How to Play Double Double Jackpot Video Poker
Double Double Jackpot video poker is the perfect game for video poker players who don’t like to grind it out at a machine for a long time with the expectation of small winnings. It does this by pumping up the payback for any kind of four of a kind hands, especially those with face cards involved. And if you have four of a kind face cards along with a face card kicker thrown in, you can really score significant winnings in a mighty hurry.
If you are only a novice to the world of video poker, you might only be familiar with the most common version of the game. This common version is known as Jacks or Better, in part because that a pair of Jacks or higher is the lowest-paying hand in the game. In terms of gameplay, Jacks or Better mimics the card game known as five card draw, as both include a deal and draw round in order to make the best five-card hand.
In terms of payback, Jacks or Better is an excellent brand of video poker, especially if you can find the highest-paying pay table. Unfortunately, for those who are only playing to play the game over a short session, it provides you with very little opportunity at a quick payout of any significance. Only the royal flush pays out at a jackpot-type level, and that hand is extremely difficult and rare to make.
For that reason, video poker manufacturers have been toying with the pay tables, which dictate what gamblers receive for each winning hand, for a while now. They have come up with the idea of Bonus games, which are known to boost payouts for four of a kind hands. Four of a kind hands are still rare, but they aren’t completely out of question for someone who is sitting at a machine for a few hours of play.
Double Double Jackpot video poker takes the concept of Bonus Poker to an extreme. Like all Bonus machines, it includes boosted payouts for a four of a kind achieved with any kind of quads. But where this game really stands out is with the payouts for four face cards of a kind, payouts which actually come within hailing distance of the royal flush.
Considering that most people are used to thinking of face cards as valuable from common card games, the strategy for Double Double Jackpot video poker is a little bit easier to learn for the novice than some Bonus games. But it isn’t all positive, as casinos have to make sure that the game doesn’t pay out too much. As a result, payback for common hands in this version of video poker are somewhat tepid compared to other games like Jacks or Better.
In the following article, we’ll teach you everything you need to know about Double Double Jackpot video poker. We’ll teach you how to play, and we’ll take a look at the special pay tables and how they affect payback percentage. Finally, we’ll talk about the way you can learn strategy for the game so that you can maximize your potential winnings.
Learning to Play Double Double Jackpot Video Poker
The good news about Double Double Jackpot video poker is that it does not differ in the least from common Jacks or Better-style video poker in terms of the gameplay. Many video poker variations include some sort of twist on gameplay that could confuse a beginner. But that is not the case with this game, where the only real difference is that pay table.
Video poker is, by and large, an easy game to learn. It can also be played very rapidly and without any hassle from other people in the casino. Playing online at a top gambling website is easy as well, since the display of a video poker screen can easily be translated onto the screen of a computer monitor, smartphone, or tablet.
In fact, video poker is one of the best games that you can play in a casino, both the physical and online variety. We already mentioned the ease of play as one of its defining characteristics. In that respect, video poker machines are reminiscent of slot machines.
But the comparison really should end right there. With slot machines, you are essentially just a bystander in terms of how the game plays out. All you can do is spin and hope that your spin is a winner.
In addition, you really don’t have any idea how often winning spins can be expected to arrive on a slot machine. There are pay tables on the machine, but they only show what you get paid for each combination of symbols. The casino can set winning reels to appear at whatever frequency they want, and that information doesn’t have to be shared with you.
But video poker is based on the probabilities that come with a standard 52-card deck of cards. This means that you will have a mathematical idea of how often, for example, a straight flush can be expected to show up during gameplay. Combine that with the pay table, and you will know the expected payback percentage of that machine.
Don’t feel like doing the math? You can easily look the pay table online and find out its payback percentages. Plus, unlike video poker, you can make a decision during the course of hand that will actually affect whether or not you win or lose the hand.
In other words, skillful video poker players have a better chance of winning big than others. Combine all of that with what we mentioned about video poker being a solitary, hassle-free experience, and you can see why it is such a beneficial game to bettors. It takes the best parts of slot machines and table games and combines them.
If that doesn’t convince you to play, what about if we told you that the average payback for video poker dwarfs the payback of slot machines and is right in the ballpark with table games. It makes for a pretty appealing prospect, doesn’t it? Knowing all that, let’s learn how to play video poker, which can then lead to you also learning Double Double Jackpot video poker.
Step 1: The Bankroll
When you wish to play a video poker machine in a casino, you will either insert money or a redemption ticket with credits on it into the machine. This will comprise your bankroll. If you’re playing online, you’ll create your bankroll by creating an account at the website that you’re utilizing.
The bankroll will be rendered in credits, or coins, on the machine. Each credit will be equal to a single unit of the denomination that you’ve chosen to play. Denominations, which can run from low amounts like a penny to higher amounts like a dollar, might already be set by the machine you choose, or you might be able to select your denomination on certain machines.
Keep in mind, when deciding on a bankroll, that you will be able to play several hands per minute once you get the hang of the action. You should also be aware that the ideal way to play Double Double Jackpot video poker is to bet five credits per hand, as we’ll explain in a moment. Knowing both of these two things, you can adjust your bankroll accordingly, depending on how long you hope to play.
Step 2: The Bet
You can bet one through five credits per hand when playing Double Double Jackpot video poker. As we mentioned just above, you should ideally be betting five coins every single hand. Why is that the case?
Well, the payoff for the royal flush hand takes a significant jump once you make the move up to the five-coin level. At one through four coins, the royal flush, which is the highest-paying hand in the game in most cases, pays off at 250 to 1. But when you bet five coins, that pay jumps to 800 to 1 for the royal flush.
We understand that it might get a little pricey to bet that much every single hand. But you are hurting your chances of maxing out your winnings if you don’t do the max bet (five coins) on every hand. If you find that it is too expensive for you to do that, you might want to consider playing at a lower denomination.
Step 3: The Hand
As we talked about in the introduction above, video poker is basically a computerized reproduction of the card game known as five-card draw. In the case of the card game, you might be playing against multiple other players. But in video poker games like Double Double Jackpot, it’s just you against the machine.
To that end, you will be trying to make one of the winning hands on the pay table with a five-card deal and a draw round. Most pay tables are pretty similar in terms of which hands pay out. In the case of Double Double Jackpot video poker, you will be hoping to make one of the following winning hands:
- Pair of jacks or better
- Two pair
- Three of a kind
- Straight (five cards of consecutive rank, like 3-4-5-6-7)
- Flush (five cards of same suit)
- Full house (three of a kind and two pair in the same hand)
- Four of a kind
- Straight flush (straight with five cards of same suit)
- Royal flush (ten, jack, queen, king, and ace of the same suit)
Inside a common video poker machine (or inside the software of an online casino offering the game) is a random number generator, or RNG, that is constantly shuffling a simulated deck of 52 cards. At the time you make your bet, the top five cards in that deck at the moment that you hit the button will appear on the screen. This will be your starting hand or your deal.
The reason that you should know about the RNG is to keep any misconceptions about the game from messing up your strategy. No machine is ever “hot” or “cold,” and there won’t be any cards that are “due” based on what has happened in previous deals. Every deal is completely random and determined only by where the cards are the instant that you hit that button.
The same goes for the draw round. This is the point in the hand where you get a chance to make an impact on gameplay. You do this by deciding which cards are to be held and which are to be discarded. The discarded cards will be replaced by others from the top of that simulated deck that also provided you with the deal, now containing 47 cards (52 minus the 5 you were initially dealt).
This is where your knowledge of probabilities and your ability to combine that with the pay table’s information about each winning hand’s payoff will come into play. Let’s take a look at a sample hand to see how it works. Here is your deal:
In this deal, there aren’t any combinations that will pay off as they are. But there are several possibilities which can be improved into winning hands with a break here or there. For instance, you have a pair of fours. If you get rid of the other three cards, it can be turned into two pair, three of a kind, a full house, or even four of a kind, which as we’ve mentioned, pays off extremely well in Double Double Jackpot video poker.
But there are other possibilities as well. You can keep everything but one of the fours, in which case, you would need only a seven on the draw to make a straight. Or you can hold only the four, five, and six of hearts, which not only keeps a flush in play but also gives you an outside chance at a straight flush.
As you can see, this is a hand which presents some complex decisions. Once you learn a little about strategy and play video poker for a while, you’ll find that you can make these decisions quickly. And there will also be many hands where the decision about what to hold and discard will be much easier.
In any case, once you decide which cards you’d like to hold, simply press the buttons underneath those cards on the machine. Once you hit the “Draw” button, your discarded cards will be replaced and the hand is complete. You can look to see if you’ve achieved a winning hand.
Once you’ve completed a hand, you can go right into the next one by repeating steps two and three above, as long as you have credits remaining. If not, you’ll have to replenish your bankroll. You can also cash out at any time that you wish and take your redemption ticket to another game or to be redeemed for cash.
And that’s how you play video poker at its most basic level. It’s also how you’ll play Double Double Jackpot video poker. But in order to play the game at its maximum level, you’ll need to understand how the pay tables work.
Pay Tables for Double Double Jackpot Video Poker
The pay tables, which can be easily located on a video poker screen, are a crucial piece of information in video poker. They’ll tell you what your strategy should be for the hands that you play. And they’ll also let you know how the machine pays off when you compare it to others.
In terms of Double Double Jackpot video poker, the key difference to its pay table is that it really boosts the payouts for four of a kind hands. Among the four of a kind hands, those achieved with face cards really get jacked up. Even better when there is a face card kicker involved.
What is a kicker? Well, the kicker is the odd card out in a hand with four of a kind. Take a look at this hand:
In this hand, you have four aces. The king of diamonds is the kicker.
In order to understand the context of a Double Double Jackpot video poker pay table, you need to see a comparison. To do that, here is a Jacks or Better pay table. This is the highest-paying, or full-pay, Jacks or Better pay table that you’ll be able to find:
Jacks or Better Pay Table
| Coins/Hands | 1 coin | 2 coins | 3 coins | 4 coins | 5 coins |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Royal flush | 250 | 500 | 750 | 1000 | 4000 |
| Straight flush | 50 | 100 | 150 | 200 | 250 |
| Four of a kind | 25 | 50 | 75 | 100 | 125 |
| Full house | 9 | 18 | 27 | 36 | 45 |
| Flush | 6 | 12 | 18 | 24 | 30 |
| Straight | 4 | 8 | 12 | 16 | 20 |
| Three of a kind | 3 | 6 | 9 | 12 | 15 |
| Two pair | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 |
| Jacks or better | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
Now, let’s compare that to the full-pay Double Double Jackpot video poker pay table:
Doulbe Double Jackpot Pay Table
| Coins/Hands | 1 coin | 2 coins | 3 coins | 4 coins | 5 coins |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Royal flush | 250 | 500 | 750 | 1000 | 4000 |
| Straight flush | 50 | 100 | 150 | 200 | 250 |
| Four aces w/ J to K | 320 | 640 | 960 | 1280 | 1600 |
| Four aces w/ 2s to 10s | 160 | 320 | 480 | 640 | 800 |
| Four Js to Ks w/ J to A | 160 | 320 | 480 | 640 | 800 |
| Four Js to Ks w / 2 to 10 | 80 | 160 | 240 | 320 | 400 |
| Four 2s to 10s | 50 | 100 | 150 | 200 | 250 |
| Full house | 12 | 24 | 36 | 48 | 60 |
| Flush | 5 | 10 | 15 | 20 | 25 |
| Straight | 4 | 8 | 12 | 16 | 20 |
| Three of a kind | 3 | 6 | 9 | 12 | 15 |
| Two pairs | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Jacks or Better | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
You will notice several differences between these two. First of all, the Jacks or Better pay table contains no distinction between four of a kind hands; they all pay the same. With Double Double Jackpot Video Poker, you get more for four aces than you do four jacks through kings, and you get more for four jacks through kings than you do for four twos through nines, kicker notwithstanding.
In all cases, however, the payout for four of a kind is more substantial on the Double Double Jackpot pay table than it is for the Jacks or Better. There is also a nicer payout for Double Double Jackpot on the full house. Since the full house occurs even more than the four of a kind, this can really make a difference during gameplay.
So why would anyone even bother playing Jacks or Better if Double Double Jackpot is so much better? Well, it’s actually only partly better. Take a look at the bottom of the pay table and notice the payout for two pair.
In the case of Jacks or Better, you get paid 2 to 1 for two pair. But in Double Double Jackpot, you get paid only even money. And this is actually a pretty big deal.
You see, the Jacks or Better hand will come up much more often in an average session than four of a kind. In fact, you’re likely to see it once every 10 hands. And getting paid at a discount every time it comes up can really do some damage on your bankroll, since the payout for common hands is what keeps your bankroll afloat until you manage some of the rare, high-paying hands.
That is why Double Double Jackpot video poker is known as a game with high volatility. It means that you can expect to have big swings between winning and losing while you play. That is not the case with Jacks or Better, which offers more stable play with less of the highs and lows.
You may have a preference for one style of play over the other. That’s why you should learn what the pay tables mean and how they relate to volatility. Otherwise, you might end up at a game that ultimately frustrates you and ruins the experience.
You also have to keep in mind that the pay table listed above for Double Double Jackpot video poker is the full-pay version. That might be hard to find, whether you’re searching in your local casino or at real money online gambling sites. As a result, you might have to settle for lesser-paying tables.
For example, here are three other Double Double Jackpot video poker pay tables you might encounter:
| Coins/Hands | 1 coin | 2 coins | 3 coins | 4 coins | 5 coins |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Royal flush | 250 | 500 | 750 | 1000 | 4000 |
| Straight flush | 50 | 100 | 150 | 200 | 250 |
| Four aces w/ J to K | 320 | 640 | 960 | 1280 | 1600 |
| Four aces w/ 2s to 10s | 160 | 320 | 480 | 640 | 800 |
| Four Js to Ks w/ J to A | 160 | 320 | 480 | 640 | 800 |
| Four Js to Ks w / 2 to 10 | 80 | 160 | 240 | 320 | 400 |
| Four 2s to 10s | 50 | 100 | 150 | 200 | 250 |
| Full house | 12 | 24 | 36 | 48 | 60 |
| Flush | 8 | 16 | 24 | 32 | 40 |
| Straight | 7 | 14 | 21 | 28 | 35 |
| Three of a kind | 5 | 10 | 15 | 20 | 25 |
| Two pairs | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Jacks or Better | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Coins/Hands | 1 coin | 2 coins | 3 coins | 4 coins | 5 coins |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Royal flush | 250 | 500 | 750 | 1000 | 4000 |
| Straight flush | 50 | 100 | 150 | 200 | 250 |
| Four aces w/ J to K | 320 | 640 | 960 | 1280 | 1600 |
| Four aces w/ 2s to 10s | 160 | 320 | 480 | 640 | 800 |
| Four Js to Ks w/ J to A | 160 | 320 | 480 | 640 | 800 |
| Four Js to Ks w / 2 to 10 | 80 | 160 | 240 | 320 | 400 |
| Four 2s to 10s | 50 | 100 | 150 | 200 | 250 |
| Full house | 9 | 18 | 27 | 36 | 45 |
| Flush | 7 | 14 | 21 | 28 | 35 |
| Straight | 5 | 10 | 15 | 20 | 25 |
| Three of a kind | 3 | 6 | 9 | 12 | 15 |
| Two pairs | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Jacks or Better | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Coins/Hands | 1 coin | 2 coins | 3 coins | 4 coins | 5 coins |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Royal flush | 250 | 500 | 750 | 1000 | 4000 |
| Straight flush | 50 | 100 | 150 | 200 | 250 |
| Four aces w/ J to K | 320 | 640 | 960 | 1280 | 1600 |
| Four aces w/ 2s to 10s | 160 | 320 | 480 | 640 | 800 |
| Four Js to Ks w/ J to A | 160 | 320 | 480 | 640 | 800 |
| Four Js to Ks w / 2 to 10 | 80 | 160 | 240 | 320 | 400 |
| Four 2s to 10s | 50 | 100 | 150 | 200 | 250 |
| Full house | 10 | 20 | 30 | 40 | 50 |
| Flush | 6 | 12 | 18 | 24 | 30 |
| Straight | 4 | 8 | 12 | 16 | 20 |
| Three of a kind | 3 | 6 | 9 | 12 | 15 |
| Two pairs | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Jacks or Better | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
What you’ll notice is that there are subtle differences among the payouts for the full house, flush, and straight payouts on these pay tables. Luckily, none of these affect payback percentage too significantly. And, as you’re about to see, the payback percentages for Double Double Jackpot video poker are among the best in the game.
Payback Percentages for Double Double Jackpot Video Poker
When we talk about the payback percentage of a given video poker machine, we are referring to the expected return that a player can get from an average session at the machine. The key word in that sentence is “average.” The results of a short session can easily be skewed by luck.
Over a long period of time, the payout that you receive will start to closely resemble the payback percentage, especially if you play with excellent strategy (more on that below). That’s why you should try to choose the games with the highest percentage available. And the good news is that Double Double Jackpot video poker certainly is a winner in that department.
The goal for video poker in terms of payback percentage is 99%. That means that you would return $99 for every $100 you put in the machine, for a $1 loss. Even with the loss, you can expect to make it up from casino loyalty programs if you play the game long enough.
In terms of Double Double Jackpot video poker, the payback percentage for the full-pay version of the game stands at a robust 101.1%! That makes it one of the rare casino games where the gambler has an edge on the house.
The good news is that the other pay tables listed all have percentages slightly over 100%. That means that any Double Double Jackpot video poker machine with those basic pay table structures is highly desirable. Not only do you get the chance at big payoffs in a hurry, but you also can expect to make solid winnings over the long haul.
Buyer beware: There are pay tables in the Double Double Jackpot video poker family that drop the payback for the full house, flush, and straight so significantly that your payback percentage can drop to 99% or below. You need to run a quick internet check on the pay tables if you’re not sure to prevent yourself from playing at an inferior machine.
Strategy for Double Double Jackpot Video Poker
We mentioned briefly that the only way you can reach quoted payback percentages at a Double Double Jackpot video poker machine is if you play with perfect strategy. That means that you have to pick the right sequence of holds and discards for every hand that you play. By “right,” we mean the one that brings the highest expected value to the hand.
This isn’t easy if you’ve never played the game before. We showed you in the example above how you can be confronted with many different possibilities in a deal. Choosing the right one in terms of the probabilities and payouts can be tricky.
It gets even trickier when confronted with all of the different pay tables available on Double Double Jackpot video poker. For example, think of the following hand:
In Jacks or Better, this would be an easy choice. You would keep the two pair and discard the five in hopes of improving to a full house. But think of those Double Double Jackpot video poker where the pay for the full house is a bit depressed. Also, remember that the payout for two pair is the same as it is for a pair of aces.
That’s why it might be a wise choice to keep the two aces and discard the rest. That would allow you to play for the possibility of four aces, which we know is an extremely lucrative hand in Double Double Jackpot video poker. If you get the right kicker, even more so.
Knowing how to handle all of these variables can be tricky. Luckily, there are a pair of excellent resources for you to utilize. They are:
- Video Poker Trainers: Trainers are software you can download, then customize with the Double Double Jackpot video poker that you will be playing in the casino. You can play out hands as if you were actually playing for real. When you make a choice that is incorrect in terms of your hold and discard, the software will let you know so that you don’t do it again.
- Strategy Charts: These charts can be found online for games with pay tables like Double Double Jackpot video poker. When you look at a strategy chart, you’ll see a lot of card combinations ranked from most valuable to least valuable in terms of their ability to be converted into winning hands. You can memorize the chart, then compare what you have in your video poker hands to what you have memorized, allowing you to know what to discard in each occasion.
Double Double Jackpot Video Poker Conclusion
Double Double Jackpot video poker makes for an exciting variation of Jacks or Better to play in both casinos and at top gambling websites. It’s a game where face cards showing up in your hand can lead to serious payouts. But you’ll have a hard time keeping your bankroll alive long enough to see those high-paying hands come to fruition.
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