Aces and Faces is a Jacks-or-Better-derived variant that rewards two premium "quad" categories. Four Aces pays 80-for-1 (400 coins on max bet) and Four Jacks, Queens, or Kings pays 40-for-1 (200 coins) — both far above the 25-for-1 you receive for any other Four of a Kind. This bonus structure creates a unique strategic landscape where Aces and face cards (J, Q, K) are aggressively chased and pricing decisions on Full House holds shift substantially from standard Jacks or Better. Under optimal play the standard 8/5 paytable returns 99.26% RTP, with the rare 7/5 variant at 98.16% and the 6/5 short pay at 97.06%.
The game is a favourite in European brick-and-mortar venues and on most major online platforms. It rewards players who can read a paytable, recognise when to break a "good enough" hand, and patiently drill the Ace-priority hold rules. This guide walks through the basic mechanics, the optimal-strategy adjustments, the head-to-head comparison with Jacks or Better, the three paytable variants you'll encounter, and the most common rookie mistakes that quietly drain bankroll.
1. Standard 52-card deck, no wild cards, no jokers. Minimum winning hand: a pair of Jacks, Queens, Kings, or Aces.
2. Bonus payouts activate on Four of a Kind depending on rank: Four Aces (80-for-1), Four Faces J/Q/K (40-for-1), Four 2s through 10s (25-for-1).
3. Bet max (BET 5): Royal Flush pays 4,000 credits at max bet (800-for-1) versus 250-for-1 on smaller bets.
4. Hold & draw: Tap any card to mark it HELD, then press DRAW to swap the rest from the same 52-card deck.
5. Key strategy: Treat Aces and face cards (J, Q, K) as premium cards worth holding and drawing to aggressively. The Ace bonus is the single most important EV driver after the Royal.
The bonus payout structure for Aces and face cards shifts optimal strategy meaningfully relative to standard Jacks or Better. Hand frequencies are unchanged from JoB, but the expected value of certain holds is dramatically higher because the quad payout is sometimes triple the JoB rate.
| Hand | Payout (BET 1) | Frequency | Strategy Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Four Aces | 80 | 1 in ~5,800 | Break Full House to draw |
| Four Faces (J/Q/K) | 40 | 1 in ~1,950 | High priority draw target |
| Four 2s–10s | 25 | 1 in ~580 | Standard priority |
| Full House | 8 | 1 in 87 | Hold unless 3 Aces present |
| Flush | 5 | 1 in 91 | Hold unless 4-Royal draw |
| Straight | 4 | 1 in 89 | Hold unless 4-Royal draw |
Ace and Face-card priority: Hold Aces and face cards (J, Q, K) with extra care — they're your ticket to the 80× and 40× bonus payouts.
Three Aces: Always hold three Aces and draw 2 cards. Four Aces pays 80× and the probability of completing the quads in two draws is roughly 1-in-22.5.
Three face cards (same rank): Similarly, hold three Jacks, Queens, or Kings and draw to Four of a Kind (40×). Never break this hold for any non-Royal draw.
Pairs of Aces: A pair of Aces is more valuable than any other pair — hold it preferentially and draw 3 cards. Expected value is ≈1.86 coins per coin bet.
Don't break straights/flushes: Unlike Double Bonus, Aces and Faces does NOT justify breaking a made flush for an Ace draw unless you already hold 3 Aces. Stick to the chart.
Always max-bet: Sub-max betting forfeits the Royal Flush bonus and quietly costs about 1.6% of total RTP — bigger than the entire house edge.
Full House exception: With three Aces and a pair (a made Full House), the EV of breaking the pair and drawing two cards for Four Aces (≈9.4 coins) exceeds the guaranteed Full House payout (8 coins). This is one of the few games where breaking a Full House is mathematically correct — and it only applies when the trips are Aces.
No kicker bonus: Unlike Double Double Bonus, Aces and Faces does not pay extra for "Four Aces with Kicker." Holding a kicker is therefore neutral; do not deliberately preserve a J/Q/K alongside three Aces unless it doubles as a Royal draw.
Royal Flush priority: Four cards to a suited Royal Flush (A-K-Q-J-10 same suit) always takes priority over any made hand except a Straight Flush, Four Aces, or Four Faces.
Suited Ace-Face combinations: A♠ K♠ and A♥ Q♥ suited combinations are excellent holds — they draw to both Royal Flush and premium-pair quads.
Variance management: The 80× and 40× bonuses create moderate variance (index ≈21). Maintain a bankroll of 200× max bet for a 90-minute session, and expect deeper drawdowns than at standard JoB.
Searchers comparing "aces and faces vs jacks or better" want to know whether the bonus payouts are worth the slightly lower base RTP. Both games share the same minimum paying pair (Jacks or higher), the same 52-card deck, and the same Royal Flush jackpot. The differences come down to two things: (1) Aces and Faces splits Four of a Kind into three tiers, paying premium amounts for Aces and face cards, and (2) standard 8/5 Aces and Faces typically uses a slightly trimmed Full House and Flush row to bankroll the bonus payouts.
| Feature | Aces and Faces (8/5) | Jacks or Better (9/6) |
|---|---|---|
| Four Aces payout | 80-for-1 | 25-for-1 |
| Four J/Q/K payout | 40-for-1 | 25-for-1 |
| Four 2s–10s payout | 25-for-1 | 25-for-1 |
| Full House | 8 | 9 |
| Flush | 5 | 6 |
| Optimal RTP | 99.26% | 99.54% |
| House edge | 0.74% | 0.46% |
| Variance index | ≈21 | ≈19.5 |
| Best for | Players chasing Ace bonuses | Strategy purists |
Compared to 9/6 Jacks or Better's 99.54% RTP, Aces and Faces gives up 0.28% to the house. On $100 of coin-in that's an extra $0.28 expected loss — minimal in exchange for the chance at 80× and 40× quad payouts that don't exist on JoB. If you enjoy the dopamine hit of premium quad bonuses without the extreme variance of Double Double Bonus, Aces and Faces is the right pick.
Paytables are quoted as a shortcut: "8/5" means Full House pays 8 and Flush pays 5 per coin wagered. The Four Aces and Four Faces rows are constant across the most common variants, but the Full House and Flush rows swing RTP by more than two full percentage points. Always read the paytable before depositing — adjacent machines can have wildly different returns.
| Hand | Full Pay 8/5 (99.26%) | 7/5 (98.16%) | 6/5 (97.06%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Royal Flush (max bet) | 4,000 | 4,000 | 4,000 |
| Four Aces | 80 | 80 | 80 |
| Straight Flush | 50 | 50 | 50 |
| Four Faces (J/Q/K) | 40 | 40 | 40 |
| Four of a Kind (2–10) | 25 | 25 | 25 |
| Full House | 8 | 7 | 6 |
| Flush | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Straight | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Three of a Kind | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Two Pair | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Jacks or Better | 1 | 1 | 1 |
The 8/5 version is the "full pay" Aces and Faces — the highest-RTP variant in regular circulation. 7/5 trims another 1.1% off your return, and the 6/5 schedule should be avoided unless no alternative exists. Always check the Full House row first; the Four Aces (80) and Four Faces (40) rows are typically constant across all three variants.
Aces and Faces leaks come from JoB-trained instincts that don't account for the premium quad bonuses. The five most expensive errors:
1. Not betting max coins. A 1-coin bet caps the Royal at 250 coins; 5 coins pays 4,000. The Royal jackpot bonus accounts for ≈1.6% of total RTP — by far the biggest single leak.
2. Not breaking Full Houses with three Aces. The math says break it: drawing for Four Aces (80×) has higher EV than the 8-coin Full House. Players who refuse to break "good" hands leave money on the table.
3. Confusing the paytable with Bonus Poker. Bonus Poker pays 80 for Four Aces but only 40 for Four 2s/3s/4s. Aces and Faces pays 80/40/25 by Aces/Faces/Other. They look similar but optimal strategy diverges on borderline hands.
4. Holding kickers needlessly. Aces and Faces does NOT pay a kicker bonus. Holding an extra Ace or face card alongside three Aces with no Royal-draw value reduces your draw outs and lowers EV.
5. Chasing inside straights. An inside straight has only 4 outs and pays 4-for-1; expected value is below 0.65. Almost any other draw is mathematically better.
Because the 80× Ace bonus produces moderately higher variance than Jacks or Better, the recommended bankroll is slightly larger. A practical rule of thumb is 250 max bets per session — at $1.25 per spin (5 quarters), that's a $312 buy-in for around 90 minutes of play. Set a stop-loss at 50% of buy-in and a stop-win at +100% to protect long-run EV from emotion-driven decisions. Players specifically chasing the 80× Aces bonus should add another 50% headroom because dry stretches can be longer than at JoB.
Aces and Faces is a staple of Microgaming, Playtech, and Net Entertainment lobbies, and most major online platforms host at least the 8/5 version. Pure Video Poker hosts the full-pay 8/5 game free with 1,000 practice credits and no download required — the right place to drill the Ace-priority hold rules and rehearse the Full-House-break decision before risking real money. When you graduate to a real-money venue, prefer regulated jurisdictions and confirm the in-game paytable matches the lobby description.
| Hand | BET 1 | BET 2 | BET 3 | BET 4 | BET 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Royal Flush | 250 | 500 | 750 | 1000 | 4000 |
| Four Aces | 80 | 160 | 240 | 320 | 400 |
| Straight Flush | 50 | 100 | 150 | 200 | 250 |
| Four Faces (J/Q/K) | 40 | 80 | 120 | 160 | 200 |
| Four of a Kind | 25 | 50 | 75 | 100 | 125 |
| 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 Pair | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 |
| Jacks or Better | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
Aces and Faces returns 99.26% to the player (RTP) with optimal strategy. This means for every $100 wagered over the long run, the expected return is $99.26. This is considered a very competitive return among video poker games.
Place your bet (1-5 coins), then press Deal to receive 5 cards from a 52-card deck. Select which cards to hold, then press Draw to replace the rest. Your final hand is evaluated against the pay table. The minimum winning hand is Jacks or Better. Always bet max coins (5) to qualify for the enhanced Royal Flush jackpot of 4,000 coins.
Aces and Faces offers enhanced payouts for specific Four of a Kind hands. Unlike standard Jacks or Better where all quads pay the same, bonus games have tiered payouts — typically paying more for Four Aces and Four 2s-4s. This creates higher variance but bigger potential wins. The tradeoff is usually a reduced payout for Two Pair (1:1 instead of 2:1).
Aces and Faces has medium variance. This means a balanced mix of frequent small wins and occasional larger payouts. A good choice for players who want some excitement without extreme bankroll swings.
Yes. Aces and Faces is completely free to play on Pure Video Poker. No download, no registration, and no real money required. You get 1,000 practice credits to play with. It works in any modern web browser on desktop computers, tablets, and smartphones. Use it to practice strategy and learn the game before playing at a real casino.
The best schedule is the 8/5 full-pay version at 99.26% RTP. The maximum single-hand payout is 4,000 coins for a Royal Flush on a max 5-coin bet, followed by 400 coins for Four Aces and 250 coins for a Straight Flush. Avoid 7/5 (98.16%) and 6/5 (97.06%) variants when full pay is available.
It is slightly harder due to the Four-Aces and Four-Faces bonus payouts, which require strategy adjustments. The biggest is breaking a Full House when the trips are Aces — counterintuitive for JoB players. Once you internalise the Ace-priority rules, optimal play comes naturally.
On a max 5-coin bet, the top single-hand wins are: Royal Flush 4,000 coins, Four Aces 400, Straight Flush 250, Four Faces 200, Four 2s-10s 125, Full House 40, Flush 25. The Royal hits about once per 40,000 hands and Four Aces about once per 5,800 hands.
Four Aces pays 80-for-1 in Aces and Faces, equal to 80 coins on a 1-coin bet and 400 coins on a max 5-coin bet. This is more than triple the standard Jacks or Better payout of 25-for-1, which is why Aces and Faces is worth playing despite the slightly trimmed Full House and Flush rows.