Double Bonus Poker is a draw-poker variant that pays much more for selected four-of-a-kind hands than ordinary Bonus Poker. The extra quad money is funded by changes elsewhere in the paytable, especially the reduction of two pair from a two-credit win to a one-credit return on many versions.
That trade changes the entire game. A player sees spectacular awards for four aces, but experiences long stretches in which common two-pair hands merely return the wager. The result is usually more volatility and more strategy sensitivity than Jacks or Better.
What “double bonus” actually means
The name does not mean every winning hand pays double. It refers to the stronger bonus treatment of four of a kind.
A common full-coin 10/7 Double Bonus schedule pays, per coin wagered:
| Final hand | Common award per coin |
|---|---|
| Royal flush | 800 at the qualifying full-coin wager |
| Straight flush | 50 |
| Four aces | 160 |
| Four 2s, 3s, or 4s | 80 |
| Four 5s through kings | 50 |
| Full house | 10 |
| Flush | 7 |
| Straight | 5 |
| Three of a kind | 3 |
| Two pair | 1 |
| Jacks or better | 1 |
The exact table on the machine controls. Some versions lower the full house, flush, straight, quad, or royal rows. A cabinet labeled “Double Bonus Poker” can therefore hold a strong or weak schedule under the same game name.
The expression 10/7 Double Bonus identifies the 10-credit full-house row and 7-credit flush row. It does not excuse the player from checking every other award.
Why two pair is the hidden cost
Compare two illustrative schedules:
| Hand | Common 8/5 Bonus Poker | Common 10/7 Double Bonus |
|---|---|---|
| Four aces | 80 | 160 |
| Four 2s–4s | 40 | 80 |
| Four 5s–K | 25 | 50 |
| Full house | 8 | 10 |
| Flush | 5 | 7 |
| Straight | 4 | 5 |
| Three of a kind | 3 | 3 |
| Two pair | 2 | 1 |
| Jacks or better | 1 | 1 |
Double Bonus offers materially larger quad awards and stronger full-house, flush, and straight rows in this comparison. But two pair occurs far more often than four of a kind. Cutting two pair from 2 to 1 redirects a substantial portion of ordinary return toward rare outcomes.
At five coins, a one-credit-per-coin two-pair award returns five credits. The player receives the five-credit wager back but earns no net profit.
That is why the game can feel stalled even when the screen regularly shows paying hands.
How a five-coin quarter wager settles
At a 25-cent denomination with five coins wagered:
[ \text{Bet per Hand}=5\times$0.25=$1.25 ]
Using the illustrative 10/7 schedule:
| Final hand | Credits returned | Cash returned | Net result after $1.25 bet |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jacks or better | 5 | $1.25 | $0.00 |
| Two pair | 5 | $1.25 | $0.00 |
| Three of a kind | 15 | $3.75 | +$2.50 |
| Straight | 25 | $6.25 | +$5.00 |
| Full house | 50 | $12.50 | +$11.25 |
| Four aces | 800 | $200.00 | +$198.75 |
| Royal flush | 4,000 | $1,000.00 | +$998.75 |
“Pays 160” normally means 160 credits per coin, not $160. Credits must be converted using the active denomination and number of coins.
The distinction between prize, returned stake, and net profit is covered in Payout.
The royal-flush jump can make coin level part of the paytable
Many traditional video poker schedules pay 250 credits per coin for a royal at one through four coins, then 4,000 credits for a five-coin royal. That creates a discontinuity:
| Coins bet | Typical royal return | Return per coin |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 250 | 250 |
| 2 | 500 | 250 |
| 3 | 750 | 250 |
| 4 | 1,000 | 250 |
| 5 | 4,000 | 800 |
If the displayed table follows this pattern, playing fewer than five coins lowers the royal’s return per coin and changes strategy and overall theoretical return.
This does not mean a player should automatically raise the cash wager. A lower denomination at five coins may preserve the full-coin schedule at a manageable cost. The correct comparison is the exact paytable and total cash bet, not a slogan to “always play max.” See Video Poker Max Coins for the bankroll tradeoff.
Paytable recognition in ten seconds
Before playing, read these rows in order:
- Royal flush: Is there a full-coin bonus?
- Four aces: Is the award 160, or has it been reduced?
- Four 2s–4s: Is the award 80?
- Four 5s–K: Is the award 50?
- Full house and flush: Is this 10/7, 9/7, 9/6, or another schedule?
- Straight: Does it pay 5 or less?
- Two pair: Does it return 1 or 2?
The full house and flush numbers are convenient shorthand, but a game can preserve those two rows while weakening another award. Record the complete table before relying on a strategy chart or return estimate.
The site’s video poker paytables guide explains how to compare schedules line by line.
Strategy changes because the prize distribution changes
Normal poker hand rankings do not supply video poker strategy. The correct hold maximizes expected value under the selected paytable.
Double Bonus increases the value of drawing to:
- four aces;
- four 2s, 3s, or 4s;
- four 5s through kings.
At the same time, a one-credit two-pair award reduces the value of simply preserving two pair compared with Jacks or Better.
The effect can create very close decisions.
Exact example: aces plus another pair
Assume the 10/7 schedule shown above. The deal is:
A♠ A♥ 8♦ 8♣ 3♠
Two plausible holds are:
- keep both pairs and draw one card;
- keep only the aces and draw three cards toward premium quads and other improvements.
Holding both pairs has 47 possible draws:
- four remaining cards—two aces and two eights—make a full house paying 10;
- the other 43 draws leave two pair paying 1.
Its expected value per coin is:
[ EV(AA88)=\frac{4\times10+43\times1}{47} =\frac{83}{47} \approx1.7660 ]
Enumerating all (\binom{47}{3}=16{,}215) draws after holding only the aces gives:
[ EV(AA)\approx1.7635 ]
In this exact deal and paytable, holding two pair is slightly better by about 0.0025 credits per coin. The gap is tiny, which is why guessing by excitement is unreliable.
This page explains the variant, not a complete decision chart. Use Double Bonus Poker Strategy and the exact machine paytable for real hold decisions.
Why the game swings harder
Theoretical return is the probability-weighted sum of every final award:
[ RTP=\sum_{i=1}^{n}P_iA_i ]
where (P_i) is the probability of final hand (i), and (A_i) is its total return per unit wagered under optimal strategy.
Double Bonus shifts more of that sum into rare quads. Two games can have similar RTP while Double Bonus has a wider result distribution because more value depends on infrequent premium hands.
This produces several practical effects:
- more hands that merely push at one unit for high pair or two pair;
- longer periods without a major recovery hit;
- larger jumps when premium quads arrive;
- greater bankroll pressure at the same denomination;
- more damage from incorrect holds because strategy affects which rare awards remain reachable.
A strong theoretical schedule does not protect a short session. Video Poker Variance and High-Volatility Video Poker Games address that risk directly.
Comparing game names is not enough
Double Bonus sits between nearby variants, but each pays different hands:
- Jacks or Better: simpler paytable, two pair usually pays 2, no special quad tiers.
- Bonus Poker: moderate premium quad awards, usually retains two-pair value.
- Double Bonus: larger quad tiers, commonly one unit for two pair.
- Double Double Bonus: adds kicker-dependent premium quad awards.
- Triple Double Bonus: pushes even more value into rare kicker combinations.
The words “double” and “triple” describe prize emphasis, not guaranteed overall value. A weak Double Bonus schedule can have a higher house edge than a strong Jacks or Better game.
For a direct variant comparison, read Bonus Poker and Double Double Bonus Poker.
Expected cost depends on actual play, not the headline table
If the correct theoretical RTP for the exact paytable and strategy is (r), then:
[ \text{Expected Loss}=\text{Coin-In}\times(1-r) ]
Coin-in is:
[ \text{Hands Played}\times\text{Cash Bet per Hand} ]
Suppose a player wagers $1.25 for 600 hands. Coin-in is:
[ 600\times$1.25=$750 ]
If that player’s effective return after paytable selection and strategy errors were 98.5%, expected loss would be:
[ $750\times(1-0.985)=$11.25 ]
The actual result can be hundreds of dollars above or below that average because quads and royals are unevenly distributed. Faster play increases coin-in and gives both the house edge and variance more opportunities to act.
Machine integrity does not guarantee a favorable schedule
A regulated device must use its approved software, random-selection method, displayed game rules, and configured paytable correctly. That is different from requiring every approved schedule to offer the same return.
Gaming Laboratories International’s GLI-11 gaming-device standard addresses game rules, paytable information, random selection, configuration changes, and accounting used in certification. Nevada’s published technical standards for gaming devices also recognize configurable draw-poker award values within regulatory controls.
The player-facing implication is straightforward: an approved machine can still have a less favorable paytable than another approved machine beside it. Regulation protects correct operation; comparison protects the player from choosing by name alone.
Practical mistakes that cost more in Double Bonus
- Reading only the four-aces row.
- Assuming every 10/7 label has the same complete schedule.
- Using Jacks or Better or Bonus Poker strategy.
- Treating two pair as a net win when it only returns the bet.
- Raising denomination to chase the royal bonus without checking total cost.
- Believing high RTP means low session risk.
- Holding or discarding aces by instinct in close two-pair decisions.
- Ignoring hands per hour and total coin-in.
Who should choose this game
Double Bonus suits a player who:
- will verify the complete paytable;
- has the correct strategy for that table;
- accepts that much of the return is concentrated in rare quads;
- can choose a denomination that survives the volatility;
- treats theoretical return as a long-run measure rather than a session promise.
A player who wants smoother results or is still learning basic hold priorities may be better served by a strong Jacks or Better schedule first.
The central lesson is not that Double Bonus is good or bad. It is that the game sells visible quad upside while hiding the cost in ordinary rows and strategy precision. Read the whole paytable, price the real wager, and select the strategy that belongs to that exact schedule.