Double Double Bonus Poker — Free Online Play, Strategy & Pay Tables
- Game Type
- Bonus Video Poker
- Best Pay Table
- 9/6 (Full Pay)
- RTP
- 98.98%
- House Edge
- 1.02%
- Variance
- Very High
- Min. Winning Hand
- Jacks or Better
- Deck
- Standard 52 cards
- Ideal For
- Quad hunters & high-roller strategy
What Is Double Double Bonus Poker?
Double Double Bonus Poker is one of the most popular video poker variants found in casinos worldwide. It builds on the classic Jacks or Better framework but introduces tiered bonus payouts for specific Four of a Kind hands — and, crucially, the value of the fifth card (the "kicker") determines whether you receive a standard or premium payout. This kicker mechanic makes double double bonus poker strategically deeper and far more volatile than standard video poker.
The "Double Double" in the name refers to two layers of bonus enhancement. The original Bonus Poker added extra pay for certain quads. Double Bonus doubled those bonuses. Double Double Bonus then added kicker-based premium tiers on top. The result is a game where Four Aces with a 2, 3, or 4 kicker pays a massive 2,000 coins at max bet — compared to just 125 coins for the same hand in Jacks or Better.
You can play Double Double Bonus video poker free right here — no download, no registration, and no real money required. Use our free double double bonus poker game above as a trainer to master the strategy before playing at a casino. The game runs in any modern web browser on desktop, tablet, or smartphone.
How to Play Double Double Bonus Poker — Rules
Double double bonus poker game rules follow the standard video poker format with one critical addition: kicker-based bonus payouts for specific Four of a Kind hands.
- Place your bet — Select 1 to 5 coins. Always bet the maximum 5 coins to qualify for the enhanced Royal Flush jackpot of 4,000 coins and the best Four Aces + kicker payout of 2,000 coins.
- Deal — Press Deal to receive five cards from a standard 52-card deck, freshly shuffled each hand.
- Hold or discard — Choose which cards to keep. This is where double double bonus poker strategy diverges from standard Jacks or Better — kicker awareness changes many decisions.
- Draw — Press Draw to replace discarded cards. Your final five-card hand is evaluated against the pay table.
- Collect winnings — Payouts depend on your hand rank and, for Four of a Kind, which rank and kicker you hold. The minimum winning hand is a pair of Jacks or Better.
Double Double Bonus Poker Pay Table — Full Pay 9/6
The full-pay double double bonus poker pay table is the 9/6 schedule (9 coins for Full House, 6 for Flush at max bet per coin). This delivers an RTP of 98.98% with optimal strategy. The defining feature is the four-tier bonus structure for Four of a Kind hands.
Standard Hand Payouts
| 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 |
| 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 Pair | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Jacks or Better | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
Four of a Kind Bonus Payouts (The Heart of the Game)
This is what makes double double bonus video poker unique. Four of a Kind pays differently based on the quad rank and the kicker card:
| Four of a Kind | Kicker | 1 Coin | 5 Coins |
|---|---|---|---|
| Four Aces | 2, 3, or 4 | 400 | 2,000 |
| Four Aces | Any other | 160 | 800 |
| Four 2s, 3s, or 4s | A, 2, 3, or 4 | 160 | 800 |
| Four 2s, 3s, or 4s | Any other | 80 | 400 |
| Four 5s through Kings | Any | 50 | 250 |
The premium payout — Four Aces with a low kicker (2, 3, or 4) — pays 2,000 coins at max bet. That's half the Royal Flush jackpot and occurs far more frequently. This is the hand that defines the double double bonus poker experience and drives its very high variance.
Short Pay Tables to Avoid
Casinos often offer reduced double double bonus poker pay tables. Check the Full House and Flush payouts to identify the version:
| Version | Full House | Flush | RTP |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9/6 (Full Pay) | 9 | 6 | 98.98% |
| 9/5 | 9 | 5 | 97.87% |
| 8/5 | 8 | 5 | 96.79% |
| 7/5 | 7 | 5 | 95.71% |
Double Double Bonus Poker Strategy — Key Differences from Jacks or Better
Double double bonus poker strategy shares a foundation with Jacks or Better but diverges in critical spots because of the enhanced quad payouts and reduced Two Pair pay. The biggest adjustment: Two Pair only pays even money (1:1), so you should break Two Pair more aggressively to chase higher hands.
Top 10 Strategy Adjustments for Double Double Bonus
- Kickers matter with Three Aces — If you hold Three Aces plus a low card (2, 3, or 4), keep the kicker. Drawing one card to hit Four Aces + low kicker is worth 2,000 coins. Discarding the kicker to draw two cards reduces your chance at the premium payout.
- Never break Four of a Kind — Even low quads (5s through Kings) pay 250 coins at max bet. No draw is worth abandoning a guaranteed quad.
- Three to a Royal Flush beats a low pair — In standard Jacks or Better, a low pair is often the better hold. In Double Double Bonus, the reduced Two Pair payout (1:1) makes chasing the Royal more attractive.
- Hold suited J-Q over an unsuited King or Ace — The flush draw potential plus Royal Flush potential outweighs a single high card hold.
- Break Two Pair for Three to a Royal Flush — Two Pair only pays 5 coins at max bet. Three to a Royal Flush has a much higher expected value.
- Keep a low kicker with Three 2s, 3s, or 4s — Similar to Aces: if you hold Three 2s plus an Ace or another low card (2-4), keep the potential premium kicker and draw only one card.
- Four to a Flush beats a low pair — The reduced Two Pair payout tilts this decision toward the flush draw.
- Hold Ace-high over King-high when no other draw exists — Four Aces pays much more than Four Kings (800 vs. 250 coins), so a single Ace has higher expected value than a single King.
- Don't hold three unrelated high cards — Discard to two suited high cards or a single Ace. Three unpaired high cards is a weak holding in any double bonus poker variant.
- Full House is always a hold — At 45 coins (max bet), never break a Full House to chase Four of a Kind. The guaranteed payout is too valuable.
Double Double Bonus Poker Strategy Chart
The following double double bonus poker strategy chart ranks hand situations from highest to lowest expected value. Find the highest-matching entry for your dealt hand and hold those cards. This chart is optimized for the full-pay 9/6 double double bonus poker pay table.
| # | Hand Situation | Action |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Royal Flush | Hold all 5 |
| 2 | Straight Flush | Hold all 5 |
| 3 | Four of a Kind | Hold all 5 |
| 4 | Four to a Royal Flush | Hold 4, draw 1 |
| 5 | Full House | Hold all 5 |
| 6 | Flush | Hold all 5 |
| 7 | Three Aces + low kicker (2-4) | Hold 4, draw 1 |
| 8 | Three of a Kind (other) | Hold 3, draw 2 |
| 9 | Straight | Hold all 5 |
| 10 | Four to a Straight Flush | Hold 4, draw 1 |
| 11 | Two Pair | Hold 4, draw 1 |
| 12 | Three to a Royal Flush | Hold 3, draw 2 |
| 13 | Four to a Flush | Hold 4, draw 1 |
| 14 | Pair of Aces | Hold 2, draw 3 |
| 15 | Pair of Jacks, Queens, or Kings | Hold 2, draw 3 |
| 16 | Four to an open-ended Straight | Hold 4, draw 1 |
| 17 | Low pair (2s through 10s) | Hold 2, draw 3 |
| 18 | Three to a Straight Flush | Hold 3, draw 2 |
| 19 | Suited J-Q, J-K, or Q-K | Hold 2, draw 3 |
| 20 | Four to an inside Straight (3+ high cards) | Hold 4, draw 1 |
| 21 | Unsuited J-Q-K or J-K-A | Hold 2 best, draw 3 |
| 22 | Suited A-10, A-J, A-Q, or A-K | Hold 2, draw 3 |
| 23 | Single Ace | Hold 1, draw 4 |
| 24 | Suited J-10, Q-10, or K-10 | Hold 2, draw 3 |
| 25 | Single Jack, Queen, or King | Hold 1, draw 4 |
| 26 | Nothing | Discard all 5 |
Double Double Bonus Odds & Probabilities
The very high variance of double double bonus video poker means you'll experience longer losing streaks punctuated by big quad payouts. Understanding the frequencies helps with bankroll management.
| Hand | Frequency | Probability | Return Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Royal Flush | 1 in 40,799 | 0.0025% | 1.96% |
| Straight Flush | 1 in 9,123 | 0.0110% | 0.55% |
| Four Aces + kicker 2-4 | 1 in 16,236 | 0.0062% | 2.46% |
| Four Aces (other kicker) | 1 in 5,761 | 0.0174% | 2.78% |
| Four 2s-4s + kicker A-4 | 1 in 4,589 | 0.0218% | 3.48% |
| Four 2s-4s (other kicker) | 1 in 2,400 | 0.0417% | 3.33% |
| Four 5s-Kings | 1 in 621 | 0.1610% | 8.05% |
| Full House | 1 in 89 | 1.121% | 10.09% |
| Flush | 1 in 91 | 1.097% | 6.58% |
| Straight | 1 in 80 | 1.256% | 5.02% |
| Three of a Kind | 1 in 13 | 7.449% | 22.35% |
| Two Pair | 1 in 8 | 12.335% | 12.34% |
| Jacks or Better | 1 in 5 | 21.046% | 21.05% |
| Total Return | All hands combined | 98.98% | |
Notice that Four of a Kind hands collectively contribute over 20% of total return — far more than in Jacks or Better (approximately 6%). The Four Aces + low kicker hand is particularly impactful: occurring once every 16,236 hands, it contributes 2.46% of total RTP. This single hand type is worth more than all Straight Flushes combined.
Double Double Bonus Tips — Bankroll & Session Management
- Budget for variance — Very high variance means you need 2-3× the bankroll compared to Jacks or Better. A session bankroll of 200-300 max bets is the minimum for consistent play.
- Always bet 5 coins — The Royal Flush bonus at max bet plus the premium quad payouts make this non-negotiable for optimal play.
- Track your kickers — When you see Three Aces, immediately check if the remaining cards include a 2, 3, or 4. Holding that kicker is the single biggest strategic edge in the game.
- Two Pair is break-even — Unlike Jacks or Better where Two Pair returns 2×, here it's only 1× your bet. Adjust your mental value of Two Pair downward.
- The quad drought is real — You may go 500+ hands without hitting a premium quad. This is normal. The math works over thousands of hands, not dozens.
- Full pay 9/6 is essential — On an 8/5 table, you lose an extra 2.19% RTP. Over a 4-hour session at 500 hands/hour with $1.25/hand, that's $55 extra in expected losses.
- Practice with a double double bonus poker trainer — Use our free game above to drill strategy decisions, especially the kicker holds that don't exist in simpler variants. Perfect strategy knowledge is worth 2-3% in RTP improvement over average play.
- Set win and loss limits — Given the extreme variance, decide your exit points before you start. A quad hit early in a session is a great time to bank profits.
Double Double Bonus vs. Other Bonus Poker Variants
The "Bonus" family of video poker games spans several variants, each adding different layers of enhanced payouts. Here's how Double Double Bonus poker compares:
| Feature | Double Double Bonus | Double Bonus | Bonus Poker | Jacks or Better |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kicker Payouts | Yes (2-tier) | No | No | No |
| Four Aces (max) | 2,000 | 800 | 400 | 125 |
| Four 2s-4s (max) | 800 | 400 | 200 | 125 |
| Two Pair Pay | 1:1 | 1:1 | 2:1 | 2:1 |
| Full-Pay RTP | 98.98% | 100.17% | 99.17% | 99.54% |
| Variance | Very High | High | Medium | Low |
| Strategy Complexity | Complex | Moderate | Simple | Simple |
Double Double Bonus offers the biggest individual payouts in the Bonus family but has the lowest base RTP (98.98% vs. Double Bonus at 100.17%). The tradeoff is clear: bigger highs, deeper lows. If you prefer steadier returns with less drama, Jacks or Better or Bonus Poker may suit you better. If you live for the 2,000-coin quad hit, Double Double Bonus is your game.
Double Double Bonus Poker for UK Players
Double Double Bonus video poker is widely available at UK online casinos and in select land-based establishments. Here's what UK players should know:
- Pay table awareness: UK online casinos frequently offer reduced pay tables (8/5 or 7/5) for Double Double Bonus. Always check the Full House and Flush payouts before playing. The difference between 9/6 and 7/5 is over 3% in RTP — the equivalent of an extra £30 lost per £1,000 wagered.
- Tax-free winnings: Under current UK law, gambling winnings are not subject to income tax. This applies to both online and land-based casino play.
- Practice free: Use our free double double bonus poker game as a trainer — no deposit, no registration, no account needed. Master the kicker strategy at your own pace.
- Bankroll in GBP: Set a session budget in pounds and choose a denomination where 5-coin max bets are sustainable for at least 200 hands. The very high variance of Double Double Bonus demands disciplined bankroll management.