Video Poker Forum

I've asked this question on several peoples videos on YouTube but haven't really gotten an answer. Why do people play "Bonus Poker"? I see a lot of people post videos playing that and some seem to play it exclusively. It seems like a horrible VP game to play. The payouts for the 4 of a kinds are only half of those on say, Double Double Bonus, and even the flush and full-house pay less. Certainly people aren't passing up those double (And in some cases quadruple) payouts just to get 10 instead of 5 for 2 pair? Obviously I'm missing something.

SaraTG wrote: ↑

Thu Mar 17, 2022 5:31 pm

Certainly people aren't passing up those double (And in some cases quadruple) payouts just to get 10 instead of 5 for 2 pair?

Yes, that's the reason. The 2 pair outcome occurs once every 8 hands, whereas quads (all combined) are something like once in 400.

The negative effect of the 2 pair reduction is greater than the positive effects of boosted quad payouts.

The long term return of 8/5 bonus poker is 99.17%, with a low variance of around 20. The most commonly available version of triple double bonus (the 9/6 one) has a long term return of 98.15%, with a variance close to 100. Granted, it's a bit more exciting than bonus poker, but in the long term, most people will pay dearly for that excitement. The 9/7 version of triple double does have a slightly higher return than bonus poker (99.58%), but with that extremely high variance, you have to have the stomach for many, many large losing sessions.

Based on what you have recently posted, you've done quite well on triple double bonus since your return to casino play. I hope, for your sake, you keep it up, but the odds are, unfortunately, that you won't.

This is the "Bonus Poker" game you want to look for.

onemoretry wrote: ↑

Fri Mar 18, 2022 5:35 am

Based on what you have recently posted, you've done quite well on triple double bonus since your return to casino play. I hope, for your sake, you keep it up, but the odds are, unfortunately, that you won't.

Aside from my lucky handpays I've hit probably 6-8 4 of a kinds since my return and combined that paid me over $1200 more than had I hit the same 4 of a kinds on Bonus Poker. I would have to believe that more than offsets the extra $5 you get for all the 2 pairs. If I get the chance to go back tomorrow I'll try a bit in the BP game and see if it looks like I'm playing longer off the same amount. But I know I'll be cursing if I get 4 low cards with a kicker and win $200 instead of $2000

If I want volatility, I'd rather just buy a Powerball ticket.

Looks like a denomination change after the fact on the quartet of ladies- should have paid 875 at $5

TripleTriple wrote: ↑

Sat Mar 19, 2022 4:23 pm

Looks like a denomination change after the fact on the quartet of ladies- should have paid 875 at $5

Or a different game the person was playing. I didn't hit that hand and whomever did, left that game after hitting it.

SaraTG wrote: ↑

Sat Mar 19, 2022 2:54 pm

If I get the chance to go back tomorrow I'll try a bit in the BP game and see if it looks like I'm playing longer off the same amount. But I know I'll be cursing if I get 4 low cards with a kicker and win $200 instead of $2000

It would also be quite informative if you kept track of how much extra those two pair payouts at twice the triple double rate, and the three for one versus two for one trips payouts added to your bankroll. You might be surprised.

That said, though, the results of a short term test are unlikely to mirror those of a longer term one.

Good post