Powerhouse Poker Video Poker

Powerhouse Poker video poker does indeed pack a wallop for players who like free hands and multipliers to spice up their normal video poker play. You have to pay for this chance by betting twice the normal amount. But you’ll be rewarded any time that you’re dealt a minimum winning combination with the chance to benefit from that hand many times over.

Many video poker players, especially beginners, are happy playing the game in its most basic format. That format is known as Jacks or Better, which was also the first form the game took when it gained popularity. The payback for Jacks or Better is based on the standard hierarchy for poker hands, and the game is played pretty much like the game Five-Card Draw.

But once you get used to Jacks or Better, you might want to progress to a video poker game that adds some interesting twists. Different pay tables, multi-hand play, and special features like free hands and multipliers are just a few of the methods that casinos and top gambling sites use to spice up video poker play.

Extra Hands and Multipliers

Powerhouse Poker video poker allows you to choose from a wide variety of pay tables so that you can customize the game to your preferred style. It also lets you play three, five, or ten hands of video poker at a time. But the real separator with this game is the inclusion of free hands and multipliers.

In addition, these extra hands will come with multipliers attached to them. Again, the number of the multipliers are dependent on which winning combinations you’re dealt. And you’ll also get more of them the more hands that you played originally.

Big Betting Requirements

From those descriptions, it might seem like Powerhouse Poker video poker is all good and no bad. But you have to remember that the only way you can get those perks is if you add a five-coin fee to the original five-coin max bet per hand. In other words, the max bet for this game, which you’ll need to make if you want the extra hands and multipliers, is 10 coins per hand.

As a result, you have to make a decision whether or not Powerhouse Poker video poker is the right game for you. Your best possible payback for the game comes when you make the full max bet to activate the special features. But that might be too expensive for those players who come into the game with a small bankroll.

In the following article, we’ll tell you everything you need to know about Powerhouse Poker video poker. We’ll explain what you need to do to play the game, in terms of basic video poker play, the process of playing multiple hands at once, and how all the features work. Finally, we’ll talk about which pay tables are available to you and also look at how you can learn the best strategy to play the game.

The Perks of Video Poker

We told you that Powerhouse Poker video poker offers you some excellent benefits that you can’t get from other video poker games. But in truth, all video poker games give a little something back to the player, especially when you compare it to other casino games.

In many ways, video poker is the ideal hybrid between two types of games. There are elements of luck-based games like slot machines in the makeup of video poker. But you also get a strategic twist as well, which makes it like table games in that respect.

When you add it all up, it’s hard to find a game in the casino, or on a real money online casino for that matter, that is as friendly to the gambler as video poker. Take a look at all the ways this is true:

• Video poker stands as one of the easiest of all casino games for new players to learn. Even a game like Powerhouse Poker video poker, which has a lot of bells and whistles attached to it, basically boils down to making decisions on a single hand of Five-Card Draw. And that’s a simple process to learn.
• Video poker doesn’t just come in one format. On the contrary, there a literally hundreds of different video poker variations, such as Powerhouse Poker video poker, that you can find with no problem in casinos and online. That means gameplay never has to get stale; you can keep changing things up.
• Video poker is played by just a single person. The benefit here is that you’re not beholden to what other players do, nor do you have to play at the pace dictated by a casino employee. In addition, you get to play with complete privacy.
• Video poker results are determined, in part, by your strategy. This is a big bonus for those gamblers who like to have a little control over whether they win or lose. The better decisions that you make, the better that you’ll do playing video poker in the long run.
• Video poker pays back well compared to other games. Many video poker variations come very close to 100% payback, which is the breakeven point, on average. When you factor in casino or gambling sites rewards for frequent play, you can actually anticipate a profit.
• Video poker is a transparent experience. The pay table explains exactly how much you’ll get for each winning combination. And the likelihood of getting those combinations is determined by the probabilities involved with a 52-card deck.
• Video poker translates to online play very well. Not all casino games can make the same claim, as some things can get lost in the translation. But video poker plays and looks the same at one of the top gambling sites as it does in a casino.

As you can see, video poker is extremely friendly to gamblers, and that includes variations like Powerhouse Poker video poker. If you already know the basics of video poker, you can skip ahead to look at the game play of this specific variation. But we suggest newcomers check out the following section and learn how to play a single hand of video poker, since Powerhouse Poker will basically be boiled down to that process anyway.

Basic Video Poker Play

Step 1: Creating a Bankroll

If you want to win real money playing video poker, you have to put real money on the line. That means putting money (or a redemption ticket from the casino with credits on it) into a video poker machine to start play. Or if you’re playing online, it means funding an account at the gambling website of your choice with a credit card, cryptocurrency, or some other accepted method.

Once this process is complete, you’ll see your money has been transformed into units known as credits or coins. These will be your currency in the game, what you bet and win, with each unit’s value based on the denomination you’re playing. For example, at a five-cent video poker game, one coin equals five cents, two coins equal 10 cents, and so on.

Step 2: Make a Bet

Basic video poker games usually take place one hand at a time and give you the chance to wager between one and five credits per hand. But Powerhouse Poker video poker alters that format. You’ll be playing three, five, or 10 hands at once, which means that you have to place a bet on each of those hands.

On top of that, the max bet for each of those hands is 10 coins. If you make this max bet, you get access to the Powerhouse Poker video poker multipliers and extra hands. You could bet just one through five coins per hand if you choose, in which case the game would revert to standard multi-hand play without the features.

Yet the features will actually boost your expected payback in Powerhouse Poker video poker, even when you factor in the extra wager. Take a look at what the max bet entails for each of the different levels of play:

• Three hands = 30 coins
• Five hands = 50 coins
• Ten hands = 100 coins

Obviously, for players on a betting budget, those amounts can be a bit problematic. But one thing you can do is try to lower the denomination, if at all possible. For example, if you found a Powerhouse Poker video poker game that lets you play a penny a credit, the max bet for five hands at once is only 50 cents a pop.

We strongly suggest, however, that if you do decide on Powerhouse Poker video poker as your video poker game of choice, you commit to the max wager. If you don’t, you’ll be short-changing yourself in the long run. In that case, you’d be better off choosing a video poker game with the normal max bet of five coins.

Step 3: Play a Hand

When you’re playing Powerhouse Poker video poker, you’ll be playing three, five or ten hands at once. And that number could rise if you manage to get access to the extra hands. But all of that is based on knowing how to play and make decisions on a single hand of video poker.

Video poker is set up as a simulation of Five-Card Draw, which is a popular card game, especially in informal settings such as friends playing a home game against each other. You receive five cards, choose what to hold and to discard, and draw new cards to replace the discards. The ultimate goal is to create the best possible poker combination out of your final five cards.

But video poker does not require you to beat multiple players like you have to do in Five-Card Draw; instead, you just have to form one of the winning combinations on the pay table to receive payback. Those winning combinations may differ depending on what pay table you’re playing at Powerhouse Poker video poker. For the most part, these are the combinations you’ll be trying to make:

• 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)

These hands are listed in order of both their likelihood of being achieved by the player and their payback level. At the top are hands that are relatively easy to achieve but don’t pay as much. When you move down the list, you’ll get to hands that are more difficult to make but also pay back more.

The Deal

Once you make your bet, you’ll press a button on the machine (or click on an icon if playing online) to activate the deal. At that point, the amount that you bet will be removed from your bankroll and five cards will appear on the screen. These cards will come from a simulated deck of 52 within the software of the game.

That software includes a random number generator that ensures that every deal (and draw) you receive are completely random. Don’t go looking for patterns or trends based on what has happened before in previous hands that you’ve played.

The Decision

Once you have your five-card deal in front of you, you have to decide how you want to proceed. You have the choice of either holding or discarding these cards. If you hold a card, it will be a part of your final hand.

But if you discard a card, you get to draw a fresh card from the deck to replace it. It will be the same deck which provided you with the deal, which means that it will have 47 cards remaining. You won’t get any of the cards you discarded back on the deal, which is why you have to be sure you don’t want them.

What goes into this decision-making process? Well, we’ll explain it a bit more in-depth when we get to the strategy section below. But, in short, you have to consider two factors:

• What are the chances that you’ll be able to form one of the winning combinations on the pay table based on what you might hold and what you might get on the draw to replace what you discard?
• What is the payback potential for the winning combinations you’re trying to make?

You shouldn’t overlook the second part of that equation. There will be occasions when you might want to throw away a good chance at a low-paying hand for a small chance at a high-paying hand. After all, getting one of those high-paying combinations can make the difference between a successful and unsuccessful hand.

The Draw

You’ll press the buttons or click on the icons for the cards that you want to hold (if any). The cards that you leave alone will be the ones discarded. Make sure you have that straight before you activate the draw.

Once you do that, the draw will take place and the cards you’ve discarded will be replaced to complete the hand. If you’ve managed to form a winning combination, your bankroll will be credited with the amount specified by the pay table. That amount also includes your original bet.

If you choose, you can continue playing in this fashion as long as you have the credits left in your bankroll to keep making bets. You can also cash out at any point. Casino players will get a redemption ticket with their winnings listed, while online players will have to make a request to the gambling website to make a withdrawal.

Playing Multiple Hands

You’ll get the chance when you play to Powerhouse Poker video poker to speed up the pace of play from normal video poker by playing multiple hands on one screen. It’s up to you to decide whether you want to play three, five or ten hands. But no matter how many hands you play, you’ll still only receive a single deal.

The decisions you make for that deal about what to hold and discard will be in place for all the hands that you’ve played. These hands will be completed by separate draws coming from separate decks. Each of those will have the same 47 cards left (52 minus the 5 you were dealt) but will be shuffled by the random number generator separately.

For an example, imagine that you decided on playing hands three hands at once. Take a look at the following deal:

Looking at this deal, the best possible play would be to hold the nine, ten, and jack of spades, since holding those cards will maximize the value of the deal. As you press the buttons to hold the cards, you’ll see those cards show up in the same spaces on all three hands. That is indicating that they will be in play for all three hands.

When you hit the “draw” button, you’ll see the cards filling out the remainder of the open spaces in the hands. For example, it might turn out like this:

Hand 1:

Hand 2:

Hand 3:

With Hand 1, you made two pair. On Hand 2, you ended with a flush. And on Hand 3, you came up empty.

You’d get paid for both winning hands. Take note also that you ended up with the nine of diamonds on two different draws. This can happen, because even though the decks are shuffled separately, they do contain the same 47 cards.

The Powerhouse Poker Video Poker Extra Hands

As we mentioned above, you can play Powerhouse Poker video poker without any extras by simply betting between one and five coins per hand. But if you wish, you can bet ten coins per hand. When you do, you’ll get a chance at extra hands and multipliers attached to those hands.

Once the draws are revealed for your main hands that you originally bet, another screen will show up with your extra hands. These hands, the number of which will be determined on which winning combination you have (more on that in a bit), won’t require a bet from you. They’ll have the same cards in place that you held and will also feature draws that take place from the 47 cards left in the deck.

The Powerhouse Poker Video Poker Multipliers

Multipliers will also occasionally be added to the Powerhouse Poker video poker extra hands. These will be based, again on which winning combination set them off. They’ll also depend on how many hands you’re playing to start.
How do multipliers work? Well, just as their name implies, they multiply what you normally would have won.

For example, let’s say you have a hand in play that has a 3x (3 times) multiplier attached to it. At the end of the hand, you’ve formed a combination that normally would have paid out 10 coins. Instead your total will be:

3 times 10 = 30 coins

Keep in mind that multipliers only have an impact when you form a winning combination. For example, if you have a 10x multiplier but you come up empty on the hand, you still win nothing, because 10 times zero is still zero. But if you can match a multiplier to a big winning hand, the impact on your bankroll can be significant.

Example of Powerhouse Poker Video Poker Bonuses

Here is an example of how the extra hands and multipliers might work. Each winning combination for each pay table is assigned both a certain number of winning hands and a certain multiplier. For example, if you were playing a Deuces Wild pay table on Powerhouse Poker video poker, it would look like this:

Hand	Number of Extra Hands	Multiplier (per hand)
Three of a kind	3	1x
Straight	9	1x
Flush	9	1x
Full house	9	3x
Four of a kind	9	3x
Straight flush	9	3x
Five of a kind	9	3x
Wild royal rush	9	3x
Four deuces	3	1x
Royal flush	3	1x

You’ll see that a few of these hands have a 1x multiplier attached to them. That essentially means there is no multiplier with those hands. Anything multiplied by 1 is the original number, which means that you basically get the normal amount for the extra hands where the 1x is listed.

Knowing that, let’s imagine that you’re playing five hands at a time in Powerhouse Poker video poker on this Deuces Wild pay table and receive the following deal:

As you can see, you were dealt three fours. But you also have a deuce, which is wild. In other words, you’ve been dealt four of a kind.

That is a winning combination, which means you’ll be eligible for the extra hands and multipliers. First of all, the five hands that you bet will play out after you make your holds and discards. Even if you don’t improve any of them beyond four of a kind, you’d be looking at 20 coins of winning per hand, which makes for a 50-coin profit (5 times 20 coins won minus the original 50-coin max bet).

At that point, you’ll be invited to look at the extra Powerhouse Poker video poker screen with the nine extra hands for the dealt four of a kind. The multiplier of 3x gets multiplied by the five hands that you bet, meaning that 15x multiplier will be spread out among those nine hands. They might look something like this:

• 3x
• 3x
• 2x
• 2x
• 1x
• 1x
• 1x
• 1x
• 1x

As you can see when you add up all these multipliers, it comes to 15x. Ideally, you can match the best hands to the ones with the more substantial multipliers. But you’re still getting multipliers on sure thing winning hands, since you still have four of a kind no matter what.

On top of that, you get the profit from getting all these free hands, all of which are winners. Again, let’s take a look at what that comes to, even if you don’t improve on the four of a kind with any of the free hands:

• 3 times 20 = 60 coins
• 3 times 20 = 60 coins
• 2 times 20 = 40 coins
• 2 times 20 = 40 coins
• 1 times 20 = 20 coins
• 1 times 20 = 20 coins
• 1 times 20 = 20 coins
• 1 times 20 = 20 coins
• 1 times 20 = 20 coins

When you add all of that up, you’re looking at 300 coins. And that’s basically all profit since these hands came courtesy of the original deal. Add that to the original profit of 50 for a total of 250 on just a single round, which would have been any higher if any of the hands had improved on the draw.

This example shows you how quickly your bankroll could skyrocket thanks to the special features involved in Powerhouse Poker video poker. Keep in mind that the multipliers and extra hands will be adjusted to the pay table involved. In most cases, they help the mid-priced hands on the table the most.

The downside is that you’re betting 10 coins per hand, but you’re only getting paid based on a five-coin wager. In other words, if you aren’t able to get the bonuses with some regularity, your pay table will likely sag. You have to be ready for that kind of volatile game play when you settle in to play Powerhouse Poker video poker.

Powerhouse Poker Video Poker Pay Tables

In addition to the special features that we just mentioned, Powerhouse Poker video poker also offers the advantage of excellent versatility in terms of pay tables. The pay tables included under the game’s umbrella represent some of the most popular in the entire world of video poker. You can find the style of play that works right for you in terms of your comfort levels for risk and reward.

What you’ll see when you look at these pay tables is that they generally fall a bit short of the full-pay versions of those games. If they didn’t, Powerhouse Poker video poker would probably end up obliterating the house edge when you factor in the bonuses. That’s why it’s crucial that you play the game with the bonuses enacted or else your long-term payback will be somewhat lackluster.

Below are the highest-paying pay tables you’ll find on a Powerhouse Poker video poker machine (or online game). But keep in mind you might run into others that are less lucrative. That’s why you should know what the ideal amounts are so that you can try to play with them if they’re available to you.

Jacks or Better Pay Table

Coins/Hand	1 Coin	2 Coins	3 Coins	4 Coins	5 Coins
Royal flush	250	500	750	1,000	4,000
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 kind	3	6	9	12	15
Two pairs	2	4	6	8	10
Jacks or better	1	2	3	4	5

Bonus Poker Pay Table

Coins/Hand	1 Coin	2 Coins	3 Coins	4 Coins	5 Coins
Royal flush	250	500	750	1,000	4,000
Straight flush	50	100	150	200	250
Four of a kind (aces)	80	160	240	320	400
Four of a kind (2s, 3s, or 4s)	40	80	120	160	200
Four of a kind (any other)	20	40	60	80	100
Full house	8	16	24	32	40
Flush	5	10	15	20	25
Straight	4	8	12	16	20
Three of a kind	3	6	9	12	15
Two pairs	2	4	6	8	10
Jacks or better	1	2	3	4	5

Bonus Poker Deluxe Pay Table

Coins/Hand	1 Coin	2 Coins	3 Coins	4 Coins	5 Coins
Royal flush	250	500	750	1,000	4,000
Straight flush	50	100	150	200	250
Four of a kind	80	160	240	320	400
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 pairs	1	2	3	4	5
Jacks or better	1	2	3	4	5

Double Bonus Poker Pay Table

Coins/Hand	1 Coin	2 Coins	3 Coins	4 Coins	5 Coins
Royal flush	2,000	4,000	6,000	8,000	4,000
Straight flush	50	100	150	200	250
Four of a kind (aces)	160	320	480	640	800
Four of a kind (2s, 3s, or 4s)	80	160	240	320	400
Four of a kind (any other)	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

Double Double Bonus Poker Pay Table

Coins/Hand	1 Coin	2 Coins	3 Coins	4 Coins	5 Coins
Royal flush	250	500	750	1,000	4,000
Straight flush	50	100	150	200	250
Four aces w/ any 2,3,4	400	800	1,200	1,600	2,000
Four 2s, 3s, 4s w/ any A,2,3,4	160	320	480	640	800
Four aces	160	320	480	640	800
Four 2s, 3s, 4s	80	160	240	320	400
Four 5s through Ks	50	100	150	200	250
Full house	9	18	27	36	45
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
Pair of jacks +	1	2	3	4	5

Triple Double Bonus Pay Table

Coins/Hand	1 Coin	2 Coins	3 Coins	4 Coins	5 Coins
Royal flush	200	400	600	800	4,000
Straight flush	50	100	150	200	250
Four of a kind – aces 2, 3, 4 kicker	800	1,600	2,400	3,200	4,000
Four of a kind – 2s, 3s, or 4s A, 2, 3, or 4 kicker	400	800	1,200	1,600	2,000
Four of a kind – aces 5s – Ks kicker	160	320	480	640	800
Four of a kind – 2s, 3s, or 4s 5s – Ks kicker	80	160	240	320	400
Four of a kind – any other	50	100	150	200	250
Full house	9	18	27	36	45
Flush	6	12	18	24	30
Straight	4	8	12	16	20
Three of a kind	2	4	6	8	10
Two pairs	1	2	3	4	5
Pair of jacks +	1	2	3	4	5

Deuces Wild Pay Table

Coins/Hand	1 Coin	2 Coins	3 Coins	4 Coins	5 Coins
Royal flush	250	500	750	1,000	4,000
Four deuces	200	400	600	800	1,000
Wild royal flush	25	50	75	100	125
Five of a kind	16	32	48	64	80
Straight flush	10	20	30	40	50
Four of a kind	4	8	12	16	20
Full house	4	8	12	16	20
Flush	3	6	9	12	15
Straight	2	4	6	8	10
Three of a kind	1	2	3	4	5

Deuces Wild Bonus Pay Table

Coins/Hand	1 Coin	2 Coins	3 Coins	4 Coins	5 Coins
Royal flush	250	500	750	1,000	4,000
Four deuces with an Ace	400	800	1,200	1,600	2,000
Four deuces	200	400	600	800	1,000
Wild royal flush	25	50	75	100	125
Five Aces	80	160	240	320	400
Five 3s, 4s or 5s	40	80	120	160	200
Five 6s through Ks	20	40	60	80	100
Straight flush	10	20	30	40	50
Four of a kind	4	8	12	16	20
Full house	3	6	9	12	15
Flush	3	6	9	12	15
Straight	1	2	3	4	5
Three of a kind	1	2	3	4	5

Learning Strategy For Powerhouse Poker Video Poker

Playing video poker with ideal strategy is difficult even for basic games. It takes time to learn all the right moves. If you don’t, you’ll actually be hurting your potential payback by making incorrect choices about what to hold and discard.

Powerhouse Poker video poker doesn’t make that strategy any easier. First of all, you have to make sure your strategy matches up with the pay table you’ve chosen to play. For example, if you play Triple Double Bonus using strategy you learned for Jacks or Better, you’re going to make incorrect plays all over the place.

On top of that, Powerhouse Poker video poker makes things tricky with the special features. There will be times when you might not want to risk going for a high-paying hand when you already have multipliers locked in with hands that are a sure-thing winner. Finding that balance can be difficult, especially considering you might have a hard time finding resources to help you with this specific game.

Getting Powerhouse Poker Video Poker Strategy Help

Because of all the math involved, it’s extremely difficult to learn proper video poker strategy on your own. You’ll either make mistakes, or you’ll take so long making your decisions that the game won’t be too much fun anymore. Instead, your best bet for learning strategy is to get some help.

First, decide on a pay table that you’re going to play more than any other at Powerhouse Poker video poker. Once you do that, look for resources that can do all the work for you in terms of devising the strategy for perfect play. All you have to do is learn that strategy.

As far as the extra features, just try to use a little common sense when you have multipliers in play. Don’t get too crazy going for the massive payback when you already have a good profit in place. Other than that, here are the two methods of learning video poker strategy which we strongly recommend.

Video Poker Training Software

Training software is the ideal method for learning strategy if you’re just now learning how to play. It will allow you to play for free and get the hang of making bets. You’ll go through the process of holding and discarding and watch how the special features work. You’ll feel more confident about playing for real money.

And training software will help you with your choices for holds and discards. Either you can ask for hints as you play, or you can have the software alert you whenever you make mistakes. In any case, you’ll learn the right plays for every possible situation.

Strategy Charts

Strategy charts give you a bit of a quicker way to learn video poker strategy. All you have to do is memorize a chart for a given pay table and you’ll be ready to play with perfect strategy. That can be easier said than done, however, as you’ll have to memorize many different card combinations and know how they compare to each other.

By ranking the possible card combinations that you might get on the deal, strategy charts will tell you what to look for in your own hand. Once you have the chart memorized, you’ll know which combination of your dealt five cards gives you the best value heading into the draw. And that will let you know that they’re the cards you should be holding.

Powerhouse Poker Video Poker Pros and Cons

Final Words on Powerhouse Poker Video Poker

Powerhouse Poker video poker will boost your bankroll in a hurry any time you get a winning combination on the deal. When that happens, the multiple hand base format, the extra hands and the multipliers will all amplify the impact of that combination. You’ll need that to happen often, however, to offset the size of the bets you have to make.