Understanding Microgaming Bonus Poker Casino Games

• Published: August 5, 2017
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Volatility is an important way of differentiating online casino players. Some players would not mind losing their bankrolls, but they want to win big when they win. The online casino games that cater to such players are referred to as high volatility games. Other players do not chase big wins, but aim to preserve their bankrolls. The games that are meant for such players are low volatility games. Microgaming offers a series of online video poker games with graded volatility. These are known as Bonus Poker, Double Bonus Poker and Double Double Bonus Poker. You can play these games at online casinos like All Slots, Spin Palace and Royal Vegas.

In these online video poker games the "four of a kind" payline has been expanded and given enhanced payouts as compared to the payout offered for this hand ranking in the Jacks or Better variant. In Bonus Poker the four of a kind is split into three different hand rankings. Four aces award a payout of 400 coins per coin wagered. Four 2s to 4s award a payout of 200 coins. Four 5s to Ks award the standard Jacks or Better payout of 125. Hence if you land up with the higher paying four of a kind hand rankings you will win big, but you will get these less than 0.2% of the time. Bonus Poker compensates for this by marginally reducing the payouts for full house and for flush. These hands occur over 2% of the times, so you make smaller losses more often.

Double Bonus Poker uses the same hand rankings as Bonus Poker but doubles the payouts of all four of a hands. Four aces offer a payout of 800. Four 2s to 4s offer a payout of 400. Four 5s to Ks offer a payout of 250. This time, the compensation is done by reducing the payout of two pairs. Since this ranking occurs 13% of the time, the payout for flush is marginally increased in order to maintain the average return to player.

Double Double Bonus Poker furthers splits four of a kind hands and awards high payouts for them. Four aces with the fifth card being from 2s to 4s offers a whopping payout of 2000. All other four aces have a payout of 800. Four 2s to 4s with the fifth card being aces or from 2s to 4s offers a payout of 800. All other 2s to 4s have a payout of 400. The compensation is done by reducing the payouts for flush and for straight.