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Royal Hunt Poker

Royal Hunt Poker video poker offers you the chance to double their winnings when bonus hands are activated.

Created by International Gaming Technologies (IGT) and Action Gaming, Royal Hunt Poker is a 3 play game with a maximum bet of 30 coins. When the maximum bet is placed and the bonus is triggered, you have the chance of doubling your winnings.

How to Play Royal Hunt Poker Video Poker

Royal Hunt Poker is based on 5 card draw poker. Depending on whether you are playing at a brick and mortar casino or online, the machine or software will deal you 5 cards. These cards are used as all 3 of your hands. You have the choice of holding or discarding any or all of the cards in your hand to make a better hand.

When you have decided which cards to keep and which to discard, new cards are dealt to each hand. The cards dealt will be different for each hand so it will create 3 different hands. The goal is to match the hands that are listed in the pay table which we list an example of below.

In most cases the minimum winning hand is a pair of jacks. This is not the case in Royal Hunt Poker games where deuces are wild. In Deuces Wild games, the minimum winning hand is 3 of a kind.

When you decide to play the maximum bet of 30 coins (5 for each hand and 15 coins for the bonus “Royal Hunt” feature) you become eligible for bonus hands. This occurs when you are dealt 2, 3 or 4 cards that have the possibility of comprising a royal flush. When the bonus option is triggered, 6 bonus hands are awarded.

The 6 bonus hands are shown at the top of the screen on the left and right. They are not part of the standard pay table and have their own bonus structure.

In a typical hand, before the cards are dealt, you will place your bet. In the case of Royal Hunt Poker video poker, you can choose to bet 1, 2, 3, 6, 9, 12 or 15 coins for normal play or choose a maximum bet of 30 coins to be eligible for the Royal Hunt Bonus.

You will then press the “deal” button to receive your first 5 cards. If you are dealt 2, 3, or 4 to a royal flush, the bonus hands then appear which will match the current hand you have. At this point, you choose which cards to keep and click on them. The cards not selected will be discarded.

When the replacement cards are dealt, new cards are dealt for each hand. It should be noted that if you discard the cards that comprise the 2, 3 or 4 to a royal flush, you are still eligible for bonus play. The bonus hands will keep the cards that cards that comprise the potential royal flush. The original 3 hands will keep the cards you choose.

The 8 variants of the game available are:

  • Triple Play
  • Bonus Triple Play
  • Bonus Deluxe Triple Play
  • Double Bonus Triple Play
  • Double Double Bonus Triple Play
  • Triple Double Bonus Triple Play
  • Deuces Triple Play
  • Deuces Wild Bonus Triple Play

When playing the game, knowing how the hand ranks pay out is important. The hand rankings, for example, on Deuces Wild Bonus Triple Play are:

  • Royal Flush (No Deuces) -A, K, Q, J, 10 all of the same suit. No wild cards can be used to make this hand.
  • 4 of a Kind (Deuces) with an Ace –4 2s with an ace kicker card. Normally this would be viewed by the game as 5 aces since the deuces are wild, but in this game it is a distinct hand.
  • 4 of a Kind Deuces -4 2s. Since deuces are wild, this normally is the same as 4 aces, but Royal Hunt Poker it is a separate hand.
  • 5 of a Kind (Aces) -all of the cards in the hand are either aces or deuces.
  • 5 of a Kind (3s, 4,s or 5s) -a combination of deuces and 3s, deuces and 4s or deuces and 5s.
  • Royal Flush with Deuces -A, K, Q, J, 10 all of the same suit. Deuces can be substituted for any of the cards in the hand.
  • 5 of a Kind (6s through Kings) -a combination of deuces and cards of the same rank from 6s to kings.
  • Straight Flush -5 cards in consecutive order all of the same suit. For example 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 all of hearts. Deuces of any suit can be substituted for any card.
  • 4 of a Kind -4 cards all of the same rank or a combination of 4 cards of the same rank and deuces.
  • Full House –2 cards of matching rank along with 3 matching cards of a different match rank. For example 2 6’s and 3 4’s. Deuces can be substituted to make the pair or 3 of a kind in this hand.
  • Flush -5 cards of any rank with a matching suit. Deuces of any suit can be substituted to make this hand.
  • Straight -5 cards in consecutive order but of different suits. Deuces can replace any card to make this hand.
  • 3 of a Kind -3 cards of the same rank. Also any card with 2 deuces or any pair with 1 deuce as well as 3 deuces can be used to make this hand.

In standard poker, you would also have 3 more winning hands, 2 pair and 1 pair. These hands have no value in the Deuces Triple Play or Deuces Wild Bonus Triple Play versions of Royal Hunt Poker.  Hands with 2 pair or 1 pair (Jacks or Better) are used in Triple Play, Bonus Triple Play, Bonus Deluxe Triple Play, Double Bonus Triple Play, Double Double Bonus Triple Play, and Triple Double Bonus Triple Play variants of the game.

Royal Hunt Poker Odds and Pay Tables

The expected return is the percentage that you can expect to win back when playing a particular video poker game after many hands. These returns can vary based on:

  • How long you play
  • The amount you bet
  • The pay table of the game
  • The game variant

The expected return value in Royal Hunt Poker video poker is between 98.58% and 96.48%.

To get this information we used Michael Shackleford’s Wizard of Odds website.

Royal Hunt Poker has 2 distinct pay tables for normal play and for the Royal Hunt bonus. While each game has its own pay most only have minor differences. Using the Deuces Wild Bonus Triple Play example above, the pay table is:

1 Coin Play 2 Coin Play 3 Coin Play 4 Coin Play 5 Coin Play
Royal Flush (No Deuces) 250 500 750 1000 4000
4 of a Kind (Deuces) with an Ace 400 800 1200 1600 2000
4 of a Kind Deuces 2004006008001000
5 of a Kind (Aces)80160240320400
5 of a Kind (3s, 4,s or 5s)4080120160200
Royal Flush with Deuces255075100125
5 of a Kind (6s through Kings)20406080100
Straight Flush1020304050
4 of a Kind48121620
Full House3691215
Flush3691215
Straight12345
3 of a Kind12345

While the pay table above is used for the standard 3 hands you are dealt, a bonus pay table is used as well. The bonus is activated if you are dealt 2, 3 or 4 cards to a royal flush and you have bet the maximum bet of 30 coins. When activated, 6 bonus hands appear. These 6 hands are paid according to the bonus pay table.

The bonus pay table for Deuces Wild Bonus Triple Play is:

Royal Hunt Poker Bonus Pay Table

The 6 bonus hands are not affected by nor do they apply to the 3 original hands. The bonus hands are only paid off according to the bonus pay table and are not affected by the normal pay table.

Royal Hunt Poker Strategies and Tactics

For this game, a strategy based on regular 5 card draw is called for. The bonus hands are out of your control, so you can’t plan a strategy for them. They also will not appear on every hand.

Since Royal Hunt Poker video poker is a maximum bet 30 coin game, you want to aim for hands that pay out at more than 30 coins. The hands that pay more than 30 coins on 5 coin play are royal flushes, 5 of a kinds, 4 of a kinds, and straight flushes.

Some basic strategies you can use for Deuces Wild versions of Royal Hunt Poker are:

  • 4 to a straight flush – hold the 4 cards and discard the one that will not make your straight flush
  • 2 pair – hold the highest pair and discard the other 3 cards
  • High pair (J, Q, K, A) – hold the pair and draw three new cards
  • 3 to a royal flush – hold the three cards and draw two new cards
  • Low pair (2 through 10) – hold and draw three new cards
  • 2 suited high cards – hold and draw three new cards
  • 3 to a straight flush – hold and draw two new cards
  • 3 unsuited high cards – hold the lowest two and draw three new cards
  • 2 unsuited high cards – hold and draw three new cards
  • 2 suited royal cards – 10 & J, 10 & Q, 10 & K – hold 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 more detailed strategy can be customized for the different versions of Royal Hunt Poker at the Wizard of Odds website. In addition to odds, they also provide a video poker strategy calculator to help you develop strategies for video poker games.

We encourage is to learn by playing a free version of the game. A free version of Royal Hunt Poker video poker is available on videopoker.com. On this site you can play all 8 versions of the game as well as view all the different pay tables and bonus pay tables. You must sign up for a free account to view or play the game.

Conclusion

Royal Hunt Poker Video Poker offers great opportunities for big pay outs. But the 30 coin maximum bet can be expensive. Because of this you want to take the time to learn the game. The strategies that we provide here are a great start, but there is much more to learn.

Playing on a free play site is really a good idea with this game. Get to understand the ebb and flow of the game play and understand how it all works.

Also, when you are ready to play for real money, be sure to set a budget and stick to it. At 30 coins a hand, you can go through your money quickly.

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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.