9/6 Double Double Bonus Strategy Chart
The high-variance favorite. Four aces with the right kicker pays 2,000 on a max bet, but two pair pays almost nothing, and that reshapes the whole strategy.
Short answer
98.98% return, perfect play. Chase the aces. Three aces is worth more than a full house here. Because two pair pays only 1, several low-end plays shift versus Jacks or Better.
Practice Double Double Bonus free →
The pay table
| Hand | Per coin | Max (5 coins) |
|---|---|---|
| Royal Flush | 250 | 4,000 |
| Straight Flush | 50 | 250 |
| Four Aces + 2,3,4 | 400 | 2,000 |
| Four Aces | 160 | 800 |
| Four 2s-4s + A,2,3,4 | 160 | 800 |
| Four 2s-4s | 80 | 400 |
| Four 5s-Ks | 50 | 250 |
| Full House | 9 | 45 |
| Flush | 6 | 30 |
| Straight | 4 | 20 |
| Three of a Kind | 3 | 15 |
| Two Pair | 1 | 5 |
| Jacks or Better | 1 | 5 |
The strategy chart: every hold in order
This is the complete 9/6 Double Double Bonus strategy chart, our cheat sheet with every play ranked by expected value.
Look at your dealt hand, find the highest entry here you can make, and hold exactly those cards. The number is the expected value per coin of that play, computed by the engine.
| # | Play | EV |
|---|---|---|
| 01 | Four aces | 221 |
| 02 | Four 2s-4s | 100 |
| 03 | Four 5s-Ks | 50.00 |
| 04 | 4 to a royal | 19.55 |
| 05 | Three aces | 12.71 |
| 06 | Full house | 9.00 |
| 07 | Flush | 6.00 |
| 08 | Three of a kind | 5.37 |
| 09 | Straight | 4.00 |
| 10 | 4 to a straight flush | 3.53 |
| 11 | Two pair | 1.68 |
| 12 | High pair (JJ+) | 1.45 |
| 13 | 3 to a royal | 1.31 |
| 14 | 4 to a flush | 1.21 |
| 15 | Low pair | 0.73 |
| 16 | 4 to an outside straight | 0.68 |
| 17 | Two suited high cards | 0.56 |
| 18 | One high card | 0.47 |
The plays that cost the most
- Three aces is a monster — three aces 12.71 vs above a full house (9.00) — never break it · costs
- Two pair is devalued — two pair 1.68 vs vs 2.60 in Jacks or Better · costs
Why five coins, always
The royal flush pays 250 per coin on one through four coins, then jumps to 800 per coin (4,000 total) on the fifth. That single bonus is worth about 1.5 percent of return. Bet within your bankroll, but always bet max coins.
Practice it
Reading strategy is not playing it. The free trainer deals real Double Double Bonus hands, grades every hold against this exact strategy, and shows the precise expected value you give up on a mistake.
How it differs from Jacks or Better
Three ways, all driven by the pay table. First, three aces is worth about 12.7 per coin, more than a full house, because of the shot at the big quad; hold three aces over almost anything. Second, two pair pays only 1, so it is worth about 1.68 here versus 2.60 in Jacks or Better. Third, single high cards and low pairs shift because the aces bonus pulls value toward ace-holding hands. Everything above two pair looks familiar; the low end is where Double Double Bonus rewrites the rules.
More strategy
Playing the short-pay version? 9/5 Double Double Bonus actually flips one decision — worth reading before you sit down.
Common questions
Is Double Double Bonus good?
At 98.98 percent it returns a bit less than Jacks or Better, but the huge four-aces payout makes it the most popular bonus game. It is high variance: long dry spells punctuated by big hands.
Do you keep a kicker with three aces in Double Double Bonus?
No. Hold only the three aces and draw two cards. You cannot choose your kicker on the draw, and holding a fourth card lowers your chance of the fourth ace.