Playing Aces and Eights Video Poker Online

For nearly ten years, players have been able to enjoy Aces and Eights video poker over the internet, meaning that they no longer have to travel to the nearest casino to enjoy this exciting variant of poker. One of the greatest advantages for players who choose to join online video poker games is that they can get access to top-paying video poker machines, with pay-outs of 99.95% available – these are the kind of pay-outs that you wouldn't find in any local casino! Within the realm of video poker, players are not competing against the other players at the table. Instead, the object of the game is to beat the house. This reduces the number of variables in the game – instead of a number of players there is only one 'opponent' to beat.

The Game

Using the classic deck of 52 playing cards, Aces and Eights is very similar to other variants of poker. The cards are shuffled using random integers between each round of play to ensure maximum randomness. Certain hands come with big pay-outs: these include Four of a Kind (Aces and Eights), Four of a Kind (7s) and Four of a Kind (any other card value). Of course, Royal Flush achieves the highest pay-out in the game. As with other poker games, in Aces and Eights the player is dealt five random cards and is then given the chance to exchange any of these for fresh cards. Following the re-deal, the player is now holding the final hand of five cards with which they will challenge the house. This hand is registered by the software and pay-outs are made on any winning combinations.

For playing Aces and Eights, players are advised to find a "Full Pay" game. These use the best possible table of pay-outs, and thus players have the chance to win the greatest amount of money on their bets. They also reduce the edge that the house has by a significant degree.

Aces and Eights Strategy

Aces and Eights strategy is very similar to that of Jacks or Better. The game generally has at least five different tables of pay-outs, so you should identify which pay table is being used in the video game that you are playing before you formulate a strategy. Don't draw any cards if you are in possession of any of the following card combinations: a Royal Flush, a Straight Flush, a Full House, a Straight or a Flush. If you hold four cards of a Royal Flush or Straight Flush, of the same kind, in a straight, in a flush, 2 pairs, or have a 4-card open end straight, draw just one card. If you have 3 cards of a Royal Flush or Royal Straight, 3 of a kind, or a 3-card straight including 3 cards of high value, draw 2 cards from the deck. If you are only holding 1 pair, 2 of the cards needed for a Royal Flush, or 2 cards that are high, you should draw 3 cards. If you only hold one high card, you should draw 4 cards. If you hold any other combination of cards, you should throw in your entire hand – that is, draw 5 entirely new cards.