Video poker machines have always been popular in brick-and-mortar casinos and remain popular at online casinos too. One of the most played variants of video poker is Aces and Faces. This game significantly differs from the standard Jacks or Better in payout because of the high-value cards in the deck. This post will tell you the details of Aces and Faces, how to play it, and most importantly, how to increase the chances of winning.
Video Poker Online Casinos
Every most trusted online casino offers video poker games, so you will find them easily. Nevertheless, we suggest you consider the recommended gambling platforms. Before you join a favored casino, make sure that it suits your needs.
About Aces & Faces Video Poker
If you have ever played video poker Jacks or Better, you will see that Aces and Faces poker is almost the same game. However, there are several differences between these two variations.
Aces and Faces is a machine poker game with a traditional five-card draw. Simply put, the goal is to form a five-card hand according to the paytable. The players are dealt 5 cards that they use to form a combination. You can discard a card or leave them as are. After the second deal was made, the game shows the result.
Aces and Faces video poker often features a bonus. For example, a wild card or an extra betting round. This is the most notable difference between standard Jacks or Better and its popular variant.
The name “Aces and Faces” was made up due to the paytable of the game. It highly rewards hands that include aces and face cards.
How to Play Aces & Faces
The process of playing Aces and Faces is just the same as playing any other poker machine:
- Open your preferred Aces and Faces video poker game.
- Select your bet by changing the denomination of the bet and the number of credits per hand.
- Press the “Deal” button and start the session.
Next, you need to continue playing by clicking on the buttons after making the decision of your next move. If you are using a strategy, make sure to stick to it till the end of the session. Your next move can be choosing which cards to discard and which to hold. In Aces and Faces, you can discard and hold only numbers from 1 to 5.
If you’ve decided to replace a card, you’ll be dealt another card that can help you form a better hand. Then, the game is over. You either win money or lose your bet.
Most video poker players tend to place maximum bets because this way, they have better odds. And here’s the tip: try to find a poker machine game that has a low max bet size. For example, if you play Aces & Faces at a max of $1.5 per hand, it will cost you a lot less than a $5 per hand video poker.
If you look at the paytable, you will see that the top prizes are significantly higher when the max bet is on. So your payback is going to be great.
Best Aces & Faces Pay-Table
Game developers have made hundreds of Aces and Faces video poker games. And each game has its own pay-table and rules of the game. When you are looking for the best-paying Aces and Faces game, make sure the pay-table pays out 8 for Full House hands and 5 for Flush hands. This video poker pay-table has the best possible odds for players. Here’s what it looks like if you stake maximum:
Royal Flush – 800:1
Four of a Kind (Aces) – 80:1
Straight Flush – 50:1
Four of a Kind (Faces) – 40:1
Four of a Kind – 25:1
Full House – 8:1
Flush – 5:1
Straight – 4:1
Three of a Kind – 3:1
Two Pair – 2:1
Jacks or Better – 1:1
The pay-table may differ from game to game, and from casino to casino. This is why you need to choose Aces and Faces games carefully.
Odds of Winning Aces and Faces Video Poker
Among all online casino games, video poker titles have some of the best odds just like blackjack games. And if you aim to win money, it’s definitely better to play video poker than slot machines because slots’ house edge is pretty high.
If you play Aces and Faces with an optimal strategy in mind, the game will pay only about 0.8% to the house. To understand this house edge, let us give you an example with real money:
Say, you found Aces and Faces with a 99.2% payback where you can bet $1.25 at max. Then, each deal will cost you $5. It means that you will be losing approximately $0.04 per hand in the long run. In an hour, it’s about $24. For a video poker game that is usually played out pretty fast, it’s a low amount of losses. Besides, most of the time, you will have winning hands, provided you know how to make decisions in poker.
Strategy to Win Aces & Faces Video Poker
There’s a simple strategy designed by very smart people who play video poker good enough to make up strategies. But before we tell you about it, you should know the key things on how to plan Aces and Faces strategy:
- Never break up a Full House or Flush.
- If you have a 4-card Royal, you should hold these four cards and hope for the missing card.
Remember these key thoughts in the progress of the game. And finally, here’s the strategy that can increase your odds. In the strategy chart below, you can find the hierarchy of the best possible results that come from top to bottom. Mind that the worst possible result is shown at the very end.
Use this chart unless you are one card short of a Royal Flush. In all other cases, you should try to form the next-best combo of cards.
- Four-of-a-Kind, Straight Flush, Royal Flush
- Four cards towards a Royal
- Three-of-a-Kind, Straight, Flush, Full House
- Four cards towards a Straight Flush
- Two pair
- High pair (Jacks or Better)
- Three cards toward a Royal Flush
- Four cards toward a Flush
- Low pair
- Four cards towards an outside Straight
- Two suited high cards
- Three cards towards a Straight Flush
- Two unsuited high cards (use the lowest one)
- Suited high cards: 10 to J, 10 to Q, or 10 to K
- Jacks or better
- Discard all cards
The chart is easier than it looks. Over time, you will learn this strategy. If you haven’t used it yet, just try it once to see how it works.
At the Bottomline
Aces and Faces video poker is a machine in which you have pretty good odds provided you play it right. Although payouts aren’t as big as on Jacks or Better, Aces and Faces poker features a better pay-table layout. You’re just left to find the best-paying machine and use the simplest strategy on it.
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