Who Wants to be a Millionaire Video Poker Live

Playtech now have a live video poker game – Who Wants to be a Millionaire Video Poker Live.

The title is a bit of a mouthful. But basically this table lets you play either of 5 video poker pay tables, as well as an optional Millionaire bonus game which borrows from the tv show theme and format.

The main game is video poker and you have 5 pay table versions to choose from. Four of them are video poker favourites and one is newly introduced:

Jacks or Better (full pay)
Deuces Wild
Bonus Poker
Double Double Bonus, and
Millionaire Aces (newly introduced by Playtech)

Evolution’s version of live video poker also gives 5 pay tables to choose from. Their lineup is however slightly different, with Tens or Better instead of Millionaire Aces.

You can compare the games at the live video poker page.

Playing Video Poker

The premise of video poker, irrespective of version, is simple. Your aim is to make the best possible 5 card poker hand. Higher hands win a bigger payout with the exact multiple set on that version’s pay table. Game flow goes something like:

Initial 5 card hand is dealt (usually referred to as the main hand),
Hold decision is made
Discarded cards are replaced by a second deal to resolve the final hand
Final hand(s) is paid out according to the pay table.

On video terminals where the game is traditionally played all deals are virtual. Here, to give the game a live dealer feel, the main hand is a physical card deal. As are the replacement cards for the first resolved hand. All other hands (you can play up to 100) are resolved with a virtual deal using the same hold cards.

The first decision to make is which pay table to play.

An intuitive selector lets you flip between the 5 versions during betting time to make a selection.

Jacks or Better is the default. In this round we’ve chosen Millionaire Aces.

During betting time you will also need to choose:

number of hands you wish to play (1 to 100),
bet amount per hand (€£$0.1 minimum)

We’ve gone with 10 hands and the minimum bet.

You will also need to decide if you want to bet on the Millionaire bonus game. This bet is made by default at a cost of 5x your bet per hand. You need to uncheck the box bottom right of the betting panel to opt out (recommended).

Once betting time is over, the initial hand is dealt.

The chosen pay table is presented to the right of the deal for easy reference.

Hold Decision

Now comes the all important hold decision. This is the skill element of video poker that will impact returns. For each version there is an optimal hold strategy.

To assist in this regard, Playtech highlight the default hold cards – the pair of 3s in the above example. This serves as a bit of a guide and will also be the auto selection in case you don’t choose within the time given.

It’s worth noting that the default hold strategy employed by Playtech for each version is a dumbed down approximation of the optimal hold strategy. As an example, their Jacks or Better default hold runs only 5 lines. Optimal Jacks or Better hold strategy is closer to 20.

Their Millionaire Aces default hold strategy is:

Always Hold Four of a Kind or better, if received. Then Hold in descend order:
Four cards to a Royal Flush,
Three Aces,
Three of a Kind or better,
Four cards to a Straight Flush,
Two Aces,
Four cards to a Flush,
Three cards to a Straight Flush,
Any pair or better,
Four cards to a Straight,
One Ace,
Three cards to a Flush.

The default holds for the other versions are detailed in the complete house rules.

Once you’ve made your hold decision (we’ve gone with the recommendation), the dealer draws another 5 cards face up. Main hand discarded cards are replaced by cards from this second deal, in corresponding order, to complete the (first) final hand.

The other 9 hands use the same hold cards but are resolved from virtual decks.

Any hands achieving a paying combination are highlighted and the total win calculated.

All Video Poker pay tables

Paying hand combinations and how much each hand pays for each of the versions is set out below.

The Millionaire Bonus Game

The Millionaire bonus game is triggered when one of 5 card combinations are achieved using all 10 physical cards on the table. Each combination triggers a different level of bonus game as follows:

Level 1: Ace, King, Queen, and Jack (A K Q J) of any suits
Level 2: A K Q Q of any suits
Level 3: A K J J of any suits
Level 4: A A A Q of any suits
Level 5: A A K 9 of any suits

If you left the Millionaire game box checked during betting time, and one of these combinations comes up you get to play the bonus game, at the corresponding level.

The Millionaire bonus game involves a series of multiple choice questions (higher level game = more questions) with each correct answer earning a bet multiplier and progression to the next round. The further you progress, the higher the final multiplier.

Maximum multiplier is earned by completing all questions correctly in a level 5 game – 2,000x.

Theoretical returns

The theoretical return or return to player (RTP) applying to the game will depend on which pay table you play. Below are the RTP rates for optimal play for each pay table (ie, making the correct hold decision).

You can find the optimal hold strategy for each video poker pay table here.

Jacks or Better: 99.54%
Deuces Wild: 98.92%
Bonus Poker: 99.17%
Double Double Bonus: 98.98%
Millionaire Aces: 99.25%

The RTP on the Millionaire bonus game bet is a considerably lower 96%.

Our thought on Playtech’s Who Wants to be a Millionaire Video Poker Live

Playtech’s Millionaire Video Poker live is a commendable effort. It offers 4 classic video poker pay table games all returning near or above 99% if played optimally. Even their Millionaire Aces pay table comes with an RTP of 99.25%.

The game is beautifully presented and designed so that one hand each round is resolved entirely from physical cards.

They’re the positives.

The only negative is the Millionaire bonus game. It just detracts from the experience. Not least because of the inferior returns. But also because the video poker game has been presented well enough not to need a gimmicky add on.

Just remember to opt out of the bonus game bet at the outset. It would be preferable if this was the default!