Jacks or Better is the predecessor of most video poker variations, and the game of Aces and Faces is no exception. The game largely follows the same rules, as it too is based on five-card draw, and the players’ objective is to obtain at least a pair of Jacks in order to collect a payout. What further enhances the thrill of playing Aces and Faces is the extra payout awarded to players for forming Four of a Kind hands containing four Aces or other face cards such as Jacks, Queens or Kings.
The alterations in the payouts for these high-ranking Four of a Kind hands are not substantial, but they still affect both the game’s house edge and the optimal strategy. In the following article, we explain the basic rules of Aces and Faces, the ranking of hands and their corresponding payouts, as well as the basic strategy that will increase beginners’ chances of securing a payout.
The Basics of Aces and Faces
Aces and Faces features in the gaming libraries of all reputable online casinos and is usually available in both single-hand and multi-hand formats. Being a derivative of the ever-popular Jacks or Better, Aces and Faces is played with a full deck containing all 52 cards. There are no wild cards or jokers in play.
The game starts with players adjusting the size of the stake they wish to make by using the buttons at the bottom of the base game screen. Similar to the majority of video poker variations, the number of credits one can wager per hand ranges between one and five, with the option to select from different coin denominations. One can also conveniently stake the maximum number of credits by hitting the Bet Max button.
Once players have adjusted and placed their bets, five cards are dealt to them at random. The aim is to make the optimal decision as to which cards to hold and which to discard so that they can form the strongest possible hand and secure a higher payout. The discards are then replaced with new cards randomly dealt from the top of the remaining deck. Please note that the rules allow players to keep or discard all five cards in their opening hand.
If the draw results in a qualifying hand, the players are automatically awarded a payout, the size of which depends on the hand’s strength. The amount won and the winning hand are also highlighted in the paytable. The good news is that in video poker there is an optimal way to play any hand you are dealt, based on the combination that offers the highest expected value. As a general rule, players are advised to bet the maximum number of credits per hand.
The hand that offers the highest possible payout is, naturally, the Royal Flush, which pays 500 credits on one-coin bets, but the profits skyrocket to 4,000 credits for maximum five-coin bets. Note that hitting a Royal Flush is a rare occurrence, happening only once in every 40,000 hands or so. Despite that, playing five credits per round is recommended because the Royal Flush accounts for a substantial part of players’ long-term payback percentage.
Paytable and Hand Rankings in Aces and Faces
| The Pros | The Cons |
|---|---|
| Variance is not as great as that in some other bonus-based video poker variations. | The payouts for certain hands, such as the Flush, the Full House and the Straight, are reduced. |
| The game is easy to learn and play. | The higher volatility makes it unsuitable for players with a tight budget. |
| Players can earn additional payouts for quads consisting of Aces or face cards. | The extra payouts are not as high as those in some other bonus variations. |
There is a slight difference in the ranking of the hands in Aces and Faces owing to the additional payouts Four of a Kind combinations offer. Once the game loads, it will immediately strike you that the payout for Royal Flushes on one-credit bets is increased from the standard 250 credits to 500 credits, which further adds value to Aces and Faces games. The maximum reward Royal Flushes can secure is the same as that in standard Jacks or Better – 4,000 credits. The unique thing about this video poker variation is that Four of a Kind with Aces actually beats the Straight Flush.
The second-best hand in Aces and Faces consists of Four Aces and offers an additional payout of 80 credits per credit wagered. This is followed by the Straight Flush, which typically pays at a rate of 50 to 1. There is an extra payout of 40 to 1 for Four of a Kind hands with face cards like Jacks, Queens and Kings. Four of a Kind combinations consisting of cards with face values of 2 through 10 pay out 25 coins per credit wagered. By comparison, the paytable of standard Jacks or Better contains only one Four of a Kind payout of 20 to 1.
The Four of a Kind combinations are followed by the standard hand rankings of Full House, Flush, Straight, Three of a Kind and Two Pair. The weakest possible hand that can still secure a payout consists of a pair of Jacks or higher, which earns players an even-money prize. Pairs of Tens or lower are almost worthless and do not offer any payouts.
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Unlike full-pay variants of Jacks or Better, where the Full House and the Flush pay 9 to 1 and 6 to 1 respectively, the payouts on these two hands in Aces and Faces are reduced by one unit. That is to say, a full-pay Aces and Faces game pays 8 to 1 for a Full House and 5 to 1 for a Flush. The lower payouts for more commonly dealt hand combinations are intended to compensate for the extra credits players earn when hitting Four of a Kind hands. At first glance, this one-unit reduction can be interpreted as a disadvantage, but it is offset by the extra payouts collected on Four of a Kind hands with Aces and face cards.
It is crucial to always check the payouts for the Full House and the Flush when choosing an Aces and Faces game to play for real money. Any paytable that offers less than 8/5 for these two hand combinations is a no-go. This one-unit cutback in the pay-offs for more frequently occurring hands negatively impacts the game’s theoretical return percentage and tips the scales slightly in favour of the house.
The 8/5 variations of Aces and Faces offer a rather satisfactory payback percentage of 99.26%. Reduce the payouts for the Full House and the Flush by one unit to 7/5 and the return percentage will drop to 98.10%. It is even possible to come across 6/5 Aces and Faces variations where the payback percentage sinks further to 97%, while the house edge climbs to 3%.
| Aces and Faces Poker Paytable | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coins | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Royal Flush | 500 | 1000 | 2000 | 3000 | 4000 |
| Four Aces | 80 | 160 | 240 | 320 | 400 |
| Straight Flush | 50 | 100 | 150 | 200 | 250 |
| Four Js, Qs, Ks | 40 | 80 | 120 | 160 | 200 |
| Four 2s – 10 | 25 | 50 | 75 | 100 | 125 |
| Full House | 8 | 16 | 24 | 32 | 40 |
| Flush | 5 | 10 | 15 | 20 | 25 |
| Straight | 4 | 8 | 12 | 16 | 20 |
| Three of a Kind | 3 | 6 | 9 | 12 | 15 |
| Two Pair | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 |
| Jacks or Better | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
Beginner Strategy for Aces and Faces
Since Aces and Faces is a derivative of Jacks or Better, there are not many deviations in the basic strategies applicable to the two games. The discrepancies in the optimal-play recommendations for the two video poker variants are quite minor. We have outlined several useful tips on playing certain Aces and Faces hands in the following paragraphs.
Players are rarely dealt strong pat hands and usually have to draw more cards to improve the strength of their final hand. In Aces and Faces, one should never discard anything that has already contributed to a qualifying winning hand. It makes sense not to break a made winning hand, except when you hold four of the five cards needed for a Royal Flush. In this case, players need to discard the one card that stands between them and the Royal Flush. Another deviation from this general rule is when you receive four cards to a Straight Flush on the deal; you should also attempt to complete the hand by discarding one card.
If you are dealt a high pair (one that contains Jacks through Aces), you should always keep the pair and replace the other three cards. The pair already qualifies for a payout, albeit even money, so at least the draw will not result in a loss. There is roughly a 16% chance of improving to Two Pair and around an 11% chance of forming Three of a Kind after the draw.
Two Pair is also a great pat combination to hold on to, as there is a good chance players will draw to a Full House. Furthermore, it is advisable to hold three cards to a Royal Flush and four to a Flush, where the odds of completing the Flush are almost 1 in 6, or about 17%. Another basic strategy recommendation is to hold off-suit King/Queen/Jack/10 as well as Ace/King/Queen/Jack, since you can potentially improve to a Straight on the draw.
Another thing worth keeping is four cards to an open-ended Straight. One such example would be a starting hand consisting of Jack/10/9/8, in which case two card values can potentially improve the hand, namely Queens and 7s. With open-ended Straight draws, the probability of completing the Straight is greater because more cards can help. In comparison, if one is dealt an inside Straight draw like Queen/Jack/9/8, only the 10s can fill the hand.
Whenever the starting hand consists of two high cards of the same suit, players should hold them and try to form the Royal Flush. The Aces and Faces strategy dictates that players hold off-suit King/Queen/Jack, Queen/Jack, Queen/King and King/Jack. Jack/10 and Queen/10 of the same suit are also worth holding on to because, in the worst-case scenario, you can at least land a high pair on the draw and receive an even-money payout. Under the basic strategy rules, one should generally hold two unsuited face cards. In fact, the same is valid even if you are dealt a single face card – keep it.
As a rule of thumb, players should keep high pairs and replace low pairs, since the new cards they receive on the draw can provide them with better chances of forming Three of a Kind or higher-ranking hands. Finally, when your opening hand consists of nothing worth holding, the best thing to do is discard everything and receive five entirely new cards.