Usually video poker variants with Bonus in the name have additional hand rankings in the payout table. The leading software provider Cryptologic offers Bonus Video Poker that is completely different. Cryptologic Bonus Video Poker is in fact a series of video poker games that is structured slightly differently and includes many of the regular titles. These are available only at Cryptologic powered online casinos such as InterCasino.

Cryptologic Bonus Video Poker begins just like the regular video poker variant. Five cards are dealt face up to the player from a single deck. The player clicks on the cards that he wants to retain in the final hand. The remaining cards are replaced. It is here that Cryptologic Bonus Video Poker deviates from the regular variant. The mode of replacement of the cards is different. In the regular variant the cards that are not selected for retention are discarded and removed from the game. The replacement cards are dealt to the player from those remaining in the deck. Hence the discarded cards cannot be a part of the final hand. In Cryptologic Bonus Video Poker the rejected cards are returned to the deck, which is shuffled before the replacement cards are dealt. Hence the rejected cards can find their way into the final hand. This defeats the purpose of the rejection and is disadvantageous for the player. Cryptologic Bonus Video Poker compensates the player by offering a bonus for each of the rejected cards that are dealt again. Hence the name is Bonus Video Poker.


This transaction is carried out on the screen in the following manner. Two rows of cells are displayed on the top right hand corner of the screen. When the player marks the cards he wants to hold, the rejected cards are displayed in the bottom of the two rows. This creates a record for the player to verify. If any of the replacement cards happen to be the same as the rejected cards then a bonus amount is shown in the top row of cells above the rejected card. In the hand the replacement card that is identical to the rejected one is marked with a golden star. The bonuses are paid even if the final hand does not have a winning hand ranking. The regular payout and the total bonus are added and credited to the player’s account.

The variants are offered by Cryptologic in the Bonus Video Poker series are Tens or Better, Jacks or Better, Deuces Wild, All American, Double Bonus, Joker Poker and Aces and Faces. The bonus for each repeated card is specified as a percentage of the bet per hand and is paid to the nearest cent. The percentages specified are different for each online video poker variant. Jacks or Better Bonus Video Poker has the lowest bonus rate of 15.30%. All American Bonus Video Poker has the highest bonus rate of 21.10%. Just as the regular Cryptologic video poker variants the Bonus Video Poker variants can be played in multi hand formats. The player can select the number of hands he wants from within the game. The options on offer are 1, 3, 5, 10, 25, 50 and 100.