Poker Aces And Eights
Aces and Eights, also known as the Dead Man’s Hand, is a popular video poker game that came into the limelight in the late 1800s. This game is based on the story of Wild Bill Hickock, a famous lawman, gunfighter, and legendary gambler who was shot dead while playing poker.
- Aces and Eights Rules & Strategy Aces and Eights Video Poker Rules. Aces and Eights is a game between you and the dealer and is played with a standard deck of 52 cards. Five cards are dealt in the first hand. Hold as many cards as you want to build the strongest hand.
- Aces and Eights Poker Guide. Aces & Eights Poker is a zippy single-player video poker game where the object of the game is to score a winning hand, but there are special payouts for Four-of-a-Kind Aces, 8’s & 7’s. There are many choices that you can make to customize your game for the kind of action you.
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Aces and Eights Review
Microgaming is one of the leading developers of online video poker machines, and its video poker series includes nearly every known video poker variant, including Aces and Eights.
About Aces & Eights Video Poker
The original video poker format is Jacks or Better, also called Draw. Many of the Draw variants differentiate themselves by bumping the value of four-of-a-kind at the cost of value elsewhere on the pay table. In Aces and Eights, the bump in value goes to four aces and four eights. Unlike some variants, such as All Aces, Aces and Eights is just a tweaking of the pay table rather than a drastic difference. In fact, Jacks or Better still breaks even, and two pair provides a return on your wager.
Gameplay
Use the plus and minus buttons to choose the coin size, which can be as small as $0.25 or as high as $5. Then use the Bet One button to cycle through the number of coins to wager. You can bet as many as five coins, and wagering less is a bad bet because the best odds are available at five coins. When you are ready to begin, click the Draw button. The game deals five cards, and then lets you choose which cards to hold, including all of them or none of them. A second deal ensures you have a full five-card hand, and then the game determines whether you have won or lost.
Special Features
If the hand won, the Double button will activate, and that gives you a shot to double your winnings at the risk of losing it all. The Double game is essentially Hi-Lo, and it is a 50-50 proposition because ties are a push. Many players always choose to double on a break-even win, such as Jacks or Better in the case of Aces and Eights, because the double is 50-50 with no house edge.
Jackpot
The big jackpot of 4,000 coins is awarded for a royal flush on a five-coin bet. At the maximum bet, the big jackpot is worth $20,000. On the smallest five-coin bet possible, $1.25, the jackpot is $1,000.
Graphics & Audio
The pay table is large and clear, and it takes up most of the screen, leaving just enough room for five easy-to-read playing cards. The easy-to-use menu is just below the play area. Music and sound effects are kept to a minimum, but there is a mute option for those who prefer no sound at all.
Overall Impressions
Aces and Eights is an enjoyable video poker game, and it works well as a change of pace for the Jacks or Better player who does not want to deviate too far from the classic payout structure. Have you ever played before Jacks or Better game? If not you might want to read Jacks or Better strategy and rules.
You can play at Aces and Eights in the following casinos
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Online Roulette - Some basics for beginnersVideo Poker is now available in so many more varieties than it used to be, this article takes you through the rules and strategy for Aces and Eights.
Aces and Eights Rules
There may be many variations of Video Poker, but the basics are pretty much the same in each version including Aces and Eights.
When playing Aces and Eights Video Poker you need to choose your stake – this is normally done by selecting the value of a coin and then how many coins (up to 5) you bet with.
After this, there will be a Deal button which will give you 5 cards from a standard 52 card deck. Some variations give you less to start and some use more than one deck or extra cards, not Aces and Eights though.
There is one standard 52-card deck in play and you receive 5 cards.
You then need to choose how many to discard – this can be 0 if you have a great hand or all 5 if you don’t.
Once the cards you have discarded have been replaced, your hand is paid out according to the pay table.
For Ace and Eights, the minimum need for a payout is a Pair of Jacks or better (it is a very similar game to the Jacks or Better version of Video Poker).
You need to know the basic poker hand ranks before you start – these will be the same for all versions of Video Poker and can be found elsewhere on this site.
The above is an example of a standard online Aces and Eights Video Poker game.
You will see the look and feel is very similar to many other versions.
The main difference, which we go over below, is the increased payouts for 4 of a Kind Aces and 8’s – hence the name – and to a slightly lesser extent, 4 of a Kind 7’s.
Like many versions of Video Poker, there are also enhanced payouts when playing with 5 coins.
We would always recommend playing with 5 coins whenever your budget allows if necessary drop down the value of the coin to compensate.
As an example, if you wish to play €1 a game, you can do so by choosing the coin value as €1.00 and playing one coin. However, a much better option would be to play with the coin value as €0.20 and playing with five coins.
Paytables
This is the main area where variations of Video Poker can differ, it is important to check this before you choose which version is the one for you.
Paytables can differ from casino to casino as well, even for the same version of Video Poker. For that reason we suggest you shop around just in case the Royal Flush comes in – there is nothing worse than winning it then realizing you could have won 20% more elsewhere. Well, except for not winning it at all that is…
| Winning Hand | 1 coin | 2 coins | 3 coins | 4 coins | 5 coins |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Royal Flush | 250 | 500 | 750 | 1,000 | 4,000 |
| Straight Flush | 50 | 100 | 150 | 200 | 250 |
| 4 of a Kind A or 8 | 80 | 160 | 240 | 320 | 400 |
| 4 of a Kind 7 | 50 | 100 | 150 | 200 | 250 |
| 4 of a Kind others | 25 | 50 | 75 | 100 | 125 |
| Full House | 8 | 16 | 24 | 32 | 40 |
| Flush | 5 | 10 | 15 | 20 | 25 |
| Straight | 4 | 8 | 12 | 16 | 20 |
| 3 of a Kind | 3 | 6 | 9 | 12 | 15 |
| 2 Pair | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 |
| Jacks or Better | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
The payouts above are shown in coins, to get the monetary value depending on your stake, simply multiply the number of coins by the value of the coin you are playing with.
You will see that the order of hands in the table above is ranked normally from Royal Flush down to Jacks or Better. This is for ease of use as we are sure most of our readers will be used to viewing it this way.
However, you may also notice that 4 of a Kind 8’s or Aces payout more than a Straight Flush, and that 4 of a Kind 7’s paying out the same as a Straight Flush.
That is the main difference between Aces and Eights Video Poker and Jacks and Better Video Poker.
It does mean that the optimal strategy is slightly different though, so check the table below for details especially if you are used to playing Jacks or Better.
You will also notice the huge jump in winnings for a Royal Flush with 5 coins and one with 4 coins.
As we mentioned above and will continue to mention, this is the reason it is better to play with 5 coins whenever possible.
Aces and Eights Strategy
The aim of any strategy is to decrease the house edge the casino has over the player to give you the best possible chance of walking away from a session ahead.
When you are dealt your cards, take a look at the table below from top to bottom.
When you find the hand that applies to yours, take the action shown.
Remember, the extra payout for 4 of a Kind Aces or 8’s change the strategy significantly, especially when you have a Straight Flush draw but also 2 or more Aces.
| Hand | Action |
|---|---|
| Royal Flush | Hold all |
| Straight Flush | Hold All |
| Full House | Hold All |
| Flush | Hold All |
| Straight | Hold All |
| 4 cards to a Royal Flush | Discard other 1 card |
| 4 of a Kind | Hold All or Discard other 1 card |
| 4 cards to a Straight Flush | Discard other 1 card |
| 2 Pair | Discard other 1 card |
| 4 cards to a Flush | Discard other 1 card |
| 4 cards to a Straight with 3 High Cards | Discard other 1 card |
| 4 cards to an Open Ended Straight | Discard other 1 card |
| 3 of a Kind | Discard other 2 cards |
| 3 cards to a Royal Flush | Discard other 2 cards |
| 3 cards to a Straight Flush | Discard other 2 cards |
| 3 cards to a Straight with 3 high cards | Discard other 2 cards |
| 1 Pair | Discard other 3 cards |
| 2 cards to a Royal Flush | Discard other 3 cards |
| 2 high cards | Discard other 3 cards |
| 1 high card | Discard other 4 cards |
| Anything else | Discard all 5 cards |
Aces And Eights Video Poker Strategy
Aces & Eights Tips
- As with any version of Video Poker, the payout for getting a Royal Flush when playing with 5 coins is significantly higher than when playing with 4 or less. Therefore, ensure you play maximum coins at all times to get the best possible payout for when the Royal Flush hits.
- Decide at the start of a session how much you want to play with and stick to it. Try and even the amount out over at least 40 different bets to give you a good chance of getting a win – remember all little wins will get added to your balance so you can play with those too – but if you lose the balance you were happy to start with, walk away. If you start trying to chase your losses and try to win it back, you could end up gambling with a far larger amount than you are comfortable with and put yourself in financial difficulty.
- Check out your game of choice at 2 or 3 different casinos to ensure you are getting the best payouts possible. There may not be much difference but every little helps and gets you more money to play with – it could be the difference between hitting that Royal Flush or not hitting it!
- Only play at reputable casinos who can be trusted to payout any winnings and not make you jump through hoops when you wish to cash out. We have reviews of a lot of good casinos so be sure to check them out and only play at ones that have been recommended just in case – imagine how you feel if you get a nice win on a Royal Flush only for the casino to refuse to pay!
Aces And Eights Poker Set
- Finally, remember to have fun – gambling should be a relaxing hobby as long as you don’t gamble more than you can afford.
Conclusion
The rise of the internet have seen many changes over the years, one of the main ones is the effect it has had on the gambling industry.
There are now literally thousands of places to play casino games – including many variations of Video Poker – all from the comfort of your own home. Or someone else’s home. Or your car, or the beach or the Dr’s office for that matter.
Wherever you happen to be, if you have a device with an internet connection, you can bet on games such as Aces and Eights Video Poker.
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