In the part I we discussed how the pay schedule on video poker machines will tell you the long term payback a player who uses proper playing strategy can expect on Jacks or Better games. In this installment we'll unlock the secrets of two variations of Jacks or Better: Bonus Poker and Double Bonus Poker.

Bonus Poker

These machines have been around for a while and were undoubtedly offered up to draw people away from the full-pay "9/6" Jacks or Better games. The primary lure here is a bigger payout on Four-of-a-Kind with the Aces paying 400 for 5, quad 2,3 or 4's paying 200 for 5 and 5 through K paying 125. A player using proper playing strategy can expect to receive a 4K once every 425 hands or about once an hour, on average. However, just like Jacks or Better, the payout of this machine is regulated to a large extent by the Full House and Flush payouts. Here are the payouts of a standard Bonus Poker machine:

By changing the payout on the Full House, the payback of the machine can be greatly influenced. Here are the returns you may find on the variations of these machines

Progressive Bonus Poker

Most of these machines offer a progressive jackpot on the Royal Flush and all of the various quads. Again, the primary tool for regulating the payback is the payback on the Full House. Here are some examples of the payouts which you might see:

Double Bonus Poker

This machine has gained tremendous popularity over the last year or so, primarily because it offers a good short term payout, a nice "mini-jackpot" on the four Aces and an excellent return for the house. Why, with all the big payouts, does this machine do so well for the casinos? It's simple. People don't know how to play them; the casinos make most of their money from player's mistakes. These games LOOK like Bonus Poker, but the change in the payouts alter the proper playing strategy quite a bit. Add to that the fact that the game pays only 5 for 5 on two pair which causes players to drop one pair and go for the quads -- a big mistake -- and you have a nice little moneymaker for the house. If you do not know the proper strategy for this game, don't play it. You are much better off sticking to "Jacks" if your strategy is based upon the "general" rules of poker, like "Never draw to an inside straight" or "Don't draw to a 3-card flush", because in this game both of those are sometimes the correct play. If you want a copy of the proper playing strategy for this game, mail $5 to Dan Paymar c/o Video Poker Times, 2540 S. Maryland Parkway, Suite 141, Las Vegas, NV 89109 and tell him you want a pocket strategy card for Double Bonus Poker.

I have seen just two versions of this game and the only difference is in the payout for the Full House. Usually the full-pay version is a dollar machine and the short-pay is a quarter machine. Here's how it looks:

With a payout of 50 for 5 on the Full House, this machine returns 100.15% for proper long term play. Yes, if you will learn to play this game correctly, you can get back more than you put in -- in the long term. Add to that slot club bonus points and/or comps you might receive and you can see how good these machines can be.

The short-pay version pays 45 for 5 on the Full House so the long term payback is cut to 99.1%. Still not bad when compared any Jacks or Better machine except the 9/6 full-pay version. But here again, that kind of payback can be realized only by those who use proper playing strategy.