Trade Up Poker

Introduction

Trade Up Poker is a video poker variant I noticed at the Red Rock on February 5, 2007. It is based on conventional multi-play video poker, in 3-play and 5-play mode. The twist is that if the player is dealt a three of a kind, and sometimes a full house, then he has the option to multiply the number of hands he receives on the draw. However, the cost for getting more hands is that if a hand doesn't improve, then it loses. So, it basically makes the game more volatile, with more full houses and four of a kinds, at the expense of some of the three of a kinds paying zero.

Rules

1. Trade Up Poker is available in 3-play and 5-play. There is a menu of games available. Not all of them are available in 5-play mode.
2. If the player is dealt a three of a kind, and in some cases a full house, then he may choose to play it normally or go into the "Trade Up" feature.
3. In the Trade Up feature, the number of hands will at least double, according to the following table:
   
   

   Trade Up — Number of Hands

   Base Game	3-Play	5-Play
   Bonus Poker	10	n/a
   Bonus Poker Deluxe	6	10
   Double Bonus	6	10
   Double Double Bonus	6	10
   Jacks or Better	10	n/a

   
   
   

   n/a = Not availabile — This game not available in 5-play mode.

4. Each hand in the Trade Up feature will start with a three of a kind on the deal and be given two more replacements cards from the remaining 47 cards in the deck. It is important to note that the two other cards, besides the three of a kind, are removed from the deck on the draw in Trade Up mode (this rule is not stated in the game help screens).
5. The following table shows when the player may also Trade Up to a full house, according to the game and the rank of the three of a kind in the full house:
   
   

   Trade Up — Full House Eligible for Trade Up

   Base Game	Pay Table	5-K Full	2-4 Full	Aces Full
   Bonus Poker	6/5	N	Y	Y
   Bonus Poker	5/5	N	Y	Y
   Bonus Poker Deluxe	8/5	N	N	N
   Bonus Poker Deluxe	7/5	Y	Y	Y
   Bonus Poker Deluxe	6/5	Y	Y	Y
   Bonus Poker Deluxe	5/5	Y	Y	Y
   Double Bonus	9/6/5	N	N	Y
   Double Bonus	9/6/4	N	N	Y
   Double Bonus	9/5/4	N	N	Y
   Double Bonus	8/5/4	N	N	Y
   Double Double Bonus	8/5	N	Y	Y
   Double Double Bonus	7/5	N	Y	Y
   Double Double Bonus	6/5	N	Y	Y
   Jacks or Better	8/6	N	N	N
   Jacks or Better	8/5	N	N	N
   Jacks or Better	7/5	N	N	N
   Jacks or Better	6/5	N	N	N

   
   
   

Example

In the image above I was playing 5-play video poker and was dealt this three of a kind. The decision before me was to play it normally, in 5-play mode, or in Trade Up mode.

I chose Trade Up mode. So I now have ten hands with the modified Trade Up pay table you can see on the sides. The only thing left to do was press the "draw" button.

Of my ten hands, one three of a kind improved to a full house and another to a four of a kind.

Screenshots from VideoPoker.com.

Strategy

The player should always Trade Up. Otherwise, use conventional video poker strategy.

Jacks or Better

The Jacks or Better games are available in 3-play mode only. In Trade Up mode, the player receives ten hands. Unlike my return tables for other video poker games, this one shows the expected number per initial hand, as opposed to the probability. This is because the player gets more than one hand in Trade Up mode.

The following table is for 8-6 Jacks or Better. The lower right cell shows a return of 100.36%.

The following table is for 8-5 Jacks or Better. The lower right cell shows a return of 99.27%.

The following table is for 7-5 Jacks or Better. The lower right cell shows a return of 97.82%.

The following table is for 6-5 Jacks or Better. The lower right cell shows a return of 96.36%.

Bonus Poker Deluxe

Bonus Poker Deluxe is available in both 3-play and 5-play. The player will get twice as many hands as the initial hand in Trade Up mode.

The following table is for 8-5 Bonus Poker Deluxe. The lower right cell shows a return of 99.94%.

The following table is for 7-5 Bonus Poker Deluxe. The lower right cell shows a return of 98.76%.

The following table is for 6-5 Bonus Poker Deluxe. The lower right cell shows a return of 97.80%.

The following table is for 5-5 Bonus Poker Deluxe. The lower right cell shows a return of 96.84%.

Bonus Poker

The Bonus Poker games are available in 3-play mode only. In Trade Up mode, the player receives ten hands. Unlike my return tables for other video poker games, this one shows the expected number per initial hand, as opposed to the probability. This is because the player gets more than one hand in Trade Up mode.

The following table is for 6-5 Bonus Poker. The lower right cell shows a return of 99.95%.

The following table is for 5-5 Bonus Poker. The lower right cell shows a return of 98.53%.

Double Bonus

Double Bonus is available in both 3-play and 5-play. The player will get twice as many hands as the initial hand in Trade Up mode.

The following table is for 9-6-5 Double Bonus. The lower right cell shows a return of 100.34%.

The following table is for 9-6-4 Double Bonus. The lower right cell shows a return of 98.91%.

The following table is for 9-5-4 Double Bonus. The lower right cell shows a return of 97.81%.

The following table is for 8-5-4 Double Bonus. The lower right cell shows a return of 96.60%.

Double Double Bonus

Double Double Bonus is available in both 3-play and 5-play. The player will get twice as many hands as the initial hand in Trade Up mode.

The following table is for 8-5 Double Double Bonus. The lower right cell shows a return of 100.10%.

The following table is for 7-5 Double Double Bonus. The lower right cell shows a return of 98.91%.

The following table is for 6-5 Double Double Bonus. The lower right cell shows a return of 97.74%.

Summary

The following table summarizes the return for each game and pay table.

Correction

Prior to May 2015, I incorrectly stated that the remaining cards in Trade Up hands included the two cards the player discarded other than the Three of a Kind. I would later learn they are removed from the Trade Up decks. This rule change affected all the return tables, which have been corrected and checked against the IGT returns linked below.

External Links

IGT Marketing literature for Trade Up Poker.

Written by: Michael Shackleford