Complete hold/discard strategy for 10/7 Double Bonus. Key decisions around chasing four Aces (800 coins) and navigating the tiered quad payouts. High variance — critical bankroll notes for multi-hand play.
Double Bonus adds tiered bonus payouts for four-of-a-kind: 800 coins for four Aces, 400 for four 2s/3s/4s, and 250 for four 5s–Kings. These bonuses are funded by reducing the Full House payout (10 vs 9 in JoB) and Flush (7 vs 6). The result: a positive-EV game that strongly incentivizes playing for quads, especially four Aces. Strategy shifts significantly — you'll break hands you'd hold in Jacks or Better when chasing the Ace bonus.
Named "10/7" for the Full House (10) and Flush (7) payouts. Note: Two Pair pays only 1x (vs 2x in JoB) — this is the trade-off for the quad bonuses. Always verify the Four Aces payout before playing.
| Rank | Hold This Hand | Approx. EV | Notes & Multi-Hand Considerations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Royal Flush (pat) | 800.00 | Hold all 5. 100H: Hits several times per session |
| 2 | Straight Flush (pat) | 50.00 | Hold all 5. Do not break for royal unless 4 to a natural royal. |
| 3 | Four Aces | 160.00 | Hold all 4. Discard the kicker. 160× per coin (800 total at max bet) — the defining hand of this game. Multi-H: Life-changing hit in 100-hand play |
| 4 | Four 2s, 3s, or 4s | 80.00 | Hold all 4. Discard kicker. 80× per coin (400 total at max bet). |
| 5 | 4 to a Royal Flush | ~18.70 | Break a straight, flush, full house. Do not break a pat straight flush. |
| 6 | Four 5s through Kings | 50.00 | Hold all 4. 50× per coin (250 total at max bet). |
| 7 | Full House (pat) | 10.00 | Hold all 5. Full house pays 10x here (vs 9x in JoB) — a key improvement. |
| 8 | Flush (pat) | 7.00 | Hold all 5 unless 4 to a royal is present. |
| 9 | Three of a Kind | 4.23 | Hold 3, draw 2. Hold Aces separately if you have 3 Aces — the 800-coin quad bonus skews EV. Multi-H: Every set of Aces is a live shot at 800x across all hands |
| 10 | Straight (pat) | 5.00 | Hold all 5 unless 4 to a royal is present. Straight pays 5x here (vs 4x in JoB). |
| 11 | Two Pair | 1.60 | Hold both pairs, draw 1. Note: Two pair only pays 1x here (vs 2x in JoB). Key difference — two pair EV is lower in DB. Multi-H: Two pair is less valuable — prioritize quad draws more aggressively |
| 12 | High Pair (Jacks–Aces) | 1.54 | Hold the pair, draw 3. For Aces specifically, EV is higher due to the 800-coin four Aces bonus — never hold anything over a pair of Aces except made hands. |
| 13 | 4 to a Straight Flush | 2.18–3.40 | Hold 4 suited connectors. Break a low pair or two pair for an open-ended SF draw. |
| 14 | Three Aces (draw hand) | ~12.50 | If you have 3 Aces among your 5 cards, hold just the 3 Aces and draw 2. The 800-coin bonus makes this an exceptional EV hand. Multi-H: Top priority across all hands |
| 15 | Low Pair (2s–10s) | 0.76 | Hold the pair, draw 3. For 2s, 3s, 4s specifically, EV is higher (400-coin quad bonus) — prioritize these pairs over most draws. |
| 16 | 4 to a Flush | 1.28 | Hold 4 suited cards, draw 1. Flush pays 7x here — better than JoB's 6x. |
| 17 | Open-Ended Straight Draw | 0.96 | Straight pays 5x here — open-ended draw has better EV than in JoB. |
| 18 | 3 to a Royal Flush | 0.54–1.41 | Hold 3 suited high cards forming a royal draw. Especially strong with A-K or A-Q suited. |
| 19 | 2 High Cards (J–A, unsuited) | 0.49 | Hold 2 high cards, draw 3. |
| 20 | 4 to an Inside Straight (3+ high cards) | 0.79 | Inside straight with 3+ high cards. Straight pays 5x, improving value of inside draws. |
| 21 | 1 High Card (J, Q, K, or A) | 0.47 | Hold single high card, draw 4. Ace specifically has extra value — keep it. |
| 22 | 3 to a Straight Flush (open-ended) | 0.63 | 3 suited consecutive cards. Beats a single high card. |
| 23 | Suited J-Q, J-K, Q-K, or A-high suited | 0.49–0.54 | Two suited high cards with flush and royal potential. |
| 24 | 3 to a Flush (2+ high cards) | 0.50 | Hold if 3 suited cards include 2+ high cards (J, Q, K, A). |
| — | Discard All 5 | 0.36 | When no hand ranks above. Common in Double Bonus due to low Two Pair payout. |
In 100-hand play, every time you're dealt three Aces, you draw 2 cards across 100 hands — each independently has a chance to give you the fourth Ace and its 800-coin payoff. With 100 draws, you'll complete four Aces roughly once every 15–20 deals when holding three Aces. Sessions with three Aces held are dramatic in 100-hand play.
Double Bonus has significantly higher variance than Jacks or Better. Two pair returning only 1x (vs 2x) means more cold streaks. The big payoffs come in spikes (four Aces, four 2s/3s/4s). Long sessions without hitting a bonus quad feel like sustained losing. Budget accordingly and do not play Double Bonus at 50–100 hands without substantial bankroll depth.
| Hands | Cost/Deal | Std Dev/Deal | Recommended Bankroll |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $0.25 | ~$1.80 | $250 |
| 3 | $0.75 | ~$3.12 | $550 |
| 5 | $1.25 | ~$4.02 | $800 |
| 10 | $2.50 | ~$5.69 | $1,400 |
| 25 | $6.25 | ~$9.00 | $3,000 |
| 50 | $12.50 | ~$12.73 | $5,500 |
| 100 | $25.00 | ~$18.00 | $10,000 |
Use our variance calculator for custom scenarios and risk of ruin calculations.
Two pair strategy is different (1x vs 2x payout). You're more willing to break two pair in DB when chasing bonus quads than you would be in JoB. Using wrong strategy costs ~1% return.
When you hold three Aces plus two unrelated cards, always hold just the three Aces and draw 2. Even breaking a made straight or flush is correct when you have three Aces — the 800-coin bonus justifies it.
Double Bonus's reduced two-pair payout creates deeper troughs between big hands. Many players quit a positive-EV session early because they didn't budget for the cold stretches.
The 9/6 version of Double Bonus returns about 99.11%. The 10/7 version at 100.17% requires a slightly different paytable — always verify the Full House (10) and Flush (7) values before sitting down.
Double Bonus is the natural next step for players who've mastered Jacks or Better and want to chase bigger payouts. The four Aces hand at 800 coins delivers the same jackpot thrill as a royal flush, and it hits roughly twice as often. At 100.17% on the 10/7 version, it's another positive-EV game that rewards skilled play and deep bankrolls — especially in multi-hand format where the Ace bonus hits regularly.
Adds a 2000-coin Ace-with-kicker jackpot. Extreme variance — only for players with a large dedicated bankroll.
View Strategy →Lower-variance entry into the quad-bonus world. Retains 2x two-pair payout for steadier sessions.
View Strategy →The low-variance baseline at 99.54%. Good comparison point to understand how DB changes session dynamics.
View Strategy →Try our Multi-Hand Variance Calculator to see how Double Bonus plays at different hand counts and whether your bankroll is sized for the variance.