Video Poker Machine Triple Play Variety
This interesting variation features the simultaneous play of three hands, hence the name "triple play." Three hands of five cards each are displayed face down on the screen, only the backs of the cards are shown. When coins are inserted or credits are played and the Deal/Draw button is pressed, all five cards of the bottom hand are exposed. The cards in the other two hands, the middle and top hands, remain face down. You select the best cards to hold in the exposed hand by pressing the hold button, and like standard machines everywhere, you can toggle back and forth, selecting and deselecting the cards to be held by pressing on the hold button under the corresponding cards. When your final decision is made, press the Deal/Draw button on the machine to discard the unwanted cards and receive new ones on the draw.
The cards that are held in the bottom hand will be held in the other two hands as well. Thus, if you choose a jack of hearts and queen of spades to hold, all three hands will display the jack of hearts and queen of spades in the same relative positions. The three unchosen cards in the top two hands would remain face down. In essence, you have three separate hands holding a jack of hearts and queen of spades.
When the Deal/Draw button is pressed, the three unwanted cards on the original hand shown at the bottom get discarded, and three new cards get turned over one at a time, from left to right, then the second hand, the one above the bottom one, and then finally the third and top one, one card at a time, from left to right.
Each of the three hands will be dealt separately from its own deck so that three unique hands are formed. Each hand will display the held cards, the jack and the queen in this example, plus the three new drawn cards. The hands will be paid separately according to the number of coins bet and the winning combinations as displayed on the machine.
Let's look at one more example to make this perfectly clear. Let's say that you're dealt J, J, 7, 8, K, and hold the jacks. Thus, the pair of jacks will show up on all three hands as the held cards. It's a good start so far, with three automatic winners. On the first hand, you may get dealt J, 2, 4 for a three of a kind, on the second 6, 6, 8 for two pair, and the third A, K, 2 a pair of jacks. You would have three winners in this example, with payouts for trips, two pair, and jacks.
On the other hand, you could get dealt the original hand of 2, 5, 6, 9, J, hold the jack, get dealt garbage cards, and end up with no paying combinations on any of the three hands for a total loss.
On the Triple Play machine, all three hands are activated only if at least three coins are wagered. Betting one coin activates just one hand, betting two, activates the second hand, and betting three, activates all hands of the Triple Play machine. To the right and left of each hand, a small number appears showing how many coins are bet on that hand.
You can continue betting coins up to 15 coins total, five coins per hand. For example if you played only four coins total, the bottom hand would display a "2" showing that two coins are bet, and the other two hands would display a "1", for a grand total of four coins bet. An additional coin bet would go toward the middle hand, which would also display a "2" and a sixth coin inserted, would give the top hand a 2 coin play as well. Each coin inserted will be added to hands in this fashion, from bottom to top, until a maximum of five hands per hand are bet.
Hands are paid separately according to the number of coins wagered in their position.
The advantage of playing the full15 coins, 5 coins per position, is that you receive the maximum payout if a royal flush is hit, just as in the standard Jacks or Better games.
In essence, you're playing for triple the stakes at Triple Play by wagering on three machines simultaneously.