Video poker is undoubtedly one of the most played casino game genres, both in land-based establishments and on the Internet. This genre traces its origin back to the 1970s, making it ones of the youngest in the industry. Video poker has long since proven its value to the gambling community and has risen to become one of the most popular game types found today at casinos worldwide.
Many different variations of the original game have emerged and gained a strong foothold in the industry and as a direct result, video poker is also a highly diverse genre. Aces and Faces is one of the top video poker styles that you can play nowadays and it is just as fun and exciting as any other variation. In this article, we will cover the basic and give you some insight into how the game functions.
Basic Rules of Aces and Faces
Aces and Faces is simple to understand but hard to master, much like other variations of video poker. Luckily, you need very little to get started and here we will provide you with everything necessary. Aces and Faces is played with a single 52-card deck and it comes with all the standard features of a video poker game.
To play the game, you will have to place a wager. The game supports up to 5 coins per hand the value of which is determined by the player. Betting limits vary between the different online casinos, but generally, Aces and Faces is relatively inexpensive to play. When you have placed your bet, you will be dealt five cards. From that hand, you will have to decide which cards you would want to keep and discard the rest. For every card that you remove, you will be dealt one more and that will be your final hand. Then the game will decide, whether or not your hand contains a winning combination.
Aces and Faces is similar to Jacks and Better, but the difference lies in the special combinations that can be formed by the face cards (Jack, Queen and King) and the Aces. The game will give you the opportunity to claim a large reward if you manage to score such a hand.
There is also the Double feature to take into account. After every win that you score, you will have the option to stake your winnings and potentially double them, that is if luck is on your side. When you take the Double option, you will be taken to a different screen and five cards will be laid out in front of you. The leftmost will be revealed while the rest will remain face down. If you can pick a card that has a higher value than the open one, you will double your winnings. Most Aces and Faces games allow you to do this multiple times, so if you are feeling lucky you can exponentially increase your bankroll. That being said, you should also be careful when using the feature as it may cause you to bleed chips if you take it lightly.
Hand Rankings in Aces and Faces
As with any poker game, Aces and Faces has a special hand ranking, where the value of each hand is determined by its payouts. While the payouts may vary slightly from game to game, the hand ranking is a constant. Below, we will list the hands in ascending order according to their value and explain to you what each them means.
Jacks or Better
This is a hand that contains a pair of Jacks or higher cards. For example, J-J-10-3-7 will qualify your hand for a reward, as will K-K-3-8-A. However, if the pair is made up of lower value cards such as 10-10-Q-8-2, then the hand will not be considered a winning one. The suit of the cards does not matter in this scenario.
Two Pairs
This hand consists of two pairs of identical cards and a random one. For example, 10-10-J-J-3 or 5-5-Q-Q-2 will count as a Two Pairs hand. The value of the cards in the pairs is not important, nor the suit of the cards.
Three of a Kind
This hand is made up of three identical cards and two random ones. For example, 7-7-7-A-J is considered a Three of a Kind. The suits are not important for this hand.
Straight
This hand is made up of five cards which form a sequence together. For example, 2-3-4-5-6 is a Straight hand. The Ace in this scenario can count as both 11 and 1, such as in A-1-2-3-4 or 10-J-Q-K-A. The suit of the cards is not a factor.
Flush
This hand is made up of five cards which are of the same suit. For example, J-3-7-Q-5, in which all the cards are of Clubs, is considered a Flush. The value of the individual cards does not play a role here.
Full House
This hand consists of a Three of a Kind and a Pair. For example, J-J-J-Q-Q is considered a Full House hand. The suits of the cards are not important.
Four 2’s Through 10’s
This is one of the Four of a Kind types in Aces and Faces and it consists of cards that have a value of 10 or lower. For example, 9-9-9-9-3 or 3-3-3-3-9 will be placed under this category, but J-J-J-J-10 will not be. The suits of the cards are not a factor.
Four Jacks, Queens or Kings
This is the other type of Four of a Kind in Aces and Faces and it concerns hand which contain four face cards and a random one. The suits of the cards are not important.
Straight Flush
This is a hand where all five cards are of the same suit and form a sequence together. For example, a hand of 5-6-7-8-9, where all cards are of Hearts, will be considered a Straight Flush.
Four Aces
This hand contains four Aces and a random card. This is also the second-highest-paying card combination in the game.
Royal Flush
This is a hand that resembles a Straight Flush, but includes cards 10 through Ace. All of the cards have to be of the same suit. This combination is the highest paying in Aces and Faces.
Paytable Variations in Aces and Faces
Aces in Faces benefits from having established a standard paytable across the industry. Of course, online casinos are free to change and adjust the paytable to how they see fit, but this practice is generally frowned upon and we can say that you can expect mostly the same experience at most online casinos. The most common paytable for Aces and Faces is the following:
| Bet | Payout |
|---|---|
| Royal Flush | 500:1 |
| Straight Flush | 50:1 |
| Four J, Q, K | 40:1 |
| Four 2 – 10’s | 25:1 |
| Full House | 8:1 |
| Flush | 5:1 |
| Straight | 4:1 |
| Three of a Kind | 3:1 |
| Two Pairs | 2:1 |
| Jacks or Better | 1:1 |
These figures are based on the assumption that you will be playing with 1 coin per hand. In the event that you play with more, simply multiply the payouts by the respective coin number.
House Edge of Aces and Faces
House edge is one of the factors that most people overlook when looking at a casino game, but it is an important one nonetheless. House edge, also sometimes called house advantage, refers to the statistical advantage that the casino has at a certain game and it also dictates the approximate percentage of all cash put into a game that will be kept by the house as profit. As a rule, gamblers prefer to play games with the lowest possible house edge since those are the fairest out there. Luckily for you, video poker comes with some of the lowest house edge percentages in the industry.
Based on the paytable listed above, Aces and Faces comes with a house edge of 1.5%, making it one of the most favorable games on the Internet in terms of odds. Also considering the fact that the house advantage only comes into effect after hundreds of thousands of games, we can safely state that Aces and Faces is one of the fairest games, not only in the video poker genre but in the casino world as a whole.
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