Aces and Faces

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Aces and Faces: The Video Poker Variant That Rewards Premium Quads

Aces and Faces belongs to its own named family within the Jacks or Better lineage. The core difference? Four-of-a-kind hands featuring Aces or face cards (Kings, Queens, Jacks) pay significantly more than quads made of numbered cards. It’s a subtle twist, but it changes your strategy calculations in meaningful ways.

This game suits players who enjoy standard Jacks or Better mechanics but want an extra layer of strategic depth — specifically around when to break winning hands to chase premium quads. If you’re looking for wild-card action or multi-hand chaos, this isn’t it. Try Microgaming’s Deuces Wild or Joker Poker instead. But if you appreciate a clean, single-hand game where discipline gets rewarded, Aces and Faces delivers.

How Aces and Faces Actually Plays

The mechanics are textbook video poker. You’re dealt five cards from a standard 52-card deck. No jokers, no wild cards. You choose which cards to hold and which to discard, then draw replacements. One decision per hand — that’s it.

The minimum paying hand is a pair of Jacks or better, exactly like standard Jacks or Better. Where things diverge is in the four-of-a-kind tier. Instead of one flat payout for all quads, Aces and Faces splits them into three categories:

• Four Aces — the top quad payout
• Four Faces (K, Q, J) — a boosted payout above standard quads
• Four 2-10 — the baseline quad payout, lower than you’d get in standard Jacks or Better

This tiered structure means the game effectively takes from the bottom quad payouts and redistributes upward. You’re playing the same draw poker game, but the incentive structure shifts your decisions around face cards and aces.

The Paytable and Why It Matters

Here’s the paytable for Aces and Faces as implemented by Platipus, showing payouts per coin at max bet (5 coins):

The 8/5 Full House/Flush payout is critical. In Jacks or Better, a 9/6 full-pay game versus an 8/5 short-pay version costs you roughly 1.5% in expected return. Aces and Faces partially compensates with the boosted quad payouts, but you need to check — a version paying 7/5 on Full House/Flush would be noticeably worse. Always inspect the paytable before committing real funds. We noticed Platipus uses an 8/5 structure here, which is reasonable for this variant.

RTP with Optimal Strategy

The exact RTP for Platipus’s Aces and Faces implementation is not publicly confirmed by the provider. However, full-pay Aces and Faces variants typically return around 99.26% with perfect strategy. Every deviation from optimal play costs you expected value — and those mistakes compound fast over thousands of hands.

Key strategy adjustments specific to this variant:

• Hold a pair of Aces over almost everything — the Four Aces bonus payout (80:1) makes holding pocket aces more valuable than chasing a flush draw in many situations where you’d break in standard Jacks or Better.
• Face card pairs gain value — a pair of Kings, Queens, or Jacks is worth slightly more here than in standard JoB because of the 40:1 quad payout. Don’t break them for speculative straight draws.
• Low quads are nerfed — four 2s through 10s pay only 25:1 compared to the typical 25:1 in standard JoB (same rate), but the relative value shifts because your face quads pay more. Prioritize accordingly.

We tested this extensively and found that players who use a standard Jacks or Better strategy chart will play close to optimal but will miss edge cases around holding face card pairs versus open-ended straight draws.

Pros and Cons

• Pro: The tiered quad structure adds genuine strategic interest without overcomplicating the game
• Pro: 8/5 Full House/Flush paytable is reasonable — not full-pay JoB level, but the quad bonuses help compensate
• Pro: Clean single-hand format keeps decision-making focused and bankroll swings manageable
• Pro: The 4,000-coin Royal Flush jackpot at max bet provides the standard disproportionate bonus

• Con: RTP is unconfirmed — without published figures from Platipus, you’re trusting the paytable math
• Con: No wild cards means fewer exciting multi-card draw situations compared to Deuces Wild
• Con: Strategy charts specific to Aces and Faces are harder to find than for Jacks or Better
• Con: Low quad payouts (25:1) feel punishing when you hit four 7s and know aces would have paid triple

How It Compares

Strategy Tips

1. Use an Aces and Faces strategy chart: Standard Jacks or Better charts are close but not identical. The boosted Ace and face quad payouts change several marginal decisions. Print one out or keep it open on a second screen.
2. Always inspect the paytable first: Before playing any version of Aces and Faces, check the Full House and Flush payouts. An 8/5 game is standard; anything lower (7/5 or 6/5) dramatically increases the house edge.
3. Bet max coins only because of the Royal Flush bonus: The Royal pays 250:1 per coin at 1-4 coins but jumps to 800:1 per coin at 5 coins. That disproportionate payout makes max bet mandatory for optimal play. If max bet exceeds your comfort zone, lower the denomination instead.
4. Size your bankroll properly: We recommend at least 200 max bets for a single session. Video poker has significant short-term variance even with correct strategy. Running dry before a premium hand hits defeats the purpose.
5. Check bonus wagering terms carefully: Most casino bonuses either exclude video poker entirely or weight it at 5-10% toward wagering requirements. Playing Aces and Faces to clear a welcome bonus is usually a terrible idea. Read our guide on casino bonus mistakes before you commit.

Where to Play Aces and Faces

If you’re a UK player, look for licensed casinos carrying the Platipus video poker library. For quick withdrawals when you cash out a good session, check our list of fast payout casinos. And if you want to mix video poker sessions with dealer-dealt games, our best live casinos page has vetted options.

The Bottom Line

Aces and Faces is Jacks or Better with a meaningful twist — not a gimmick. The tiered quad payouts genuinely alter your strategy and reward players who study the specific hold/draw decisions this variant demands. It’s not the highest-returning video poker game available, but the 8/5 paytable with boosted premium quads makes it a solid choice for anyone ready to move beyond vanilla Jacks or Better. Just make sure you practice with the free demo first.

Key Facts

Responsible Gambling

Video poker with optimal strategy still carries a house edge. Set session limits, never chase losses, and take breaks. Visit our responsible gambling page for tools and resources, or contact BeGambleAware.org for independent support.