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Aces And Faces Is A Volatile Online Video Poker Game
- Published: August 21, 2014
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This article provides some insights into the Microgaming video poker variant Aces and Faces. Special payouts are offered for four of a kind aces hand, which make the game volatile and suitable for online casino players who like to take risks.
As in most online video poker variants, the basis for Aces and Faces is the Jacks or Better variant. The same hand rankings are offered with the exception that the four of a kind hand ranking has been expanded. The “Faces” refers to the picture cards of jacks, queens and kings. In Aces and Faces the four of a kind poker hand ranking has been split into four aces, four of like face cards and four of like other cards. In Jacks or Better the four of a kind hand ranking has a payout 25 to 1. In Aces and Faces the payout structure is different. Four of a kind aces has a payout of 80 to 1, four of a kind like face cards has a payout of 40 to 1 and four of a kind of other like cards has a payout of 25 to 1.
The enhanced payouts for some of the four of a kind hand rankings have to be compensated for, so that the average expected return does not cross 100%, in which case the video poker variant would become unviable for online casinos. Parity is achieved by reducing the payout for full house from 9 to 1 to 8 to 1 and reducing the payout for flush from 6 to 1 to 5 to 1. Since full house and flush hands occur more frequently most players will get marginally lower returns. But the few lucky players who draw four of a kind aces and four of a kind like face cards are likely to win significantly greater amounts. The payouts discussed are based on a wager of 5 coins per hand.
Aces and Faces is available in a number of formats at Microgaming online casinos. The multi-hand formats, known as Power Poker, can be played as 4-hand, 10-hand, 50-hand and 100-hand games. Aces and Faces is also available in the Level-Up Poker format. The game play for Aces and Faces is the same as for the other online video poker variants. All these variations of Aces and Faces video poker are live at all Microgaming online casinos. Winner Casino recommends All Slots, Crazy Vegas and Platinum Play.