Emma Smith | January 18, 2023 | Updated on: March 12th, 2025
Aces and eights, often known as Dead man’s hand video poker, is a thrilling video poker variation that every player should attempt at least once in their lives. The rules is straightforward and easier to understand than the origin behind the game’s moniker. The game is a kind of bonus poker, and while it may not be offered at all online casinos, understanding how to play it may be incredibly advantageous. This is especially true if you’re looking for a variation from your normal video poker game. We’ll go through all there is to know about the game, the paytable, and strategy.
Aces and Eights Page Links
How to play Aces and Eights
Like with many other video poker variations, the rules are rather similar. There is a slight difference with all games so it’s important that you take note of these differences. There could be what stands between you and winning big.
Here is a step-by-step guide on who to play aces and eights at top casino sites in Australia.
- Start off with choosing your coin denomination and how many coins you want to spend. This is how much you want to spend on each round you play. Remember to take your bankroll into consideration.
- You will then click on the deal card, to get your initial five cards. These are dealt from a 52 card deck. Some variations are however played with less cards in their decks. This variation uses the entire deck.
- From the cards you are dealt you must choose the ones you want hold and discard. With some software developers you will click on the cards you want to discard. And with others the cards you click in are the ones you want top hold.
- The cards you discarded will be replaced and the hand that you have after the exchange will be your final hand
- You will then be paid according to the game pay table.
Aces and Eights Paytable
In order to win when playing aces and eights the minimum hand that you will be paid out for is a pair of jacks. There are also a few differences in the hands that you can get paid out for. However, the royal flush is still the highest paying hand in the game.
It is important to remember that the pay table can differ from one casino to another. Before you can commit to a real money game make sure to shop around for the best version of the game to play. An easy way to spot a well-paying aces and eights game is to check out what the royal flush pays. Below is what a full paying version of the game would pay for various coin sizes.
| Hands | 1 Coin | 2 Coins | 3 Coins | 4 Coins | 5 Coins |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Royal Flush | 250 | 500 | 750 | 1000 | 4000 |
| Straight Flush | 50 | 100 | 150 | 200 | 250 |
| Four of a Kind A or 8 | 80 | 160 | 240 | 320 | 400 |
| Four of a Kind 7 | 50 | 100 | 150 | 200 | 250 |
| Four of a Kind others | 25 | 50 | 75 | 100 | 125 |
| Full House | 8 | 16 | 24 | 32 | 40 |
| Flush | 5 | 10 | 15 | 20 | 26 |
| Straight | 4 | 8 | 12 | 16 | 20 |
| Three of a Kind | 3 | 6 | 9 | 12 | 15 |
| 2 pairs | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 |
| Jacks or Better | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
Aces and Eights Strategy
Aces and Eights strategy is pretty straightforward. Obviously, players holding a Royal Flush should not draw any cards. With all the other hands, there several ways to approach the hand to hopefully end with well paying hand.
- You should draw one card if they hold four cards to a royal or straight flush
- If you have a four of a kind, four of a kind with an A or 8 or 7 you should also only draw one card.
- Should you hold a three of a kind draw two cards.
- If your hand only has one-pair, two high cards to two cards to a royal flush, you should draw three cards.
- If your hand only has one high card it doesn’t matter which one it is, you should draw four cards.
Another thing to remember when playing with 5 coins, the payoff for a Royal Flush is substantially more than when playing with 4 or less coins. As a result, always play maximum coins to obtain the biggest potential payoff when the Royal Flush appears.
RTP and Odds
For the best experience playing aces and eights you must hunt for a full-pay versions of the game, just like you would with any other video poker game. When you place a bet of 5 coins, it will ensure that you get the best possible payout. Furthermore, the RTP of a full-pay variant of Aces and Eight with a flawless strategy is 99.78%.
It may be tough to discover a full-pay form of Aces and Eights, as it is with many other video poker varieties. Not all casino will offer this version of the game. Occasionally, you’ll come upon a lower-paying version where the payoff for Full House has been reduced to 7 to 1. This will also have an impact on the RTP, lowering it to 98.63%. Below is paytable for both a full and lower paying variation’s of the game. This will give you an idea of how to bet choose the version you want to play based on its return to player.
| Hand | Full Pay | Low Pay |
|---|---|---|
| Royal Flush | 250 to 1 | 250 to 1 |
| Four of a Kind Aces or Eights | 80 to 1 | 80 to 1 |
| Straight Flush | 50 to 1 | 50 to 1 |
| Four of a Kind 7s | 50 to 1 | 50 to 1 |
| Any Other Four of a Kind | 25 to 1 | 25 to 1 |
| Full House | 8 to 1 | 7 to 1 |
| Flush | 5 to 1 | 5 to 1 |
| Straight | 4 to 1 | 4 to 1 |
| Three of a Kind | 3 to 1 | 3 to 1 |
| Two Pair | 2 to 1 | 2 to 1 |
| Jacks or Better | 1 to 1 | 1 to 1 |
There’s also the possibility of coming across an Aces and Eights variation, which has reduced the payoff for a Full House to merely 6 credits for a single coin bet. This will provide you even less of a benefit, and a predicted RTP will drop to 97.48%. As you can see, these alternatives are not suggested for players because they greatly reduce your chances of winning drastically.
It’s also possible to find Aces and Eights games with a 20/7/5 paytable, which has reduced the payoff for Any Other Four of a Kind in addition to the lower payout for a Full House. This provides the casino a higher edge and a 97.72% long-term predicted return. As you can see, it’s still an improvement over the 6/5 version with a payout percentage of 97.48%.
Conclusion
Aces and Eights is a fun and profitable video poker game that many casino goers like. It’s a simple game to learn, and if you use the appropriate approach, you may get a significant edge. Of course, whether you’re playing at a physical or online casino, you should always make sure you’re playing the Aces and Eights variant that offers the greatest odds. You can be sure that your gambling experience will be both fascinating and gratifying once you’ve found the correct game and implemented the finest available strategy.
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