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Rack ‘Em Up Poker

Rack ‘Em Up Poker video poker is a new 7 coin multiple play game that gives many different chances to win.

The game is a 25/50/100 play game with a billiards theme that has 12 different variations to choose from.  It was created and is exclusively licensed by International Gaming Technologies (IGT) and Action Gaming.

How to Play Rack ‘Em Up Poker Video Poker

One of the first things to decide before you play Rack ‘Em Up Poker video poker is which game to play. The 12 options for gameplay are:

25 Game 50 Game 100 Game
Bonus PokerBonus PokerBonus Poker
Bonus Poker DeluxeBonus Poker DeluxeBonus Poker Deluxe
Double BonusDeuces WildDouble Bonus
Double Double BonusDeuces Wild BonusDouble Double Bonus

As you can see the 25 game versions and the 100 games versions are identical, while the 50 game versions have games where deuces are wild.

All the games base the winnings on the standard 1 through 5 coin play, however, in order to qualify for bonuses, a max bet of 7 coins must be made.

In all versions of Rack ‘Em Up Poker, you’re initially dealt 1 hand that represents the total number of hands you’re playing. You decide which cards to keep and the discarded cards are replaced by new cards on each hand, creating 25, 50 or 100 different hands depending on the version you have chosen. These hands are then evaluated by the game to determine the winners.

Depending on the number of same type winning hands, you would qualify for a bonus. For example, if 5 of the hands have a full house, a bonus amount is payed. We will discuss the bonus pay outs in out pay table section.

The ranking of hands vary depending on the version of the game you’re playing. To give you an example, here is the ranking of hands in Double Bonus Poker:

  • Royal Flush – A royal flush contains the top 5 card ranks all of the same suit. So this hand will contain an ace, a king, a queen, a jack and a 10 and all must have matching hearts, clubs, spades, or diamonds.
  • Straight Flush – A straight flush contains 5 cards in consecutive order all of the same suit. The lowest ranking straight flush (assuming the game allows for aces to be high or low) is an ace, a 2, a 3, a 4, and a 5. All must have matching hearts, clubs, spades, or diamonds.
  • 4 of a Kind (Aces) – When a Player has 4 aces all of different suits
  • 4 of a Kind (2 through 4) – 4 matching deuces, 3s or 4s all of different suits
  • 4 of a Kind (5 through King) – 4 matching 5s, 6s, 7s, 8s, 9s, 10s, jacks, queens or kinds all of different suits.
  • Full House – In a full house, a player has 3 cards of matching rank and 2 cards of another matching rank. It’s a combination of 2 lower ranking hands: three of a kind and a pair. The lowest ranking full house would be a hand containing 3 2s and 2 3s.
  • Flush – Any five cards of the same suit. An example of a flush could be 3, 5, 8, 9 and a king all of hearts.
  • Straight – A straight contains 5 cards in order, but have different suits. The lowest ranking straight would be an ace 2, 3, 4, and 5 all of different suits (once again assuming ace can be played either high or low).
  • 3 of a Kind – A three of a kind contains 3 cards of the same rank, For example, 3 3s.
  • 2 Pair – When a player has two pair, he has 2 cards of one rank and 2 cards of another rank. The lowest ranking two pair hand would be 2 2s and 2 3s.
  • 1 Pair (Jacks or Better) – This is when a player has 2 cards of the same rank. The lowest ranking pair is 2 deuces. However, in this game, a player must have a minimum pair of 2 jacks to have a winning hand.

Rack ‘Em Up Poker Odds and Pay Tables

Rack ‘Em Up Poker video poker has expected return values of 96.23% to 98.63% depending on the version you play. We used Michael Shackleford’s Wizard of Odds website for this information. We find that he is an authority on these figures and use him quite often as a source for these articles.

The pay tables on this game can vary based on the version. Below we have the pay table for the Deuces Wild Bonus version:

125
1 Hit 2 Hits 3 Hits 4 Hits 5 Hits
Royal Flush (No Deuces)25050075010004000
4 Deuces plus Ace400800120016002000
4 Deuces2004006008001000
Royal Flush (with Deuces)255075100
5 of a Kind (Aces)80160240320400
5 of a Kind (3s, 4s & 5s)4080120160200
5 of a Kind (6s though Kings)20406080100
Straight Flush1020304050
4 of a Kind48121620
Full House3691215
Flush3691212
Straight12345
3 of a Kind12345

As you can see, Rack ‘Em Up Poker has 13 winning hands in Deuces Wild Bonus, however, 2 pair and 1 pair hands aren’t winners. Also since deuces are wild, that allows for a hand with 5 of a kind. The best paying hand is a natural royal flush which pays out at 4000 coins at the 5 coin level.

Rack ‘Em Up Poker video poker’s payouts can be increased through placing the “max bet” of 7 coins. These bonuses are awarded based on the number of each winning hand you make. Using the Deuces Wild Bonus pay table, these are the bonuses you can get:

1 Hit 2 Hits 3 Hits 4 Hits 5 Hits
4 Deuces10002000300040004000
Royal Flush150250400500600
5 Kings100200300400500
Straight Flush75150220320400
4 Kings2030405060
Full House1525354555

In the table above, if out of the 50 hands you’re dealt, 5 come up as 4 deuces, you win an extra 4000 coins.

Rack ‘Em Up Poker Strategies and Tactics

The 12 variations of the game aren’t uncommon among different video poker games. Strategies for Bonus Poker, Double Bonus Poker, Deuces Wild, etc., can be used in Rack ‘Em Up Poker.

As a basic strategy for Rack ’Em Up Poker video poker use the guidelines below.

If you have any of the following:

  • Royal Flush
  • Straight Flush
  • Four of a Kind
  • Full House
  • Flush
  • Straight
Do not take any card. Stand pat.

However, on the straight. If you have K, Q, J, 10, of the same suit along with a 9 of either the same or a different suit, discard the 9 to try and get the ace of the same suit for the royal flush.

For any other hands, we recommend you do the following actions:

  • 4 to a straight flush – hold and draw one new card
  • 2 pair – hold and draw one new card
  • High pair (J, Q, K, A) – hold and draw three new cards
  • 3 to a royal flush – hold and draw two new cards
  • 4 to a flush – hold and draw one new card
  • Low pair (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10) – hold and draw three new cards
  • 4 to an open-ended straight – hold and draw one card
  • 2 suited high cards – hold them and draw three new cards
  • 3 to a straight flush – hold them and draw two new cards
  • 3 unsuited high cards – hold the lowest two and draw three new cards
  • 2 unsuited high cards – hold them and draw three new cards
  • 2 suited royal cards: 10 & J, 10 & Q, 10 & K – hold them and draw three new cards
  • 1 high card and nothing else – hold the high card and draw four new cards
  • Nothing – no pair, high cards or higher starting hand listed – draw five new cards

A point to remember in choosing your tactics is to pay attention to the pay tables. While you may win with a straight, you may only see a 5 coin return on each hand. When playing 50 hands, for example, this will come out to 250 coins returned to you. However, when you’re playing with the maximum bet of 7 coins, you lose 100 coins in this scenario.

The best outcomes other than getting a natural royal flush is to get 3 of a kind and try to make 4 or 5 of a kind as they pay out the best.

Michael Shackelford has developed a strategy calculator that you can use to customize your strategy based on the version of the game you choose to play. The calculator is a step by step wizard that asks you to input information on the type of game you want to play and they pay tables used in the game. Based on the information you provide the calculator provides prefect and basic strategies and expected returns.

Conclusion

Rack ‘Em Up Poker video poker provides many opportunities to win. With 12 variations of the game and each one having different strategies, novice and experts will find games to enjoy.

Developing strategies and tactics to win the game will be important if you don’t want to lose a lot of money playing. We recommend you review the information provided here today as well as the Wizard of Odds site.

A place to use your tactics and strategies is important too and in would not be wise to dive head first into a real money game. Therefore, we recommend that you try your hand at a free money site that has Rack ‘Em Up Poker video poker so you can get the feel of the game and try out strategies. One such site is videopoker.com.

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Kevin
Roberts
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Kevin Roberts, previously published under the pseudonym Noah Davis, is one of the more diverse writers at GamblingSites.com. Like many of his colleagues, he's a huge fan of both football and basketball. But he also writes about box office records, TV show prop bets, DFS, and all kinds of other subjects. When it comes to the NFL, Kevin's favorite team is the Green Bay Packers. He enjoys cheering them on with his wife and daughter.