Aces and Faces
Aces and Faces is a type of video poker that is quite similar to “Jacks or Better.” The name refers to the fact that pairs of face cards or aces are a winning combination, while pairs of cards numbered 2-10 are not a winning combination. Aces and Faces is distinct from Jacks or Better in that four of a kind of face cards in Aces and Faces has a higher payout than number cards and four of a kind of aces has a higher payout still while in Jacks or Better, all four of a kind hands are grouped together.
Where Can I Play Aces and Faces?
Aces and Faces is available at a number of online and land-based casinos. In a land-based casino, it may be hard to find the Aces and Faces machines, as they look very much like the regular slots machines. The video poker machines will usually have pictures of cards on them. Some machines will allow you to play only one hand at once, while others will allow you to play many hands at once. These may be called “power poker” or “multi-hand poker.” Once you find the video poker machines, you might have to look through them to find the Aces and Faces machines. If you're looking to play video poker online, simply select video poker from the menu, and you'll be able to select an Aces and Faces game from that menu.You may be able to select multi-hand or single-hand. They are both played in the same manner. Most casinos have both Aces and Faces and Jacks or Better, but some casinos, both land-based and online, there is only one or the other since the two are played in such a similar manner.
How Do I Play Aces and Faces?
Playing Aces and Faces is easy. You select the number of coins that you want to play, then press deal. Then you choose which cards you'd like to hold. When you have selected those cards, you press deal again. If you are playing multi-hand video poker, then you will receive different replacement cards in each hand. Once your new cards are dealt, the program will score your hand and credit your card or account with any winnings. Your hand is scored according to the payout table which is displayed next to the game screen.
A Sample Aces and Faces Payout Table
|
Hand |
1 Coin |
2 Coin |
3 Coin |
4 Coin |
5 Coin |
|
Royal Flush |
250 |
500 |
750 |
1000 |
4000 |
|
Four of a Kind - Aces |
80 |
160 |
240 |
320 |
400 |
|
Straight Flush |
50 |
100 |
150 |
200 |
250 |
|
Four of a Kind – Face Cards |
40 |
80 |
120 |
160 |
200 |
|
Four of a Kind – 2-10 |
20 |
40 |
60 |
80 |
100 |
|
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 Pairs |
2 |
4 |
6 |
8 |
10 |
|
(Pair of) Jacks or Better |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
This is a sample payout table from one Aces and Faces machine. Different machines may have different payout tables, so it's important to look carefully at the payout table before you play. It's also important to note that the payout for a flush is 5 and for a full house is 8, whereas often if you look for a Jacks or Better machine, you can find a machine that pays 6 for a flush and 9 for a full house. Overall, the payout is about the same, but since these hands are more common than four of a kind, if you are only playing a few dozen hands, you will likely do better playing at a Jacks or Better machine like that. The reason that payout rates are the same is because Aces and Faces pays better for four of a kind hands.
House Edge at Aces and Faces
The house edge differs from machine to machine, but it is often quite small. Aces and Faces video poker machines often advertise a payout of 98% or higher. Remember that this only applies if you are playing all five coins and playing a perfect strategy. Remember, too, that this figure is the theoretical payout over an infinite number of hands. In any given session, you may do better or worse.
