Aces and Eights Poker Review

Many players refer to Aces and Eights poker as a simple tweaked spin-off of the widely-popular Jacks or Better variant. In this guide we’ll show you all there is to know about this game, and compare it to its video poker rivals. 

However, if you want to dive straight in and pick up the rules as you play, check out our list of top online casinos that have Aces and Eights ready for you to play.

Whilst DALE Electronics is credited with inventing the first video poker machine (Poker-Matic) in 1970, it was SIRCOMA (now known as IGT) that brought it to the masses in the late 70s.

In this Aces and Eights Poker review, we’ll examine this particular variant. We’ll find out what makes it different from other video games, assess the theoretical RTP of the game, and ultimately let you know if it’s worth your time playing.

Video poker is a form of five-card draw poker played with one standard deck of cards. In truth, there isn’t really much difference between the different variants of video poker other than the paytable and minimum starting hand, which we’ll cover in the next section.

The game play is very straightforward, and as long as you have an understanding of the different poker hands, you’re good to go. With all video poker games, players can choose how many coins (between 1 - 5) to play. It is also possible to vary the size of the bet. For instance, playing with 1 coin at £1.00 bet = £1.00 per game, 3 coins at £2.00 = £6.00 per game and 5 coins at £5.00 = £25.00. Video poker is designed to reward players who gamble the maximum number of 5 coins. This is due to the massive payout increase if you hit a royal flush (see next section).

Once you’ve selected how many coins and how much to bet (per coin), you hit ‘deal’. Your five cards appear. From here, you must decide which cards to hold, and which ones to change. Some video poker games automatically ‘hold’ certain cards in your hand, but you can change these if you wish. Simply click on a card to ‘hold’ it, or if it is already ‘held’ click on it to undo this. Once, you’ve decided on what to hold, click ‘draw’. The unheld cards will change for new ones and the hand is compared against the paytable to see if you are a winner.

The Aces and Eights Poker rules follow that of standard draw poker, which merely relate to the poker hand value. The only differences are the minimum starting hand to get a payout and the game’s paytable. This is what you can win playing Microgaming’s version.

As you can see, you need one pair of jacks or better to hit the paytable. Any single pair lower than this does not qualify. In this regard, it makes Aces and Eights Poker very similar to Aces and Faces and Jacks or Better. So, which variant should you play? Let’s find out by comparing the payouts.

For the table below, the payouts are for one coin, with the exception of the Royal Flush, which is the jackpot total (4000) divided by 5 coins (= 800 per coin).

New players to video poker could easily think Aces and Eights is the best option because of the generous payouts for four aces and four eights, but it is weaker in other areas compared with the other two variants. Ultimately, Jacks or Better paying 9/6 on the Full House/Flush against 8/5 is why this is the best version to play online out of these three titles.

Due to the high payouts (over 99%), there aren’t too many Aces and Eights Poker bonus offers flying around. At some casinos video poker games do not contribute to clearing the wagering requirements of any sign up bonuses, but most allow you one foot in the down with up to 10% contribution. This isn’t a lot, and it makes it difficult to profit from the offer, but with free cash on the line, it’s usually worth a try. 

Another area to search is within the casino’s VIP scheme. These are most likely to include video poker, but you will have to wager quite a bit of cash to qualify for any rewards.

Video poker is a great game. It’s simple yet exciting. There’s decision making so you are always involved in the action and the payouts for the bigger hands mean you can have some really rewarding sessions playing. So, now you know what is Aces and Eights Poker, are you ready to try it?

All you need to do is browse through the recommended casinos above. Each one is licenced so you know the games will all be tested to ensure they are fair. Once you’ve chosen a favourite, sign up to play Aces and Eights Poker online.