Step 1: Choose your machine and bet size
Find a video poker machine and check the pay table displayed on screen before sitting down. The two numbers to look for are the Full House and Flush payouts. A 9/6 machine (9× Full House, 6× Flush) is the best available version of Double Double Bonus, returning 98.98% with optimal play. See Pay Table Comparison to understand why this matters.
Select your coin denomination (penny, nickel, quarter, dollar) and always select 5 coins (maximum bet). This is non-negotiable: the Royal Flush pays 800× at max bet but only 250× otherwise. The difference reduces your RTP by approximately 1.4 percentage points, and that gap compounds quickly.
Step 2: Press Deal
Press the Deal button. Five cards are dealt face-up from a freshly shuffled 52-card deck. A Random Number Generator determines the full order of the deck at the moment you press Deal, including the cards that will replace any discards you make.
Step 3: Evaluate your hand
Look at your five cards and decide which to keep. Your goal is to hold the combination of cards that maximizes the expected value of the final hand. Ask yourself: what winning hand can I build from these cards, and what is the highest-EV path to get there?
This is where strategy comes in. The DDB 9/6 Strategy Guide provides a complete priority order. For beginners, start with these rules of thumb:
- Always hold a made winning hand unless you have four cards to a Royal Flush.
- Never break three of a kind or better chasing a Royal Flush.
- A High Pair (Jacks or better) is usually worth more than four to a Flush.
- In DDB, hold a qualifying kicker alongside three Aces or three 2/3/4s.
Step 4: Press Hold, then Draw
Press the Hold button beneath each card you want to keep. Selected cards display a "HELD" indicator. You can hold between 0 and 5 cards. Once you've marked your holds, press Draw.
Each unselected card is replaced by the next card in the pre-determined deck sequence. The replacement cards were already set when you pressed Deal. The machine does not change them based on your hold choices.
Step 5: Collect your payout
Your final five-card hand is automatically evaluated against the pay table. If it qualifies as a winning hand, credits are added to your balance immediately. Then press Deal again to start the next hand.
Tip: Most video poker machines let you hold cards and press Draw in a single fluid motion. Once you're comfortable, you can play 400–600 hands per hour. At that pace, even small strategy errors accumulate significantly.
Hand rankings
Video poker uses standard poker hand rankings. From highest to lowest, here are all the hands that pay in Double Double Bonus 9/6:
| Hand | Description | Payout (max bet) |
|---|---|---|
| Royal Flush | A-K-Q-J-10, same suit | 800× |
| Straight Flush | Five consecutive, same suit | 50× |
| Four Aces + 2/3/4 kicker | Four Aces with a 2, 3, or 4 as 5th card | 400× |
| Four 2/3/4 + kicker | Four 2s, 3s, or 4s with A/2/3/4 kicker | 160× |
| Four Aces | Four Aces (any kicker) | 160× |
| Four 2s, 3s, or 4s | Four of any low card (no bonus kicker) | 80× |
| Four 5s through Kings | Four of any other rank | 50× |
| Full House | Three of a kind + a pair | 9× |
| Flush | Five cards of the same suit | 6× |
| Straight | Five consecutive ranks, mixed suits | 4× |
| Three of a Kind | Three cards of the same rank | 3× |
| Two Pair | Two separate pairs | 1× |
| Jacks or Better | A pair of J, Q, K, or A | 1× |
Tips for first-time players
1. Always bet max coins
Covered above, but worth repeating: the 800× Royal Flush multiplier is the entire reason to play max coins. Never play fewer than 5 coins on a 5-coin machine.
2. Start with the analyzer
The Video Poker Analyzer on this site shows the optimal hold and EV for any hand you enter. Use it to study hands before you play with real money. Deal random hands and compare your instinctive hold to the analyzer's recommendation.
3. Look for full-pay machines
Not all machines pay the same. Always read the pay table before playing. On a DDB machine, the Full House payout must show 9 and the Flush must show 6 for the full 98.98% return. Anything less is a significantly worse game. See Pay Table Comparison.
4. Learn the kicker rule
In Double Double Bonus, certain three-of-a-kinds require holding a specific kicker to maximize the value of a completed four-of-a-kind. Three Aces with a 2, 3, or 4 — hold the kicker. Three 2s/3s/4s with an A/2/3/4 — hold the kicker. For everything else, discard both non-matching cards. This single rule accounts for a large share of strategy mistakes.
5. Understand that variance is high
Even with perfect play, DDB 9/6 has high variance. You will experience long losing stretches between premium payouts. Budget for sessions where you lose your entire bankroll. The math works in your favor across thousands of hands, not necessarily within any single session.
Next steps
You now understand how video poker works. The next step is learning when to hold what — which is covered in full in the DDB 9/6 Strategy Guide. For the broader context of why video poker offers better odds than other casino games, see What is Video Poker?