better designed to add some excitement to your play with the possibility of getting higher paying four of a kind hands. This video poker game is different than Bonus Poker because all four of a kind hands pay the same at a rate of 80 for one. This makes Bonus Poker Deluxe a relatively popular game. There are many more large pays because four of a kind hands show up roughly 100 times as often as a royal flush (once every 424 hands versus once every 42,000 hands). Because of this a Bonus Poker Deluxe player has multiple opportunities to score a $100 hit on a quarter game. This is a large enough win for many Bonus Poker Deluxe players to cash out and consider the session a win.
The pay table has the exact same nine paying hands as Jacks or Better although the pay values are different. The pays for a full house and two pair are each reduced by one credit to fund the additional amount paid on four of a kind hands. The return percentage is a full percentage point lower than full pay Jacks or Better, however, so the Bonus Poker Deluxe player is definitely paying for the thrill of the larger pays on four of a kind hands.
The 8/6 version of Bonus Poker Deluxe is the only version that will be presented in this guide as lower paying versions of this game are not worth the effort or expense to play.
Notice that because of the greater number of higher paying hands in Bonus Poker Deluxe, the variance for this game is noticeably higher than any Jacks or Better game. At 31.9 compared to about 19.5 you will need a decent sized bankroll in order to play this game.
One advantage of playing Bonus Poker Deluxe, however, is the strategy is just as simple as Jacks or Better. There is no requirement to distinguish between four aces and four 2s, 3s or 4s or to distinguish between four aces and four 5s through Kings. All four of a kind hands are equal, just as they are in Jacks or Better.
As you may have noticed, the Bonus Poker Deluxe strategy is only slightly more complex than Jacks or Better. This makes Bonus Poker Deluxe a good game for novices and recreational players who like getting the larger pays on four of a kind hands and are willing to sacrifice a fairly significant house edge in order to get them.
While I do not strongly recommend Bonus Poker Deluxe due to its higher house edge, if you are the type who likes to see more frequent large hits and don’t mind what they will cost you, this might be the game for you.
TEST YOURSELF – BONUS POKER DELUXE
In order to test your understanding of how to use the strategy charts, see if you can properly play the following hands based on the strategy for the 8/5 full pay version of Bonus Poker. Decide which of the cards in each hand below you would hold (if any).
- J♥ | 5♠ | 10♦ | 5♥ | 2♣
- K♦ | 3♣ | 4♥ | 6♦ | 7♠
- Q♦ | 3♣ | 4♣ | Q♥ | 5♣
- J♠ | 8♣ | J♣ | 9♣ | 10♣
- K♣ | 10♣ | A♥ | Q♣ | A♦
- J♦ | Q♦ | A♦ | 5♦ | K♦
- 4♣ | 6♣ | J♥ | 5♣ | Q♥
- 4♣ | 7♦ | 5♥ | 8♣ | 2♦
ANSWERS
- 5♠ | 5♥
- K♦
- Q♦ | Q♥
- 8♣ | J♣ | 9♣ | 10♣
- A♥ | A♦
- J♦ | Q♦ | A♦ | K♦
- 4♣ | 6♣ | 5♣
- 4♣ | 7♦ | 5♥ | 8♣