Playing Twenty-Five Play Poker Video Poker

Twenty-Five Play Poker video poker creates a frenzy of video poker excitement for gamblers who can handle the hot pace of play. You’ll be playing 25 hands of video poker in the same amount of time that it would normally take to play a single hand. As a result, both your winning streaks and slumps will be amplified with this style of play.

Even in its simplest form, video poker provides exciting action. And the most basic format of the game, also known as Jacks or Better, can be quite lucrative as well. As easy as it is to play, it still provides a challenge as well as the chance for lucrative payback.

That said, it’s understandable if gambling experts want to spice up the action a little bit. For example, they can do this by choosing a more aggressive pay table, such as any Bonus Poker pay table which puts four of a kind hands at a premium.

But those changes don’t address the pace of play. The only way to speed up the game is to play multiple hands at once. You can keep it as simple as three hands at once or go as high as 100 hands at once.

Twenty-Five Play Poker video poker settles in between these two extremes. You have to make wagers on all 25 hands when you play video poker in this manner. And you base those 25 hands off a single deal, which is the common format for multiple play video poker games.

With 25 hands in play, you’re still betting a significant amount. But Twenty-Five Play Poker video poker doesn’t require as big a denomination as games where you’re betting on 50 or 100 hands at once. If you can find a Twenty-Five Play Poker machine with a small denomination, you keep your bets under control.

In addition, Twenty-Five Play Poker video poker lowers the volatility a little bit from other multiple play games. You’ll still be in for a rollercoaster ride of big wins and significant losses. But you won’t need quite the beefy bankroll for 50 or 100 hands at a time.

Even though Twenty-Five Play Poker video poker lightens the load, you get much more of a rush playing this game than if you were playing three, five, or 10 hands at once. More hands means more chances at getting some of the highest-paying hands on the various pay tables.

With all of that in mind, Twenty-Five Play Poker video poker is similar to other multiple play games in terms of the advantages and disadvantages it contains. On the bright side, a good deal will be enough to provide a major bankroll surge. The other side of the coin is that you have to endure rough patches when the deal doesn’t go your way that could do serious damage to your bankroll.

In the following article, we’ll explain all of the ins and outs of the game known as Twenty-Five Play Poker video poker. We’ll first explain the mechanics of playing a single hand of video poker before moving on to what happens when you play 25 hands at once. And we’ll also go into how playing this way affects the volatility level while also looking at pay tables and strategy associated with this game.

The Benefits of Video Poker

Have you ever played video poker before? Truth be told, you might want to start with something a little more basic than Twenty-Five Play Poker video poker if the answer is no. But learning the basic game is pretty simple, especially if you read the tutorial that we have laid out for you in the next section.

If you are indeed new to the world of video poker, you should be prepared for something special. Video poker is the preferred casino game of many because they understand what the game offers that other games can’t. Some people won’t play anything else, whether they’re gambling in a casino or playing the game for real money at a gambling website.

Video poker combines many of the best elements of table games and slot machines. How does it do that? Take a look.

• Video poker is relatively simple to learn. It’s certainly easier for beginners than some table games and their intricate nature. You can be up and running at a video poker machine and know what you’re doing in a matter of minutes, even if you’re a beginner.
• Video poker comes in many different styles. If you’re not particularly fond of the version of video poker you’re playing, there are literally hundreds of others available. Just keep searching until you find the style of play that you prefer.
• Video poker is a game that can be played by one person alone. If you’re the type of person who doesn’t like the hassles of being around other casino patrons or employees, you can avoid all that with video poker. You’ll be at a machine all alone to play in privacy at whatever pace you choose.
• Video poker is a strategy-based game. Strategy is something that doesn’t come up much on a slot machine, while all you can really do is spin the reels and hope that you get lucky. With video poker, your decisions will directly impact how you do on each hand.
• Video poker keeps all the pertinent information right in front of you. There’s a pay table to show you how much you’ll win, and the probabilities of making winning hands don’t ever change. As a result, you can compare one video poker game to another quite easily.
• Video poker offers very competitive payback. Slot machines lag well behind video poker games in terms of payback. Even some table games fall short of the payback offered by many top video poker games.
• Video poker offers an excellent online experience. Sometimes, you’ll find that table games are lacking in this department. Playing some of the most popular video poker variations, like Twenty-Five Play Poker video poker, at top online casinos is just like playing them in land-based casinos.

That should give you some idea of what video poker has in store for you. It’s no wonder it’s as popular as it is among savvy gamblers.

Now, it’s time to learn how to play a single hand. After that, we can move on the game play on a Twenty-Five Play Poker video poker machine.

How to Play Single-Hand Video Poker

Step 1: The Bankroll

When you come up to a video poker machine and put money in it to start playing, you’re creating a bankroll. This bankroll will allow you to make wagers and will also be the place where your winnings collect. If you’re playing online, you’ll have to create a bankroll by signing up for a gambling website account.

Your bankroll, when you wager and win hands of video poker, will be rendered in units known as coins or credits. Each of these units is equal to the denomination that you happen to be playing. For example, if you’re playing at a nickel machine and win 50 credits, it means you’ve won $2.50 (50 times .05).

Step 2: The Bet

Betting is actually a part of video poker strategy. If you bet incorrectly, you’ll actually damage your expected payback in the long run. Luckily, the strategy is simple: Bet the maximum amount on every hand.

When you use the “Max Bet” on each hand of video poker that you play, you’ll usually assure yourself of the highest possible payback percentage on average. That also means that the best way to play the game is the most expensive way to play. Video poker manufacturers hope that the high price of the max bet scares you into betting less per hand, since a lower bet gives the game an advantage.

Playing Twenty-Five Play Poker video poker means playing 25 hands at once. And the max bet is usually five coins (you usually have the chance to bet between one and five coins). Doing the math, a round of Twenty-Five Play Poker video poker at the Max Bet will cost you 125 coins.

What does that mean in terms of cash? It depends on the denomination you’re playing. Take a look at the cost for some popular video poker denominations:

• 125 coins times 1 cent = $1.25
• 125 coins times 5 cents = $6.25
• 125 coins times 10 cents = $12.50
• 125 coins times 25 cents = $31.25
• 125 coins times 50 cents = $62.50
• 125 coins times 1 dollar = $125

Many casual players won’t go much higher than a penny denomination when playing Twenty-Five Play Poker video poker. More experienced players with bigger bankrolls won’t be afraid of going much higher than that. It all depends on what you’re willing to risk.

Step 3: The Hand

For now, let’s concentrate on a single hand of video poker. You’ll see that learning how to play one hand at a time will actually be what you need to know when you get to the Twenty-Five Play Poker video poker style of play.

A single hand of video poker plays out very much like a hand of the card game known as Five-Card Draw. Play either game and you’ll get a five-card deal. From there, you’ll hold some cards, discard others, and draw new cards to replace the discarded ones in an attempt to make the best possible poker hand.

The big difference is that video poker requires a lower threshold to come up with a winning hand. In Five-Card Draw Poker, you have to beat everybody at the table. But video poker only requires you to come up with one of the predetermined winning hands.

You’ll see when we get to the pay tables for Twenty-Five Play Poker video poker that the winning hands can differ from one pay table to the next. Wild card games, especially, include a set of winning hands much different than non-wild card games. For those non-wild card games, you’ll be trying to make these basic 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)

Starting at the top of the list, winning hands like a pair of jacks or better or two pair will come up often during the course of game play. But they don’t pay that much. The combinations at the bottom of the list pay a lot but will be hard to attain.

And that’s the dichotomy at the heart of video poker gameplay. The more difficult a hand is to achieve, the more it pays. You can see how that might create the balance of risk and reward that comes into play when you make your strategic decisions.

Those decisions will begin when you receive your five-card deal after making your bet and pressing the “deal” button. You have to decide which cards you’ll hold, which will then be a part of your final hand. Meanwhile, cards that you discard will be replaced on the draw.

You have to keep in mind that your chances of receiving any one of the 52 cards in the deck never change, no matter what has happened in previous hands. The machine’s software ensures that by the use of a random number generator that controls each deal.

That same random number generator also controls the draw. Only the draw takes place from a deck of 47 cards, which is the original 52 minus the 5 you were dealt.

When you make your decision, you’ll press the buttons next to the cards you want to hold (if any.) You can then press the “draw” button when you’re ready. Discarded cards (if any) will be replaced and the hand will be complete.

That’s basically how a single hand of video poker works. Repeat the steps to keep playing in this manner. Or cash out at any time to receive a redemption ticket with the remains of your bankroll.

Since you have the format of a single hand down, you can now move on to the Twenty-Five Play Poker video poker way of playing. You’ll see that it’s not a hard leap to make.

Playing 25 Hands at Once

We already explained in the section about betting how you have to wager on every single hand to play Twenty-Five Play Poker video poker. But you won’t be receiving 25 different deals. As a matter of fact, you’re going to get one deal that will govern all 25 hands.

You’ll be making the decisions about which cards to hold and discard from that single deal just as if you were playing a single hand. As a matter of fact, you shouldn’t even adjust your strategy at all. Nothing really changes about your chances of winning hands just because there are so many taking place at one time.

Once you make your decision about holds and discards, those decisions will be in place for all 25 hands of Twenty-Five Play Poker video poker. There will then be 25 different draws taking place, all from separate decks containing the exact same 47 cards from which you would draw if you were playing a single hand. Each draw is random and not connected at all to any other.

Let’s take a look at an example to illustrate this process. Imagine that you received the following deal:

There aren’t any winning combinations to be found in this particular deal. But there are several possibilities you might pursue in terms of holds and discards.

For example, you might decide to go with the pair of fives. That would give you a jump start toward two pair, three of a kind, a full house, or four of a kind. You’d be drawing three new cards to try to achieve one of those hands.

You could also try for the straight by dropping only one of the fives. If you chose this, you’d be putting all your hopes on the straight. With four threes and four eights left in the deck of 47, your chances of getting the draw you need would be slightly less than one in six.

Finally, you could take a stab at the straight flush by holding the five, six, and seven of clubs. You’d need a very lucky two-card draw for this to happen. But there are several other winning hands that remain in play if you go this route.

For the sake of this example, let’s imagine that you decide to hold onto the pair of fives. As you press the “hold” buttons for these cards, you’ll see that the cards appear in the spots for all 25 hands that you’re about to play. These cards will be a part of every one of your closing hands.

Once you press the “draw” button, you’ll see the 25 draws all take place to fill out the three remaining cards in each hand. Remember that there are separate decks being used with the same 47 cards in each. As a result, you could see the same card showing up in multiple draws.

For this example, let’s say that the draws turn out like this:

• 4 Two pair hands
• 5 Three of a kind hands
• 2 Full house hands
• 14 Losing hands

You would then get paid for each of the winning hands. Assuming you were playing a Jacks or Better pay table and made the maximum wager for each, it means the following payback amounts:

• Two pair (10 coins) times 4 = 40 coins
• Three of a kind (15 coins) times 5 =75 coins
• Full House (45 coins) times 2 =90 coins

Adding that up, you won 205 coins. Minus the 125 coins for the wager (25 coins times 5 coins), you ended up with a profit of 80 coins.

This example shows you what kind of benefits can come your way when playing Twenty-Five Play Poker video poker. With a decent deal, your winnings should be amplified. If you get a really great deal, such as a winning combination right off the bat, your winnings can go through the roof.

But you also have to consider what will happen when you have a bad round of Twenty-Five Play Poker video poker. Chances are you won’t lose all 25 hands at once. You’re bound to get a little lucky on one or even a few of the draws.

That doesn’t change the fact that a rough round of Twenty-Five Play Poker video poker will hurt your bankroll much more than losing a single hand or two. You’ll have to be able to withstand a slump by making sure that your bankroll is sturdy enough to handle it.

In other words, Twenty-Five Play Poker video poker is an extremely volatile game. You have to be ready for highs that are higher than normal and lows that are lower than normal. It will be a much bumpier ride than if you were playing a hand at a time.

That said, Twenty-Five Play Poker video poker does not go as far as 50 Play or 100 Play in this department. In other words, it could be even more of a rollercoaster for you if you chose those games to play.

Basically, you should choose Twenty-Five Play Poker video poker if you fall into one of two categories:

• Serious video poker players who aren’t worried about slumps because they have a big bankroll behind them
• Casual players who are interested in a chance at a jackpot-style payback even if that means that they’ll be at more of a risk of losing their entire bankroll quickly

If you don’t fall into one of those two categories, you’re probably better off playing a specific pay table one hand at a time. That will give you much more control over the volatility level.

Pay Tables for Twenty-Five Play Poker Video Poker

When you settle in to play Twenty-Five Play Poker video poker, either in casinos or on gambling websites, it’s likely that you’ll have a choice between many different pay tables. Which pay tables they might be depends on the specific machine or online game. But the bottom line is that the format of playing 25 hands at once can pretty much work with any pay table you might imagine.

How do you choose the pay table you want to play? Well, you should try to match it with the style of play you prefer.

We’ve already explained that Twenty-Five Play Poker video poker is a volatile format. You can combat that somewhat by choosing a Jacks or Better pay table. Jacks or Better is known for being one of the lowest-volatility video poker games available.

If you’d like even more volatility, though, you should try one of the Bonus pay tables. The general rule is that the longer the name of the Bonus Poker game, the more chances it will give you at massive single-hand payoffs and the more volatile the game is likely to be. Putting something like Triple Double Bonus together with Twenty-Five Play Poker video poker is a very aggressive way to play.

You might also like games with wild cards involved. If so, we’d suggest Joker Poker, Deuces Wild, or some of the other wild card games that can be found on a Twenty-Five Play Poker video poker machine or online game.

Here are a few of the pay tables you’re likely to find on a Twenty-Five Play Poker video poker machine:

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 a 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	24
Three of a kind	3	6	9	12	15
Two pairs	2	4	6	8	10
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	250	500	750	1,000	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 without any 2,3,4	400	800	1,200	1,600	2,000
Four 2s, 3s, 4s without 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	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
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	7	14	21	28	35
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

Super Double Bonus 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	80	160	240	320	400
Four of a kind (aces)	160	320	480	640	800
Four of a kind (Jack through Kings)	120	240	360	480	400
Four of a kind (Two through Four)	80	160	240	320	400
Four of a kind (Five through Ten)	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
Jacks or better	1	2	3	4	5

Super Double Double Bonus 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 without any 2,3,4	400	800	1,200	1,600	2,000
Four aces without any J, Q, K	320	640	960	1,280	1,600
Four 2s, 3s, 4s without any A,2,3,4	160	320	480	640	800
Four Jacks through Kings without any J,Q,K,A	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	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	1	2	3	4	5
Pair of jacks +	1	2	3	4	5

White Hot Aces Pay Table

Coins/Hand	1 Coin	2 Coins	3 Coins	4 Coins	5 Coins
Royal flush	200	400	600	800	4,000
Straight flush	80	160	240	320	400
Four of a kind (aces)	240	480	720	960	1,200
Four of a kind (2s, 3s, or 4s)	120	240	360	480	600
Four of a kind (any other)	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

Super Aces Bonus 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	60	120	180	240	300
Four of a kind (aces)	400	800	1,200	1,600	2,000
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	7	14	21	28	35
Flush	5	10	15	20	25
Straight	4	8	12	16	20
Three of a kind	3	6	8	12	15
Two pairs	1	2	3	4	5
Jacks or better	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 ace	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	15	30	45	60	75
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

Double Bonus 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 without 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	160	320	480	640	800
Five 3s 5s	50	100	150	200	250
Five 6s Ks	20	40	60	80	100
Straight flush	12	24	36	48	60
Four of a kind	4	8	12	16	20
Full house	3	6	9	12	15
Flush	2	4	6	8	10
Straight	1	2	3	4	5
Three of a kind	1	2	3	4	5

Joker Poker Pay Table

Coins/Hand	1 Coin	2 Coins	3 Coins	4 Coins	5 Coins
Royal flush	250	500	750	1,000	5,000
Five of a kind	100	200	300	400	500
Wild Royal Flush	50	100	150	200	250
Straight flush	50	100	150	200	250
Four of a kind	20	40	60	80	100
Full house	10	20	30	40	50
Flush	6	12	18	24	30
Straight	5	10	15	20	25
Three of a kind	2	4	6	8	10
Two pairs	1	2	3	4	5

Strategy for Twenty-Five Play Poker Video Poker

As we mentioned above, the fact that you’ll be playing 25 hands of video poker at once shouldn’t affect your strategy at all. You should make your decisions on your deal as if you were only playing a single hand.

Many people make the mistake of playing a game like this more conservatively. They think that, because there are more hands going on at once, they’re better off going for lower-paying hands that are easier to make whenever possible.

This strategy might lower the volatility a little bit in the short term. But if you’re making this kind of choice with regularity while playing Twenty-Five Play Poker video poker, it’s likely that you’ll hurt your chances for higher-paying hands along the way. And that, in the long run, will damage your potential payback.

It’s often easy to know how to play hands of video poker correctly because the choices will be obvious. But many hands present a predicament because they’ll offer two, maybe even three possibilities that are close, in terms of their potential value, going into the draw. And the math involved to figure out which one is the very best can be very complex.

The only way you can maximize your own payback percentage is to make the right choice on every deal that you get. To do that, it’s best to get some assistance. There are resources out there that have done all the video poker math for you so that you can benefit.

Your first step should be to choose a pay table you want to play with regularity. In that way, you can make sure the instruction you received is meant for that specific pay table.

Once you’ve done that, try one of the following methods for Twenty-Five Play Poker video poker instruction.

Strategy Charts

Strategy charts are found online and are easily located for most of the pay tables listed above. These charts rank groups of cards you might receive on the deal in terms of expected value. You have to locate the highest-ranked group in each deal and hold those cards.

You should try to memorize a strategy chart to utilize it in the best possible way. Most casinos will frown upon you bringing one in to use while you play. And it would slow down your play if you had to keep consulting the chart anyway.

Video Poker Training Software

This is probably the best method for players who are new to video poker. If that’s you, you can use the software to get a hang of the game in general as you’re learning the strategy. It lets you play hands of video poker without incurring any of the risk.

As you play these hands, you’ll have to decide what cards to hold and what ones to discard, just as in the real game. When you make the incorrect choices, the software will let you know the right ones. And, in that way, you can learn the right pay for every deal eventually.

Pros and Cons of Twenty-Five Play Video Poker

Twenty-Five Play Video Poker Conclusion

Twenty-Five Play Poker video poker pushes both the pace and the excitement of video poker to another level. Unfortunately, it also amplifies the strain on your bankroll. You have to decide if you’re the type of gambler who likes that tradeoff.