Video Poker began in the 1970s, and has been growing more popular online and offline ever since. The games blend elements of Poker strategy with Slots immediacy and chance, so they appeal to many different personalities and players. Originally there was only 1 Video Poker game, Jacks or Better, but several variations have developed over the years and they all have their own pros, cons and strategic manoeuvres. One of the most popular Video Poker formats is Aces & Eights.
The Basics of the Game
Aces & Eights is a relatively simple version of Video Poker, which makes it a great place for beginners to start. There are no Wild Cards, and players can take everything at face value which is helpful as they build up an understanding of the game and confidence in their playing skills. Like most poker games, 5 cards from a deck of 52 are dealt on the screen and players have to decide which to keep and which to replace, from the same deck, as they try to create winning combinations.
The twist with this particular form is that getting all 4 Aces or all 4 Eights in the game pays out more than any other Four of a Kind hand. Getting a full hand of 7s also pays out more than the other remaining Four of a Kind hands, which are all equal to each other. The highest payout in the game is still reserved for the Royal Flush hand, and nets players 4000 coins. The minimum and maximum bets per hand are 1 coin and 5 coins respectively.
Strategy for Aces & Eights
As players spend more time on the game, they will develop their own skill and intuition on how to play and win. There are also plenty of online chatrooms and websites to discuss tactics and get advice. As a general rule, it’s not a good idea to break up a paying hand, whatever it will return, unless it holds 4 of 5 cards for a Royal Flush. If this is the case, the card that is not part of the potential Royal Flush should be exchanged in an Aces & Eights game.
If a hand is dealt that will not pay out anything at all, players should look at what they do have, and try to complete the highest-ranked hand possible by exchanging some of their cards. If, for example, they are holding 1 Ace card without any other winning combinations, they could exchange all 4 of the other cards in the hopes of getting 4 Aces at https://onlinecasinogamesca.com/poker. This process should be applied to the hand rankings below, which are listed from highest to lowest. For each hand, any cards not mentioned should be discarded.
- Four of a Kind, a Straight Flush or a Royal Flush
- 4 cards towards a Royal Flush
- Three of a Kind, a Straight, a Flush or a Full House
- 4 Cards towards a Straight Flush
- 2 pairs
- 1 high pair, of Jacks or better
- 3 cards toward a Royal Flush
- 4 cards towards a flush
- A low pair
- 4 cards towards an Outside Straight
- 2 suited high cards
- 3 cards towards a Straight Flush
- 2 unsuited high cards. If there are more than 2, use the lowest
- Suited high cards in any of the following pairs: 10-J, 10-Q, 10-K
- 1 Jack or better
- If none of these combinations are in the 5 dealt cards, they should all be replaced.