They might sound a lot alike, but a Poker Bonus and Bonus Poker are two completely different creatures. While a Poker Bonus might be available in any number of poker video games, Bonus Poker is the name of a game all in itself.
Bonus Poker is a game, which is similar to, and based on, Jacks or Better. However, it's different in a couple of ways. For one thing, it has a higher payout for getting a 4-of-a-kind. In the game, a player receives five cards and then decides which ones to discard or keep. The player then gets cards to replace the ones discarded. For the player to win, his final hand must have a pair of Jacks or something higher.
The game of Bonus Poker has several different versions, each featuring its own set of bonus payouts, which are based on the rank of the 4-of-a-kind hand.
As with Jacks or Better, Bonus Poker is a video poker game that's played with a regular 52-card deck of playing cards. The player receives five cards and decides what to discard and what to hold…and he then gets new ones to make his poker hand.
So what's new?
The key difference between this and a standard game of Jacks or Better is that there are payouts for 4-of-a-kind that the standard game doesn't have. Jacks or Better usually pays 25 coins on a one coin bet. Bonus Poker however pays 80 coins for all of the Aces and 40 for a 4-of-a-kind with Deuces through fours.
Strategies
There are some helpful hints and strategies to keep in mind if you're going to be playing Bonus Poker. Some of the more important ones:
Remember that the only time you should break up a winning hand is if you have four of the cards needed for a Royal Flush. If you have anything as small as a pair or Jacks or something better, you should hold onto what you know will give you a payout.
Here's how to play some other typical draws. In most cases, you'll want to hold what's listed below and get rid of anything else:
Hold if you have 4 cards of a Royal flush
Hold if you have 4 cards of a Straight Flush 3 to a Royal Flush
