99.64%
EIGHTY FOR EVERY QUAD
Bonus Deluxe Strategy guide
Updated November 4, 2026
Compared with 9/6 Jacks or Better, every four of a kind pays 80 regardless of rank, and Two Pair returns only the bet. The higher quad payout helps draws to quads; the lower Two Pair payout reduces the value of many pair and high-card holds.
Built for 9/6 Bonus Deluxe: quads pay 80, Two Pair pays 1, and the royal pays 800 per coin.
View Bonus Deluxe pay table →
REMEMBER THESE
Three rules to remember
01
Rank never matters on quads
Four 5s pay exactly what Four Aces pay, and there is no kicker rule. An isolated low card has no special quad value. A lone Ace can still be a useful paying-pair draw.
02
Two Pair only returns the bet
Reducing Two Pair from 2 to 1 lowers the value of many pair and high-card holds. The 80-for-1 quad award offsets some of that loss; compare the full pay table, not just one row.
03
Inside straights can be worth keeping
Because high-card holds and drawing five return less here, a four-card inside straight is worth keeping even with no high card in it. Check for stronger alternatives, especially three-card straight-flush draws, before keeping the inside straight.
WHAT TO HOLD
Use these priorities to find holds to compare.
HOLD PRIORITIES
How to use these priorities
These are usual hold priorities. If your hand fits more than one choice, choose the hold with the higher average return; the first matching row may not give the best hold. In wild-card games, use the rows for the number of wild cards in your hand. Suits, missing straight ranks, discarded cards, and payouts can change which hold returns more. Use the worked examples below or check the exact hand in Practice, which compares all 32 ways to hold or discard the five cards. EV means average total return, including the stake, per coin wagered; it is not profit or the chance of winning. The examples use the pay table named above.
“Pat” means keep all five. “Four to” or “three to” counts the held cards, including any wild cards. An outside straight such as 5-6-7-8 can finish at either end; an inside straight such as 5-6-8-9 needs one rank. A-2-3-4 and J-Q-K-A also have only one completing rank. Discarded cards cannot be drawn again. For example, discarding a heart leaves one fewer heart to complete a flush. “Trips” means three of a kind; “quads” means four of a kind. “Natural” means without wild cards. A “kicker” is a side card; some games pay a bonus for a specific kicker alongside quads.
01
Pat royal, straight flush, or four of a kind
Keep the completed hand. Every quad pays 80 regardless of rank.
02
Four to a royal flush
Still breaks a made flush, a made straight, or a paying pair.
03
Full house, flush, or straight
Keep the made hand: a 9-for-1 full house beats breaking back to trips.
04
Three of a kind
Draw two for quads or a full house. Trips are worth about 6.6 per coin on an ordinary dealt three of a kind.
05
Four to a straight flush
Keep the premium suited run.
06
Two pair, then Jacks or Better
Two pair still wins even at even money; splitting it for one pair is worse.
07
Three to a royal versus four to a flush
Neither always wins. With A J 10 9 Q, keep four hearts: 1.28 per coin versus 1.24 for the three-card royal.
08
Low pair
Ahead of every four-card straight — and worth slightly less than the same pair on 9/6 Jacks.
09
Four-card outside straight
Eight outs at 4-for-1.
10
Inside straights and three-card straight flushes
Inside straights can beat high-card holds or drawing five, but first check for a stronger suited draw.
11
High cards
Suited and unsuited high-card combinations can beat a lone high card. Discarded cards can reverse close choices, so the 9/6 Jacks answer is not automatic.
12
Inside straight with no high cards, then draw five
Four to an inside straight with no high card still beats a fresh five on this table.
WORKED EXAMPLES
The deals that split from 9/6 Jacks or Better
5
HOLD
6
HOLD
8
HOLD
9
HOLD
2
DRAW
Keep this inside straight even without high cards
No pair, no high card, no flush — on 9/6 Jacks this is a fresh five, worth 0.359 per coin against 0.340 for the draw. Two Pair paying only the bet is what drags the fresh five down here: 0.340 for the inside straight against 0.325.
10
HOLD
9
HOLD
4
DRAW
K
HOLD
J
HOLD
The inside straight over the high cards
Jacks or Better keeps King-Jack and draws three, 0.483 per coin. Bonus Deluxe keeps the four cards to an inside straight instead, 0.468 against 0.446 — keep the straight draw rather than the two high cards.
COMMON TRAPS
Mistakes worth recognizing on sight
Playing it like Bonus Poker
Every four of a kind pays the same here. Aces have no extra quad bonus, but they remain paying high cards; isolated low cards do not.
Reusing 9/6 Jacks pair habits
Two Pair pays 1, reducing the average return of lone high cards, three-card royals, and drawing five.
Discarding an inside straight with no high cards
An inside straight with no high cards beats drawing five, but first check for a stronger suited draw.
TURN THE LADDER INTO INSTINCT
Practice Bonus Deluxe
Every miss comes back through Review until the correct hold is automatic.
PRACTICE THIS STRATEGY
→