Triple Double Bonus Poker is the most volatile mainstream video poker variant in existence. It takes the bonus poker concept to its extreme by offering kicker bonuses on four-of-a-kind hands that match the royal flush payout — 800 coins for the right quad-plus-kicker combination.
The full-pay 9/6 version returns 99.58% with optimal strategy, which sounds solid until you understand how that number is constructed. A disproportionate chunk of the return is locked in rare kicker combinations. Expect longer dry spells than any other standard video poker game, punctuated by massive wins that reset the math.
How to Identify the Full-Pay Triple Double Bonus Machine
Like most bonus poker variants, the shorthand uses Full House and Flush payouts. Full-pay Triple Double Bonus is "9/6" — Full House pays 9, Flush pays 6.
Check the 1-coin column on the pay table. Find Full House and Flush. If you see 9 and 6, you have the best available version. Common short-pay alternatives are 8/5 and 7/5, both of which cost you significantly over time.
Also verify the kicker bonus structure at the top of the pay table. The defining feature of Triple Double Bonus is the 800-coin payout for specific quad-plus-kicker combinations. If you see that number next to "Four Aces + 2-4" and "Four 2s-4s + A," you have the right game.
Pay Table Comparison: Full-Pay vs Short-Pay
| Hand | 9/6 (Full Pay) | 8/5 (Short Pay) | 7/5 (Short Pay) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Royal Flush | 800 | 800 | 800 |
| Straight Flush | 50 | 50 | 50 |
| Four Aces + 2/3/4 kicker | 800 | 800 | 800 |
| Four 2s/3s/4s + A/2/3/4 kicker | 800 | 800 | 800 |
| Four Aces (no kicker) | 160 | 160 | 160 |
| Four 2s/3s/4s (no kicker) | 80 | 80 | 80 |
| Four 5s–Kings | 50 | 50 | 50 |
| Full House | 9 | 8 | 7 |
| Flush | 6 | 5 | 5 |
| Straight | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Three of a Kind | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Two Pair | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Jacks or Better | 1 | 1 | 1 |
*Payouts shown per coin wagered. All kicker bonuses require 5-coin max bet for the full 4000-coin jackpot equivalent.*
The RTP Gap Between Versions
| Version | RTP (Optimal Strategy) | House Edge |
|---|---|---|
| 9/6 Full Pay | 99.58% | 0.42% |
| 8/5 Short Pay | 97.43% | 2.57% |
| 7/5 Short Pay | 96.35% | 3.65% |
The drop from 9/6 to 8/5 is 2.15 percentage points — one of the steepest cliffs in video poker. On a $1 machine at max bet ($5/hand) playing 600 hands per hour, the 8/5 version costs you approximately $64 more per hour than the 9/6. That adds up to hundreds of dollars per session.
The 7/5 version is even worse at 3.65% house edge, approaching slot machine territory. Never play Triple Double Bonus at 7/5 — at that point, you are paying a premium for volatility without the return to justify it.
Understanding the Kicker Bonus Structure
The kicker system is what makes Triple Double Bonus unique — and what makes it dangerously volatile:
Tier 1 — The 800-coin kickers (Royal Flush equivalent):
- Four aces with a 2, 3, or 4 as the fifth card = 800 coins
- Four 2s, 3s, or 4s with an ace, 2, 3, or 4 as the fifth card = 800 coins
Tier 2 — Standard quad bonuses:
- Four aces without a qualifying kicker = 160 coins
- Four 2s, 3s, or 4s without a qualifying kicker = 80 coins
- Four 5s through kings = 50 coins
The 800-coin kicker payout is identical to a royal flush. Landing four aces with a two is literally worth the same as 10-J-Q-K-A of hearts. This creates a psychological and mathematical reality where specific low cards (2s, 3s, 4s) become extremely valuable when combined with aces — something that feels completely wrong if you are coming from Jacks or Better.
Why Triple Double Bonus Is So Volatile
The math behind Triple Double Bonus tells a stark story. A significant portion of the 99.58% theoretical return is concentrated in events that occur very rarely:
- The 800-coin kicker combinations hit roughly once every 16,000-20,000 hands
- Royal flushes hit approximately once every 40,000 hands
- Combined, these rare events account for a substantial percentage of total expected return
This means your session results will deviate wildly from the theoretical average. A player might go 50 or 100 hours without hitting a kicker bonus. During those hours, the effective return can feel like 95-96% because the "missing" return is locked in future rare events that may not materialize during your visit.
Conversely, hitting a single 800-coin kicker early in a session can put you up significantly despite playing at a sub-100% game.
Triple Double Bonus is not a game for bankroll preservation. It is a game for players who enjoy high-risk, high-reward swings and have the bankroll depth to survive the droughts between kicker hits.
Strategy Differences from Other Video Poker Games
Triple Double Bonus strategy diverges from Jacks or Better in dramatic ways because of the kicker structure:
Low cards gain enormous value. In Jacks or Better, a 2, 3, or 4 has almost no strategic value. In Triple Double Bonus, these cards are potential kicker qualifiers worth 800 coins when paired with the right quad. This changes how you evaluate seemingly weak hands.
Holding decisions consider the kicker. If you have three aces and your remaining two cards include a 2, 3, or 4, you face a decision that does not exist in other games. Do you hold the potential kicker card alongside your three aces, reducing your draw from two cards to one? Or do you discard it for a better chance at four aces (without the kicker bonus)?
The math says: hold the kicker card in specific situations because the difference between 160 coins (four aces, no kicker) and 800 coins (four aces with kicker) is so extreme that preserving kicker probability is worth the reduced draw.
Two pair is almost worthless. Two pair only pays 1 coin in Triple Double Bonus — the same as a single pair of jacks. This means breaking up two pair to chase a quad is often correct, especially when one of your pairs is aces or low cards (2s/3s/4s) that qualify for kicker bonuses.
Pair hierarchy reshuffled. In Jacks or Better, all pairs below jacks are equivalent (non-paying). In Triple Double Bonus, a pair of aces is far more valuable than a pair of kings because four aces leads to 160-coin or 800-coin payouts. A pair of 2s/3s/4s is more valuable than a pair of 5s through 10s for similar reasons.
The Bottom Line
Triple Double Bonus Poker is the high-variance specialist's game. The 9/6 full-pay version at 99.58% is mathematically sound, but the journey to that theoretical number involves extreme swings that most casual players find uncomfortable.
If you play Triple Double Bonus, three things are non-negotiable: find the 9/6 pay table, learn the kicker-aware strategy (not generic Jacks or Better strategy), and bring a bankroll that can absorb extended dry spells. The game rewards patience and correct play, but it punishes underfunded players and those who do not understand the kicker structure.
For players who embrace volatility and enjoy the rush of rare, massive payouts, Triple Double Bonus delivers an experience no other standard video poker game can match.
Play Triple Double Bonus Poker Free — Experience the kicker bonus system risk-free and learn which holds change when 800-coin payouts are on the line.