Double Down Stud Multi-Hand Poker Video Poker Guide

Double Down Stud Multi-Hand Poker video poker takes normal video poker action and gives it a simplifying twist. You won’t have any control over which five cards end up showing up in your final hand. But you can decide how much you want to wager based on the cards that you do receive.

Most video poker games are based on Draw Poker. In Draw Poker, you aren’t stuck with the cards you receive on the deal. You can replace the ones that you don’t think will help you to a winning hand.

But those familiar with table game versions of poker might know of the concept called Stud Poker.

In Stud Poker, you’re pretty much stuck with what you get in your hand, without any opportunities to change it up. You can make wagers based on the strength of your hand, sometimes, because you have a great hand; other times, it’s because you’re trying to bluff.

Double Down Stud Multi-Hand Poker video poker takes this concept and brings it into the world of video poker. You won’t get a draw round with which you can improve your hand. The strategy in the game comes in deciding how much you want to wager.

The way Double Down Stud Multi-Hand Poker video poker works, you essentially see the first four cards of your five-card hand. Then, you have the opportunity to either double your original wager or stick with the wager you have. From there, the final card will show whether or not you have a winning hand.

That makes Double Down Stud Multi-Hand Poker video poker a much simpler game than normal Draw video poker, which is pretty simple in its own right. This game makes is excellent for beginners who don’t want to be burdened too much with decision-making.

One other unique characteristic of Double Down Stud Multi-Hand Poker video poker is the multi-hand action. You’ll have the choice on playing three, five, or 10 hands at once. You have to bet on all of those hands to begin play and, if you choose to double, you’ll be doubling your bet.

These hands will separate from each other when the fifth card is revealed. Each of these fifth cards will come from separate draws. As a result, there’s a distinct possibility you might win some of your hands and lose some of the others on the screen at one time.

Still, you should make sure that you understand how Double Down Stud Multi-Hand Poker video poker works before you begin to play.

In the following article, we’ll tell you everything about Double Down Stud Multi-Hand Poker video poker. We’ll explain how gameplay differs from traditional video poker and how the pay tables work. In addition, we’ll tell you about the advantages and disadvantages and share some strategies for playing video poker.

The Advantages of Video Poker

Even though it presents a pretty drastic twist on what most people know about video poker, Double Down Stud Multi-Hand Poker video poker still offers up many of the same benefits as other video poker games. For those who might never have played video poker, you might not be aware of all video poker has to offer. Once you find out, you might not want to play anything else.

In many ways, video poker takes some of the best concepts of table games and slot machines and mashes them up together into an appealing hybrid game. Along the way, it leaves out some of the annoying parts of the game. You get something that’s the best of both worlds.

If you don’t believe us, take a look at what video poker has to offer below.

• Video poker is a really simple game. And in the realm of video poker games, Double Down Stud Multi-Hand Poker video poker is about as simple as it gets. You can be up and running in a matter of minutes.
• Video poker is only played by one person. That means you don’t have to worry about the stress of interacting with other poker players or even dealing with casino employees. You just have to settle in and enjoy your time at the machine (or online game).
• Video poker is a game with many variations. Granted, Double Down Stud Multi-Hand Poker video poker is one of the most extreme variations from the original format. But even within the realms of draw video poker, there are hundreds of different options from which you can choose.
• Video poker allows you to play with strategy. In the case of Double Down Stud Multi-Hand Poker video poker, that strategy is limited to the size of your bet. But it still gives you more control over your outcome than other casino games like roulette or slot machines.
• Video poker doesn’t hide anything important from you. Everything, from the amount you get paid back for winning hands (listed on the pay table) to the probability of making winning hands (which you can figure out based on the 52 cards in the deck) is clear. Compare that to slot machines, for example, where you have no idea how often you might get winning spins.
• Video poker offers very competitive payback compared to other casino games. You can find many video poker games where you can hope to earn a profit by choosing the right pay table and utilizing perfect strategy. Even those video poker games that don’t reach that standard can usually offer better payback than other popular casino games.
• Video poker is an easy game to play online. Many top gambling websites offer the best video poker variations, including Double Down Stud Multi-Hand Poker video poker. And when you play online, you’ll have pretty much the same experience as if you were playing in the casino.

Hopefully, this will give you an idea of why you should play video poker. Now, it’s time to learn how to play, with our focus on Double Down Stud Multi-Hand Poker video poker.

Before you learn to play that game, it’s good to get acquainted with the concept of Draw Poker. That will help you decide if Double Down Stud Multi-Hand Poker video poker is the kind of game for you, or if you’d prefer to play one of the many different draw video poker games available to you.

How Draw Video Poker Works

In draw video poker, you start by building a bankroll and making your bets, concepts which will also be applicable to Double Down Stud Multi-Hand Poker video poker (which we’ll illustrate below). You will only have one bet at the start of the hand.

You’ll receive five cards at the start of your hand from a simulated deck of 52 cards. In Draw Poker, these five cards are sometimes just the starting point. That’s because you have the chance to either hold or discard these cards based on your strategy.

The cards that you hold will be part of your final hand. Your final hand is what will determine if you’ve won or lost. If you hold a card, it means you think it can be a part of one of the winning combinations on the game’s pay table.

If, on the other hand, you decide that you don’t want any of the cards you were dealt, you can discard them for something else from the deck. The draw deck will have 47 cards in it, since the five cards you were dealt will be either in your final hand or discarded. In other words, you can’t get back one of the cards you were dealt on the deal.

But on top of that, you also have to consider the potential payback from the winning combinations you might be seeking. For example, it might make sense at times to go for a high-paying winning combination, even if will take an extremely lucky draw for you to achieve it. Sometimes, the risk is worth the reward.

In any case, once you make these choices, the draw will take place. Any cards that you’ve discarded will be replaced and the hand is complete. Any winning combinations will be awarded with coins according to the pay table.

That’s basically how most video poker games work. But Double Down Stud Multi-Hand Poker video poker dispenses with the Draw Poker format and also adds multi-hand action to the mix. Let’s take a look at how it all breaks down.

How to Play Double Down Stud Multi-Hand Poker Video Poker

Step 1: Build a Bankroll

All video poker games start out with establishing a bankroll. To do this, you’ll insert money into the Double Down Stud Multi-Hand Poker video poker machine. If you’re playing online, you can create an account at the website you choose and then fund it with a credit card or an alternative method like cryptocurrency.

What you’ll immediately notice is that the money you’ve allotted for your bankroll will be changed over into units known as credits or coins. You’ll wager with these units and get paid in units when you win.

These are based on the denomination of the game you’re playing. For example, imagine that you’re playing a 25-cent Double Down Stud Multi-Hand Poker video poker game and win 10 credits. In that case, it means you’ve won $2.50, or 10 times 25 cents.

Step 2: Make Your Bet

The key concept you have to understand with Double Down Stud Multi-Hand Poker video poker is that you have to bet on every hand that you play. You’ll have the opportunity to play either three, five, or 10 hands at once. And for each of those hands, you can wager between one and five credits.

In the world of Draw Poker, you have the incentive to make the max wager of five credits per hand. It gives you a higher-percentage payback on the royal flush, which is the highest-paying hand in the game.

But in the Double Down Stud Multi-Hand Poker video poker, there is no difference in the ratio of payback for the royal flush, no matter how many coins you bet. As a result, if you choose to lower your wager, your payback percentage won’t suffer. You’ll basically be paid in direct proportion to your wager.

As an example, here is what the wagers would look like if you were playing three hands of Double Down Stud Multi-Hand Poker video poker at once with a 25-cent denomination:

• 1 coin per 3 hands = $0.75
• 2 coins per 3 hands = $1.50
• 3 coins per 3 hands = $2.25
• 4 coins per 3 hands = $3.00
• 5 coins per 3 hands = $3.75

You can adjust your bet size by playing more or less hands at higher or lower denomination. The basic concept is that the more your bet, the higher your potential winnings.

Step 3: Play Your Hand

When you play Double Down Stud Multi-Hand Poker video poker, the deal may take different formats depending on where you play it. For example, you might see it in a situation where you get one card and there are four community cards, one of which is hidden face-down.

But in terms of the format, it’s more common that there will be five cards that are shown on the screen. It will look like you were playing Draw Poker and getting a typical deal. You’ll see four cards immediately, but the fifth will remain hidden.

In both cases, the concept is the same. You know four of the five cards in your final hand. The fifth remains unknown until you’ve made your decision about whether to double your wager.

When you’re playing Double Down Stud Multi-Hand Poker video poker, you’ll also see space above the main hand for the remaining hands. Remember, you’ll be playing three, five, or 10 hands at once.

The deal comes from a 52-card standard deck that is simulated within the game’s software. Your chances of receiving any particular card always remains the same, no matter how many hands you’ve played.

This is an important concept to understand. You will never be “due” to receive cards just because you haven’t seen them in a while, nor should you expect certain cards to be absent from a hand just because they’ve shown up often in your recent gameplay.

Keep in mind that the main deal will be the basis for however many hands of Double Down Stud Multi-Hand Poker video poker you may be playing. Your decision will then govern all of the subsequent hands.

Your Decision

You have a single decision to make when playing Double Down Stud Multi-Hand Poker video poker. That decision comes down to whether to double your original bet or leave it as it is. This decision will be played out over every one of the hands that you’re playing. For example, let’s say that you’ve played three hands and bet 5 coins per hand for an initial bet of 15 coins.

You can’t decide at that point to double your bet on two of the hands then leave the other one alone. If you double, your bet will be 30 coins, covering all three hands. And if you leave it alone, it stays at 15.

How do you make this decision? You’ll look at the four cards that you can see and see how close you are to forming a winning combination. (More on what those are in a minute.)

More often than not, however, your four cards will not make a winning combination on their own. You’ll have to decide if the cards on the screen are worth a doubled bet, based on what could happen with the fifth card. We’ll explain how to do that a little better when we get to the strategy section below.

In any case, you can press the button signifying that you want to double your bet, or you can leave the bet the way it is. Once you choose, you’ll hit the draw button to complete the process.

Your Draw

As we said, you’ll make your decision on Double Down Stud Multi-Hand Poker video poker based on the four-card deal you receive. But that decision will then be played out over all the separate hands you have going.

For example, if you’re playing three hands at once, the main deal will come from a standard 52-card deck. Once the four cards are shown, there will then be three 48-card decks created, each containing remaining cards in the deck. These decks will be separately shuffled by random-number software in the game.

As a result, you’ll often get three different results for each of the three hands. That’s why you might see some winning hands and some losing hands in a given round of Double Down Stud Multi-Hand Poker video poker. The same process will take place in five-hand and 10-hand action.

Winning Combinations

What are the combinations you’ll be looking for when playing Double Down Stud Multi-Hand Poker video poker? In terms of the basic Jacks or Better format of the game, these are the winning hands:

• Pair of sixes or better
• Two pair
• Three of a kind
• Straight (five cards of consecutive rank, like 3-4-5-6-7)
• Flush (five cards of same suit)
• Full house (three of a kind and two pair in the same hand)
• Four of a kind
• Straight flush (straight with five cards of same suit)
• Royal flush (ten, jack, queen, king, and ace of the same suit)

The winning combinations at the top of this list will appear with relative frequency while you’re playing Double Down Stud Multi-Hand Poker video poker. As you move down the list, you’ll see that the hands are ones that won’t show up often during typical action.

The game compensates you based on the likelihood of seeing a winning combination. In other words, the hands that pay the most are the ones at the bottom of the list, the rarest. At the top of the list, the winning combinations don’t pay nearly as much.

Knowing this will be the key to your decision-making process while playing Double Down Stud Multi-Hand Poker video poker.

For example, if you have a chance at a high-paying hand with just one card needed to fill it out, you should probably double your bet. And if you only have a chance at one of the lesser-paying hands, you might be better off keeping your bet as is rather than risking more for a potentially small reward.

Sample Round of Double Down Stud Multi-Hand Poker Video Poker

Let’s take a look at how this all might play out. Imagine playing three hands at once with the maximum bet of five coins per hand, using the Jacks or Better pay table associated with Double Down Stud Multi-Hand Poker video poker. (More on the pay tables below.)

Imagine receiving the following deal:

This deal does not have any winning combinations as it is. You’ll need some help with the fifth card to come up a winner.

You now have to decide whether or not it’s worth it to double your bet. If you do, you’ll be on the hook for 30 coins instead of 15. But you will have the chance at higher payback if you do decide to double.

Taking a look at that deal, you can probably quickly see that you have all hearts. If you get one more on the draw, you’ll have a flush, which offers a solid payback in Double Down Stud Multi-Hand Poker video poker.

What are your chances of getting the flush? Well, there are nine left in the deck and 48 cards remaining total. That puts your chances at a little less than 1 in 5, for potential payback of 9 to 1.

Let’s say that you decide to double your wager based on these odds. You’ll then watch as the three different draws take place in this round of Double Down Stud Multi-Hand Poker video poker. They might turn out like this:

Hand 1:

Hand 2:

Hand 3:

How did you do? Well, in Hand 1, you got the card you needed for the flush. In Hand 2, you ended up with a pair of eights, which is also a winning combination that pays back on a Jacks or Better pay table in Double Down Stud Multi-Hand Poker video poker.

The third hand was a loser. You would add up the winnings of the other two hands.

Based on the most common Jacks or Better pay table used in Double Down Stud Multi-Hand Poker video poker with your doubled bet factored into the equation, your payback would be 90 coins for the flush and 10 coins for the pair. That’s a total of 100 coins won, minus your 30-coin bet, for a profit of 70 coins.

Of course, you got a little lucky with the draw here. You easily could have come up empty on all three hands and lost 30 coins in a hurry. But this example hopefully illustrates the potential of a good round of Double Down Stud Multi-Hand Poker video poker.

Pay Tables for Jacks or Better-Style Double Down Stud Multi-Hand Poker Video Poker

The most commonly found version of Double Down Stud Multi-Hand Poker video poker features pay tables based on the draw poker game known as Jacks or Better. Your payback will always be higher for specific winning combinations on the Double Down Stud Multi-Hand Poker game, because it’s harder to get one of those winning combinations without a draw round to help you.

This is the highest-paying pay table you can find in the Jacks or Better family for this stud poker game:

Double Down Stud Jacks or Better Pay Table

Coins/Hand	1 Coin	2 Coins	3 Coins	4 Coins	5 Coins
Royal flush	4,000	8,000	12,000	16,000	20,000
Straight flush	200	400	600	800	1,000
Four of a kind	50	100	150	200	250
Full house	12	24	36	48	60
Flush	9	18	27	36	45
Straight	6	12	18	24	30
Three of a kind	4	8	12	16	20
Two pairs	3	6	9	12	15
One pair (J-A)	2	4	6	8	10
All other(6-10)	1	2	3	4	5

You can see that this pay table only lists wins on up to five coins bet. If you double your bet while playing Double Down Stud Multi-Hand Poker video poker, you would just have to double the number found in the pay table to see what you might win.

As we said, this is based on Jacks or Better, which is the most common format for video poker. Take a look at what a Jacks or Better pay table looks for draw video poker.

Jacks or Better

Coins/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
Four of a kind	25	50	75	100	125
Full house	9	18	27	36	45
Flush	6	12	18	24	30
Straight	4	8	12	16	20
Three of kind	3	6	9	12	15
Two pairs	2	4	6	8	10
Jacks or better	1	2	3	4	5

You can quickly see that the Double Down Stud Multi-Hand Poker video poker pays back higher at every level. And you might also notice that it starts paying back at a pair of sizes instead of a pair of jacks. Finally, you can see that the Double Down Stud Multi-Hand Poker game doesn’t award higher for five coins bet on the royal flush as the draw poker game does.

You should also take note that you might find other versions of the Jacks or Better version of Double Down Stud Multi-Hand Poker video poker, either in casinos or online gambling sites. These other pay tables will offer you, on average, less payback than the full-pay version listed above, which raises the house edge. Take a look.

Coins/Hand	1 Coin	2 Coins	3 Coins	4 Coins	5 Coins
Royal flush	1,000	2,000	3,000	4,000	5,000
Straight flush	200	400	600	800	1,000
Four of a kind	50	100	150	200	250
Full house	12	24	36	48	60
Flush	9	18	27	36	45
Straight	6	12	18	24	30
Three of a kind	4	8	12	16	20
Two pair	3	6	9	12	15
One pair (J-A)	2	4	6	8	10
All others (6-10)	1	2	3	4	5

Coins/Hand	1 Coin	2 Coins	3 Coins	4 Coins	5 Coins
Royal flush	1,000	2,000	3,000	4,000	5,000
Straight flush	400	800	1,200	1,600	2,000
Four of a kind	100	200	300	400	500
Full house	15	30	45	60	75
Flush	10	20	30	40	50
Straight	6	12	18	24	30
Three of a kind	4	8	12	16	20
Two pair	3	6	9	12	15
One pair (J-A)	2	4	6	8	10
All others (6-10)	1	2	3	4	5

Bonus Deuces Wild Pay Tables for Double Down Stud Multi-Hand Poker Video Poker

You can also play a version of Double Down Stud Multi-Hand Poker video poker based on the draw poker game known as Bonus Deuces Wild. The gameplay is the same, but Bonus Deuces Wild allows you to use the twos in the deck as wild cards. This means you can turn them into whatever card in the deck helps your hand the most.

For example, take a look at the following hand:

In normal video poker, this is not a winning combination. But when deuces are wild, the two of diamonds can be changed. You can transform it here to a six, which would give you a straight.

Here is a pay table that you can expect for the Bonus Deuces Wild version of Double Down Stud Multi-Hand Poker video poker.

Coins/Hand	1 Coin	2 Coins	3 Coins	4 Coins	5 Coins
Natural royal flush	1,000	2,000	3,000	4,000	5,000
Four deuces + ace	800	1,600	2,400	3,600	4,000
Four deuces	400	800	1,200	1,600	2,000
Wild royal flush	80	160	240	320	400
Five aces	200	400	600	800	1,000
Five 3, 4, or 5	80	160	240	320	400
Five other	40	80	120	160	200
Straight flush	12	24	36	48	60
Four of a kind	6	12	18	24	30
Flush house	5	10	15	20	25
Flush	4	8	12	16	20
Straight	3	6	9	12	15
Three of a kind	2	4	6	8	10
Two pair	1	2	3	4	5
Pair of kings or better	1	2	3	4	5

Compare it to the draw poker version of Bonus Deuces Wild, and you can see the boosted payouts.

Full Pay 10 / 4 / 4 Pay Table

Coins/Hand	1 Coin	2 Coins	3 Coins	4 Coins	5 Coins
Natural royal flush	800	1,600	2,400	3,200	4,000
Four deuces + ace	400	800	1,200	1,600	2,000
Four deuces	200	400	600	800	1,000
Wild royal flush	25	50	75	100	125
Five aces	80	160	240	320	400
Five aces	80	160	240	320	400
Five 3, 4, or 5	40	80	120	160	200
Five other	20	40	60	80	100
Straight flush	10	20	30	40	50
Four of a kind	4	8	12	16	20
Full house	4	8	12	16	20
Flush	3	6	9	12	15
Straight	1	2	3	4	5
Three of a kind	1	2	3	4	5
All others	0	0	0	0	0

Strategy for Double Down Stud Multi-Hand Poker Video Poker

In many ways, strategy for Double Down Stud Multi-Hand Poker video poker is much easier than it is for Draw video poker. You only have one decision you have to make. In Draw video poker, you have to decide whether or not each one of the five cards is worth holding or discarding.

When you’re playing Draw Poker, if you’re incorrect about any of those decisions, you are essentially harming the value of the hand. And that will hurt your potential payback in terms of playing the game for the long haul.

Yet there is an issue with strategy for Double Down Stud Multi-Hand Poker video poker, it’s that it can be hard to get good help for it. With Draw Poker, you can find video poker training software or strategy charts to show you which cards should be played in every situation. It can be time-consuming to learn all that but, if you do, you can ensure yourself of perfect play.

In the case of Double Down Stud Multi-Hand Poker video poker, those resources really aren’t available to you. That’s because most video poker games are based on the Draw format and not the Stud format. As a result, you’re a bit on your own.

Luckily, the strategy becomes somewhat evident the more you play. Here are some tips for Double Down Stud Multi-Hand Poker video poker strategy that can help you ensure the best possible payback:

• Double your winning combinations. Obviously, you can’t possibly know that you have a straight, a flush, or any other five-card winning hands in the first five cards. But if you get a pair of sixes or better, two pair, three of a kind, or four of a kind, it’s a no-brainer that you should double that bet and hope the hand gets even better when the final card is revealed.
• Look for one-card shy situations. Just as in the example above, where you were just one card shy of a flush, doubling down is the smart thing to do. You won’t need too much help on the draw to come away with a solid-paying winning combination, which you can then double up.
• Watch out for high pairs. Keep in mind that a pair of jacks or better on a Double Down Stud Multi-Hand Poker video poker pay table pays back at 2 to 1. Therefore, if you have several single high cards in your hand, it might be worth it to see if you can cash in if you get another to pair one of those high cards up.
• Don’t fall for hunches. If you get caught up trying to guess what cards might be arriving on the draw, you’ll inevitably make errors. You should always keep in mind that the cards will appear at random, and there’s no way you can predict what might be coming, so don’t waste your time and your bets trying to do so.

Double Down Stud Multi-Hand Poker Video Poker Pros and Cons

Conclusion on Double Down Stud Multi-Hand Poker Video Poker

Double Down Stud Multi-Hand Poker video poker can provide a fun change of pace for those who are looking for something different than the same old Draw Poker video poker action. It can also be just the right kind of game for beginners who want to play fast and not have to be confronted by tough decisions on every hand. You just have to be prepared to cede control over the outcome a bit more and rely on luck to decide whether you win or lose.