Triple Play Draw Poker

Developed by IGT, Triple Play Draw Poker is a machine that offers nine different video poker games in one. Triple Play Draw is also characterized by requiring you to play three hands at once.

This machine forms the basis for many of IGT’s more advanced video poker variants, which also come in multi bundle packs.

But if you’re new to video poker and / or the Triple Play concept, then Triple Play Draw Poker makes for a good introduction.

That said, let’s discuss this machine’s betting options, how to play hands, available variations, pay tables, and strategy.

How to Play Triple Play Draw Poker Video Poker

Triple Play Draw Poker Betting

Triple Play Draw Poker has an odd betting format compared to most video poker variants. You’re forced to play all 3 hands, and the default bet is 10 coins per hand 30 total.

This differs from other Triple Play video poker machines that we’ve played, where you can choose between 1 3 hands and 1 5 coins per hand.

You can change your wager with the Bet Up and Bet Down buttons. Again, the default bet is 30 total coins, while you can wager as much as 15,000 total coins 5,000 per hand.

Considering that 30 coins per turn is already a significant amount for many players, we recommend sticking with the lowest bet.

Note that there’s no strategic advantage to betting more than the 30 coin minimum.

Playing Hands

Once you’ve finished selecting your betting options, click Deal to receive your hand.

As in all multi hand video poker games, only the bottom hand is dealt face up while the other two hands remain face down. Any cards that you hold in the bottom hand are reflected in the two face down hands.

Here’s an example:

You hold two kings in the bottom hand; you’ll then see two kings flipped over in the other two hands. When you’ve decided what cards to hold, click Draw to complete your 3 hands. Payouts will be made according to the pay table of the game that you’re playing.

Also note that you can make the game deal faster or slower by using the Speed button.

Trade Up Poker Variations

Below you can see the main characteristics of the 9 video poker variations featured in Triple Draw Poker video poker. Also remember that you can switch between games by clicking the More Games button:

Jacks or Better:
This game features the simplest pay table and strategy. The lowest payout in Jacks or Better is a pair of jacks.
Bonus Poker:
Offers bonus payouts for four aces; four 2s, 3s, and 4s; and four 5s through Ks.
Bonus Poker Deluxe:
Offers a really large payout for any 4 of a kind.
Double Bonus:
Compared to Bonus Poker, you receive double the payouts for four aces; four 2s, 3s, and 4s; and four 5s through Ks.
Double Double Bonus:
Pays more for four aces; four 2s, 3s, and 4s; and four 5s through Ks. Double Double Bonus Poker also includes two additional payouts for four aces with a 2, 3, or 4 kicker, and four 2s, 3s, or 4s with an ace, 2, 3, 4, or 5 kicker.
Triple Double Bonus:
Offers larger payouts than Double Double Bonus for four aces with a 2, 3, or 4 kicker, and four 2s, 3s, or 4s with an ace, 2, 3, or 4 kicker.
Deuces Wild:
All 2s are wild in this game. New hands include a royal flush with no deuces; four deuces; a royal flush without deuces; and a 5 of a kind.
Deuces Wild Bonus:
Offers bonus payouts for four deuces with an ace; four deuces; five 2s, 3s, or 4s; and five 6s through Ks.
Joker Poker:
This game includes a wild joker card, making for a 53 card deck. New hands include a royal flush with no joker; 5 of a kind; and a royal flush with a joker.

Triple Play Draw Poker Pay Table and Odds

As mentioned before, Triple Play Draw Poker’s minimum bet is 10 coins per hand (30 total). This creates some unusual payouts as you look through the pay tables

Here are some examples using the Jacks or Better, Deuces Wild, and Double Bonus pay tables:

Triple Play Draw Jacks or Better Poker Pay Table

Triple Play Draw Joker Poker Pay Table

Hand	10 coins	20 coins	25 coins	30 coins	40 coins
Royal flush	8,000	16,000	20,000	24,000	32,000
Straight flush	500	1,000	1,250	1,500	2,000
4 of a kind	250	500	625	750	1,000
Full house	80	160	200	240	320
Flush	50	100	125	150	200
Straight	40	80	100	120	160
3 of a kind	30	60	75	90	120
2 pairs	20	40	50	60	80
Jacks or better	10	20	25	30	40

Triple Play Draw Bonus Poker Pay Table

Hand	10 coins	20 coins	25 coins	30 coins	40 coins
Natural royal flush (w/o joker)	8,000	16,000	20,000	24,000	32,000
5 of a kind	2,000	4,000	5,000	6,000	8,000
Royal flush with joker	1,000	2,000	2,250	3,000	4,000
Straight flush	500	1,000	1,250	1,500	2,000
4 of a kind	150	300	375	450	600
Full house	70	140	175	210	280
Flush	50	100	125	150	200
Straight	30	60	75	90	120
3 of a kind	20	40	50	60	80
2 pairs	10	20	25	30	40
Kings or better	10	20	25	30	40

The average video poker game only lets you bet up to 5 coins, which limits payouts. But as you can see from these pay tables, the larger bets make for big payouts.

Based on strategy, you don’t need to bet anything beyond 10 coins per hand. All payouts increase proportionately to the number of coins that you’re risking per hand.

The only incentive that you have to wager more than the minimum is winning larger payouts.

Betting 40 coins per hand (120 total) can yield a 32,000 coin royal flush payout. On a quarter denomination game, that means risking $10.00 a hand to net an $8,000 prize.

Win $1 Million through Triple Play Draw Poker Video Poker

The pay tables that we’ve shown only go up to 40 coins per hand, but you can actually risk up to 5,000 coins on each hand 15,000 total.

In this case, a royal flush is worth 4,000,000 coins, which is $1 million on a quarter denomination machine.

One caveat is that not all Triple Play Draw Poker games are programmed to offer bets this high. The machine that we played only lets you wager up to 300 coins per hand—well short of the 5k mark.

Even if you could bet 5,000 coins, this would be $1,250.00 on each hand ($3,750 total). This is a significant investment to put on a game that awards payouts less than 50% of the time.

Always Look for the Best Pay Tables

Even though Triple Play Draw Poker features odd bets and payouts, you can still use basic strategy to find the best pay tables.

Here’s an example:

Offering 99.54% payback, full pay Jacks or Better delivers 9 coins for a full house and 6 coins for a flush. Instead of looking for 9/6 Jacks or Better pay tables on Triple Play Draw machines, you need to look for 90/60 Jacks or Better because 10 coins are being wagered on each hand.

It’s important to know the full pay versions of each game you play, then translate this to fit the specific Triple Play Draw Poker variation you’re playing.

Triple Play Draw Poker Strategy

The good news about Triple Play Draw Poker is that you don’t have to worry about strategy discrepancies in the available games.

While the pay tables may be different in every game due to the larger bets, all payouts are proportionate to the original variants.

Here’s an example:

All Jacks or Better payouts on a 10 coin bet are exactly doubled from payouts on a 5 coin wager.

If you already know strategy for specific video poker games, you won’t have to adjust anything when playing Triple Play Draw Poker.

What Triple Play Draw Poker Game(s) Should You Play?

If you’re wondering what games to play on a Triple Play Draw Poker machine, here are the top pay tables for each variation:

9 / 6 Jacks or Better – 99.54% payback
Jacks or Better – 98.45% payback
8 / 5 Bonus Poker – 99.17% payback
7 / 5 Bonus Poker – 98.01% payback
9 / 6 Bonus Poker Deluxe – 99.64% payback
8 / 6 Bonus Poker Deluxe – 98.49% payback
10 / 7 Double Bonus – 100.17% payback
9 / 7 / 5 Double Bonus – 99.11% payback
10 / 6 Double Double Bonus – 100.07% payback
9 / 6 / 4 Double Double Bonus – 98.98% payback
9 / 7 Triple Double Bonus – 99.58% payback
9 / 6 Triple Double Bonus – 98.15% payback
25 / 15 / 9 / 5 / 3 / 2 (full pay) Deuces Wild – 100.76% payback
25 / 15 / 11 / 4 / 4 / 3 Deuces Wild – 99.96% payback
13 / 4 / 3 / 3 Deuces Wild Bonus – 98.80% payback
9 / 4 / 4 / 3 Deuces Wild Bonus – 99.45% payback
800 / 200 / 100 / 50 / 20 / 7 / 5 / 3 / 2 / 1 / 1 Joker Poker – 100.65%
940 / 200 / 100 / 50 / 20 / 7 / 5 / 3 / 2 / 1 / 1 Joker Poker – 101.00%

Jacks or Better Poker Strategy Chart

If you’re new to video poker and looking to learn strategy basics, the best place to start is with a Jacks or Better strategy chart. The following strategy chart shows you which hands to keep in order of importance:

Royal flush, straight flush, 4 of a kind
4 cards to a royal flush
Full house, flush, straight, 3 of a kind
4 cards to a straight flush
Two pair
High pair aces to jacks
3 cards to a royal flush
4 cards to a flush
Unsuited K Q J T
Low pair 10s to 2s
4 cards to an outside straight w / 0 to 2 high cards
3 cards to a straight flush
Suited Q J
4 cards to an inside straight w / 4 high cards
Suited K Q, K J
Suited A K, A Q, or A J
4 cards to an inside straight w / 3 high cards
3 cards to a straight flush
Unsuited K Q J
Unsuited Q J
Suited J T
2 unsuited high cards w / king high card
Suited Q T
2 unsuited high cards w / ace high card
Jack only
Suited K T
Queen, king, or ace only
3 cards to a straight flush
Discard everything

Video Poker Trainers

Considering that Triple Play Draw Poker has so many video poker variations in one machine, a good way to practice them all is through video poker training software.

Video poker trainers see you input a specific game and pay table before playing. As you play, the software will point out any mistakes you make so that you’ll know what cards to keep / discard in future situations.

Free video poker trainers offer basic games like Jacks or Better, Bonus Poker, Double Bonus, and Double Double Bonus. If you want to play some of the more obscure variations like Bonus Poker Deluxe and Triple Double Bonus, you have to buy software.

Conclusion

While Triple Play Draw Poker video poker may have unusual bet and payout sizes, it offers an easy way to learn different video poker games.

You have access to 9 different variants on the same machine, and there are no multipliers or other bonus features to worry about like on IGT’s more exotic games.

Another good thing about Triple Play Draw Poker is that you won’t have to change your strategy when playing. If you’re already experienced with Jacks or Better, Double Bonus, Double Double Bonus, or another game, you can use the exact same strategy.

One more thing that fans of this game like is the huge payouts. When betting 40 coins per hand, you can play for a royal flush payout worth 32,000 coins.

The biggest downside to Triple Play Draw Poker is the cost of playing. You’re not only forced to play all three hands, but you also need to wager 10 coins on each hand.

When you can’t find anything cheaper than a quarter denomination, this is far more than the average player wants to bet per turn.

For those who have the bankroll to play, Triple Play Draw Poker is a fun game due to the large payouts. But if you merely want to play a few casual hands, then play the free mode or look for another real money video poker machine.

Hand	10 coins	20 coins	25 coins	30 coins	40 coins
Royal flush	8,000	16,000	20,000	24,000	32,000
Straight flush	500	1,000	1,250	1,500	2,000
4 aces	1,600	3,200	4,000	4,800	6,400
4 2s 4s	800	1,600	2,000	2,400	3,200
4 5s Ks	500	1,000	1,250	1,500	2,000
Full house	90	180	225	270	360
Flush	60	120	150	180	240
Straight	40	80	100	120	160
3 of a kind	30	60	75	90	120
2 pairs	10	20	25	30	40
Jacks or better	10	20	25	30	40