Video Poker Strategy
9/5 Double Double Bonus is the short-pay version of 9/6 Double Double Bonus. It returns 97.87% with perfect play versus 98.98% on full pay. Here is exactly what the cut costs, and whether it changes how you play — tested hand by hand with our engine.
The reduced line is marked. Everything else matches full pay.
| Hand | Pays (per coin) |
|---|---|
| Royal Flush | 800 |
| Straight Flush | 50 |
| Four Aces + 2/3/4 kicker | 400 |
| Four Aces | 160 |
| Four 2s-4s + A-4 kicker | 160 |
| Four 2s-4s | 80 |
| Four 5s-Ks | 50 |
| Full House | 9 |
| Flush* | 5 |
| Straight | 4 |
| Three of a Kind | 3 |
| Two Pair | 1 |
| Jacks or Better | 1 |
* Reduced versus the full-pay table.
The gap between 97.87% and 98.98% is 1.11% of everything you wager. At quarter stakes with max coins ($1.25 a hand) and a typical 500 hands per hour, that is about $6.92 per hour in expected value, purely for sitting at the wrong machine. Use the pay tables guide to spot the difference before you sit, and the bankroll calculator to see the session math.
Unlike the Jacks or Better short pays, this one changes a real decision. Dealt a high pair with two suited royal cards attached — say J♥ J♣ Q♥ K♥ — 9/6 Double Double Bonus holds the three to a royal (EV 1.4690 vs 1.4461 for the pair). On 9/5, the flush cut drains the royal draw and the engine flips: hold the pair of jacks (1.4461 vs 1.4265). One unit off the flush is enough to change the play. Everything else in the 9/6 DDB strategy chart holds, but if you play 9/5 regularly, drill it in the trainer set to this exact pay table.
The free trainer includes this exact pay table, so every hold is graded against optimal play for 9/5 Double Double Bonus specifically, not an approximation from the full-pay chart.