Jacks or Better Power Poker is an online video poker variation by Microgaming but this is not a standard game – players bet on four poker hands simultaneously instead of just one. This variation was released as part of the gaming studio’s Power Poker series, which includes several multi-hand video poker games.
Rules and Gameplay
As suggested by its name, this game is played just like Jacks or Better and it follows the standard rules of video poker. Cards are dealt from a 1-deck shoe and they are shuffled before each deal. Except for the multi-hand play, which we will explain in detail in the following section, this is a regular video poker variation.
Each round consists of two deals and players can replace as many cards as they wish from the first deal so they can make a winning poker hand. The payouts are standard and they depend on the strength of the poker hand, while the Gamble feature allows players to double the earnings after a win.
Paytable and Specific Features
| Hand | 1 coin | 2 coins | 3 coins | 4 coins | 5 coins |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Royal Flush | 250 | 500 | 750 | 1000 | 4000 |
| Straight Flush | 50 | 100 | 150 | 200 | 250 |
| 4 of a Kind | 25 | 50 | 75 | 100 | 125 |
| Full House | 9 | 18 | 27 | 36 | 45 |
| Flush | 6 | 12 | 18 | 24 | 30 |
| Straight | 4 | 8 | 12 | 16 | 20 |
| 3 of a Kind | 3 | 6 | 9 | 12 | 15 |
| 2 Pair | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 |
| Jacks or Better | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Straight | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 |
| 3 of a Kind | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
Jacks or Better Power Poker is played with four hands at the same time and each hand is dealt from a separate deck, so for each one of them, the odds are the same. However, players should know that they cannot disable the multi-hand play and before every round, their bet will be multiplied by the number of hands – in this case, by four.
Once the round starts, they are given a decision hand – they can keep or discard the cards in it. When they click the Draw button, the cards they chose to keep appear in the same position in all four hands. All other positions are filled with new cards. Players do not wager on the decision hand – its role is simply to help them decide how to play out the cards they are given.
Conclusion
Despite the four hands that are played at the same time, Microgaming’s Jacks or Better Power Poker has a fixed RTP rate at 99.54%, which is standard for every regular, single-hand version of Jacks or Better.