99.69%
FACE CARDS MOVE UP
Super Double Bonus Strategy guide
Four Jacks, Queens, or Kings pay 120, so a pair of face cards is worth more here than in any other game without a kicker rule. An 80-for-1 straight flush breaks a made straight, and the 9/5 base makes flush draws weaker than in Double Bonus.
Built for full-pay 9/5 Super Double Bonus (99.69%). The 8/5 and lower schedules return less and can move close holds.
View Super Double Bonus pay table →
REMEMBER THESE
The three rules that move the game
01
A face pair beats three to a royal
A pair of Jacks, Queens, or Kings is worth 1.64 per coin, against 1.45 in Double Bonus. That beats every three-card royal and every four-flush it can sit beside, and it is worth chasing on its own: three Kings drawing two return 8.35 per coin.
02
The straight flush pays 80
Four to an open-ended straight flush breaks a made straight: 8 9 10 J Q keeps the hearts, 4.64 per coin against 4.00. It does not break a made flush: 9 10 J Q 2 keeps the flush, 5.00 against 4.68.
03
Aces still play as their own rank
Three Aces break Aces full, and a pair of Aces breaks Aces up. Face cards do not go that far: K K K Q Q keeps the full house, 9.00 per coin against 8.35, and Kings up keep both pairs.
DECISION LADDER
Start at the top; compare overlapping choices.
CORE ORDER
“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 stay out of the draw and can weaken a competing hold.
01
Royal, straight flush, or four of a kind
Keep the premium made hand.
02
Four to a royal flush
Break a made straight, flush, or high pair for it.
03
Three Aces
Draw two even from Aces full: 10.05 per coin against the 9.00 you would keep.
04
Full house or flush
Keep these made hands pat.
05
Trips, 2s through Kings
Draw two. Three Jacks, Queens, or Kings return 8.35 per coin here, against 5.37 in Double Bonus.
06
Four to an open-ended straight flush, then a straight
The draw breaks a made straight on this schedule, but never a made flush.
07
Four to an inside straight flush
Above every pair: K Q 10 9 is 2.91 per coin beside a pair of Kings at 1.64.
08
Pair of Aces, then Two Pair
Throw the second pair beside Aces (1.75 against 1.68), but keep both otherwise: Kings up are 1.68 against 1.64 for the Kings alone.
09
Pair of Jacks, Queens, or Kings
Above every three to a royal and every four-flush.
10
Three to a royal, four to a flush, then low pairs
A-K-Q suited beats the four hearts around it (1.33 against 1.15), and K 9 7 3 3 keeps the hearts at 1.02 over the 3s at 0.82. A low pair beats an outside straight with no high cards.
11
Outside straights, suited high cards, and unsuited high cards
Unsuited A-K edges a lone Ace: 0.449 per coin against 0.440. A lone high card beats three to a flush.
12
Inside straight with no high cards, or draw five
Four to an inside straight edges out a fresh five: 0.340 per coin against 0.327.
Why this isn’t an exception chart
Suits, gaps, discarded cards, and custom payouts can move close hands. This is a compact learning guide, not a complete first-match chart. For wild games, use only the branch for the wild cards actually dealt. SmartHold Practice compares all 32 holds for the exact deal. EV means average total return, including the stake, per coin wagered; it is not profit or the chance of winning. The examples use the schedule named above.
WORKED EXAMPLES
The deals that split from 9/7/5 Double Bonus
J
HOLD
J
HOLD
10
DRAW
Q
DRAW
9
DRAW
Keep the Jacks, not the royal draw
Double Bonus keeps Q-J-10 of spades, worth 1.51 per coin there. Here Four Jacks pay 120, and the pair is worth 1.64 against 1.45 for the three-card royal.
8
HOLD
9
HOLD
10
HOLD
J
HOLD
Q
DRAW
Break the straight for the straight flush
Double Bonus keeps the 5-for-1 straight. Here the straight pays 4 and the straight flush 80, so drawing to 8-9-10-J of hearts is worth 4.64 per coin against the 4.00 you would keep.
J
HOLD
6
DRAW
8
DRAW
4
DRAW
2
DRAW
Keep the Jack, not the three-flush
Double Bonus holds the three hearts, worth 0.463 per coin at 7-for-1. With the flush cut to 5-for-1, the three hearts fall to 0.380 and the Jack alone returns 0.453.
COMMON TRAPS
Mistakes worth recognizing on sight
Playing a face pair like Double Bonus
Four Jacks through Kings pay 120 here, not 50. The pair beats three-card royals that would beat it in Double Bonus.
Breaking a made flush for a straight-flush draw
At 80-for-1 the open-ended draw beats a straight, not a flush. That is Triple Bonus Plus, where the straight flush pays 100.
Playing Aces like Triple Bonus Plus
Four Aces pay 160, not 240. With nothing better, keep unsuited A-K, A-Q, or A-J together rather than the Ace alone.
TURN THE LADDER INTO INSTINCT
Practice Super Double Bonus
Every miss comes back through Review until the correct hold is automatic.
PRACTICE THIS STRATEGY
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Educational video poker practice for adults 18+. No real-money gambling or prizes. Optional purchases available.