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Millionaire Video Poker Live is Playtech’s version of live dealer video poker with a Who Wants to Be A Millionaire twist. The twist is an optional bonus round, triggered by specific poker hands, that can lead to a whopping 2000x payout.
The central part of the game is played with a deck of 52 playing cards, where one hand is dealt for the player to decide which cards to hold or discard. A second set of five cards is dealt to complete the best 5 card hand. There’s an option to play 5, 10, 25, 50 or 100 hands, which uses the RNG to complete the hands once the first-hand hold/discards have occurred.
Players can choose from five versions of Video Poker, including a special new variant created for this game. Each has a slightly different RTP and Paytable. Some are more volatile than others, so depending on your playing style, you’ll find a version to suit you.
In this review, I’ll explain how to play Millionaire video poker, give you all the data and help you pick the correct version. I’ll also cover playing strategies. Each version requires different playing decisions, so I’ll cover those, too.
And, of course, there is my Video review, where I cover everything.
If it’s your first time playing Video Poker or you’re an old hat that plays RNG Video poker and already knows what it’s all about, here is a quick rundown of what to expect with Millionaire Video Poker. No airs and graces, just the raw data about the game.
Millionaire Video Poker Live will appeal to existing players wanting something extra from the game.
Video poker is usually a speedy game, but Millionaire Video poker, because it is live, is slow in comparison, so it may not suit everyone.
But the twist is the Millionaire Bonus, which is aimed at the true gambler who likes a highly volatile game where wins can be small or massive! You don’t know which will occur when the bonus is triggered.
To play Video Poker, you need to have a good understanding of Poker hand rankings, and it helps if you can work odds out on the fly to know the best playing option. Don’t worry if you can’t; I’ve covered some video poker strategies further down the page.
The gameplay for Millionaire Video Poker live is very straightforward
The fundamental way of playing video poker is the same. You’re dealt five cards, decide which cards to keep, and then the spaces are filled by another card deal, making your final 5-card hand. Every game of video poker is played this way.
What differentiates the versions are the hand values for which payouts are given. Some games include kicker cards, which, if got with specific hands, can dramatically increase the payouts. Some versions have different value starting hands, which influence the cards you hold or throw away at the start of the game.
There are easier versions to play, and by that, I mean it’s easy to get a starting hand, but the whole paytable is likely to be less than a game with a more difficult starting hand.
So you need to pick a version that meets your attitude to risk and volatility – there’s a version for everyone.
So let’s look at each in more detail to see which one you’re best suited to.
Jacks or Better is the entry-level version of video poker. The minimum qualifying hand is a pair of Jacks, so strategically, this is the easiest game to figure out how to play. It also has the best RTP of 99.54%, which indicates that if you play conservatively, you’ll get a decent return.
All the two’s in Deuces are Wild, meaning they can substitute for any card in the deck. This makes winning a hand easier because more card combinations are in play. This is reflected in the paytable, which has reduced payouts on almost all winning hands. The special payouts are reserved for Natural Royal Flush and Four Deuces. The starting hand is 3 of a Kind.
The RTP is 98.92% and is a less volatile game – you’ll get lots of small wins and the occasional big win.
Double Double Bonus Poker is the most volatile of the standard video poker games. It has a similar paytable to Jacks Or Better but includes enhanced payouts for hands with Aces and kickers.
The RTP is 98.98%, but it is a game you should be careful with. Play this if you want higher risk and the big hand payouts.
Regarding volatility, Bonus Poker sits between Jacks Or Better and Double Double Bonus. The starting hand is a pair of Jacks, and a few extra hands get enhanced payouts.
The RTP is 99.17% and is a less volatile game. It’s perfect if you like an edge to a game but don’t like the swings of more volatile games. Play this if you want a bit more than Jacks or Better delivers.
This is a new version of Video Poker created by Playtech. It acknowledges Aces as special and has enhanced payouts when Aces are involved in the winning hands.
The rest of the paytable is similar to Jacks or Better but has a higher payout for a Royal Flush and a starting hand of two pairs.
The RTP is up there at 99.25%.
| Hand Value | Jacks or Better | Deuces Wild | Double Double Bonus | Bonus Poker | Millionaire Aces |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Royal Flush | 800x | 1000x (natural) | 800x | 800x | 1500x |
| Four Deuces | 200x | ||||
| Four Aces, 2/3/4 Kicker | 400x | ||||
| Four 2s/3s/4s, A/2/3/4 Kicker/ Four Aces, 5-K Kicker | 160x | ||||
| Four 2/3s/4s/ 5-K Kicker | 80x | ||||
| Four Aces | 80x | 200x | |||
| Straight Flush | 50x | 8x | 50x | 50x | 100x |
| Wild Royal Flush | 25x | ||||
| Four of a Kind | 25x | 4x | 25x | ||
| Five of a Kind | 15x | ||||
| Four Fives through Ks / Straight Flush | 50x | 25x | |||
| 4 2s, 3s, or 4s | 40x | ||||
| Three Aces | 20x | ||||
| Full House | 9x | 4x | 9x | 8x | 10x |
| Flush | 6x | 3x | 6x | 5x | 9x |
| Straight | 4x | 2x | 4x | 4x | 7x |
| Three of a Kind | 3x | 1x | 3x | 3x | 3x |
| Two Pair | 2x | 1x | 2x | 1x | |
| Jacks or Better | 1x | 1x | 1x | ||
| RTP | 99.54% | 98.92% | 98.98% | 99.17% | 99.25% |
The dealer deals five cards from the top of a freshly shuffled deck of 52 Playing cards.
The cards are in the middle of the table, and you can hold individual cards.
You can hold as many or none; the choice is yours, depending on what will give you the best chance to get a winning hand.
When holding a card, the hold is replicated in all the hands you’re playing.
The dealer deals a second set of five cards onto the table.
The highlighted cards replace the ones you’ve thrown away to make up your five-card hand.
The other hands you’re playing get completed by RNG.
Once the final cards have been dealt, the remaining RNG hands are complete, with the initial Hold cards in place.
As the hand finalise, they light up if they have produced a winning hand, displaying the payout multiplier they achieved.
A nice paytable is displayed with the winning hands highlighted.
Following the completion of the hands, there’s a check to see whether there is a qualifying hand for the Millionaire Bonus Round.
The Millionaire Bonus round is triggered if four of the ten cards dealt are AKQJ, AKQQ, AKJJ, AAAQ or AAK9.
The Millionaire Video Poker Bonus round is triggered when one of five 4-card poker hands is made from the ten cards dealt by the dealer. You must have placed a bet on the Bonus round to qualify to play. Otherwise, you’ll be watching while the bonus unfolds.
However, in a nice touch, Playtech allows watching players to play along to see how you’d do if you played for real.
Each hand type determines a different maximum Multiplier for the Bonus round.
Each bonus round has many levels you need to navigate through. Get a correct “Answer” and climb to the next level. Each “question” contains four answers: Multipliers or “Xs”. If you find the multiplier, the value is added to your payout total, and you advance to the next level. If you locate the “X”, your game ends, and you take home the multiplier total you had previously banked.
Like in Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, throughout the game, you get Lifelines.
The RNG engine picks the outcome of the lifelines; there is no live audience, and the host does not make any decisions.
The lower-level questions do not contain the wrong answer, “Xs”. You’ll have a choice of picking ABC or D, with one of the answers being a much bigger multiple than the other three.
If you’re playing a game where the top accumulated prize is 160x to 2000x, you have questions with wrong answers that you must avoid.
It’s widely accepted that the best Return To Player games in a casino are Blackjack and Video Poker.
Some versions of Video Poker have insane RTP, nearly topping out at 100%. Millionaire Video Poker’s best RTP comes in Jacks Or Better at 99.54%, followed closely by Playtech’s new variant, Millionaire Aces, at 99.25%. Bonus Poker completes the games in the 99% range with 99.17%.
The higher variance games of Deuces Wild and Double Double Bonus Poker have similar RTPs at 98.92% and 98.98%, respectively.
The Millionaire Bonus Round has the lowest RTP of 96%, so you should question whether this is worth playing in the long term.
Playtech has published a set of strategies for each type of video poker, including Millionaire Aces.
These strategies are based on mathematics, odds and probabilities; as you’ll see, they change slightly between each version.
To win playing Video Poker, you must use and follow the correct playing strategy to maximise your chances of winning.
Hold in Descending order
Hold in Descending order
Hold in Descending order
Evolution produced the first Live Video Poker game, but their game contains no Bonus rounds and differs in how it uses the Live dealt cards.
With Playtech Millionaire Video Poker, the dealers deal two sets of five cards, from which players make their best hand. RNG completes the extra hands rather than using the second set of five cards if they play more than one hand. It’s a bit obvious as this ensures all the remaining hands have a unique outcome.
In Evolution Video poker, only the first hand is dealt from real cards. The rest, including the first-hand, are completed using RNG.
The other significant difference is in the payables. Playtech Offers Millionaire Aces, while Evolution includes Tens or Better. In Deuces Wild, the top payout for a natural Royal Flush at Playtech is 1000x, while Evolution has 800x.
I prefer the Playtech version mainly because the first hand is completed using all real cards.
The high card out of the five cards is an Ace. You’ll win nothing with this in Video Poker.
In this case, two identical valued cards are a pair of 9’s. Only a Pair of Tens or more are winning hands in video poker.
Two sets of pairs where each pair is different, e.g. 9s and 3s. This is a winning hand in most Video Poker variants other than Deuces Wild.
Three cards with the same value in different suits. This hand wins in all Video Poker games.
5 Cards for a run of consecutive cards from different suits is called a Straight. In this example, 2, 3, 4, 5 & 6. A winning hand in Video Poker.
These are five cards, all from the same suit. This example has A, 3, 5, 8 and 10 hearts. This will win in all versions of Video Poker.
This combination hand comprises 3 of a kind and a pair and is called a Full House. Pays in all versions of Video Poker. Deuces Wild pays the least.
Four cards that are the same value, one from each suit. Depending on the version of video poker, this can be a very lucrative hand. The kicker (5th Card) is important in the payout structure.
This 5-card run in the same suit is called a Straight Flush. A good hand that pays well in VP.
The best possible poker hand. A straight run of the highest cards in the same suit, A, K, Q, J, T.
The only other game of Live Video Poker is Evolution Video Poker, which you’ll find at Evolution Live Dealer Casinos.
Who Wants To Be A Millionaire Video Poker Live is available at all casinos with Playtech Live Casino games.
My personal favourite is Playojo.
Turning RNG Video Poker into a live game is no mean feat, but I think Playtech has done it exceptionally well.
Video poker is traditionally played very quickly, with players spinning new hands every 20 seconds. Live games will never be this quick, so you must set your expectations before playing, mainly if you’re used to playing the RNG version.
The live element of the game has been incorporated brilliantly. Using real cards to make the first hand is a great idea, much better than the Evolution version, where only the first five cards are dealt from a 52-card deck.
The game’s presentation is slick, and the studio with the Who Wants to be a Millionaire theme is excellent.
I’m not sold on the Bonus round, but you’re not obligated to play, as this is optional. The bonus has been lifted straight from Millionaire Roulette, so it’s tried and tested. With an RTP of 96%, you should see your expectations accordingly, but the max 2000x payout is tempting, assuming you can guess six rounds correctly, which is a tall order.
This is an excellent addition to Playtech’s live games, and while I wouldn’t expect players’ numbers to be massive, those who love VP will love playing Millionaire Video Poker live.
Millionaire Video Poker Live is a live-dealer game of Video Poker played with real cards and RNG. Playing five versions of video poker and up to 100 hands in each game is possible. There is an optional bonus round based on the Who Wants to be A Millionaire format; you must guess the answer with the highest multiplier to win a potential top payout of 2000x.
If you know how to play video poker, it’s straightforward. Otherwise, you’ll need some coaching on poker hand rankings and how to play video poker using one of the many available strategies.
Millionaire Video Poker uses the following payables: Jacks or Better, Deuces Wild, Double Double Bonus Poker, Bonus Poker and Millionaire Aces.
There are strategies you can use to play Millionaire video poker. Which one you choose will depend on the version you’re playing. You can see each of the Video Poker strategies here.
You can play one or multiple hands in Millionaire Video Poker. You can select between One, Five, Ten, Fifteen, Twenty-Five, Fifty or One Hundred hands.
Each version of video poker has its own RTP. Jacks or Better is 99.54%, Millionaire Aces is 99.25%, Deuces Wild is 98.92%, Bonus Poker is 99.17%, and Double Double Bonus Poker is 98.98%.
You can play Video Poker at casinos with Playtech live dealer games. My personal favourite, and the one I recommend, is Leo Vegas.
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