Power Stacks Poker

Introduction

Power Stacks Poker is a video poker variant in which the player can earn extra hands with "sticky cards" if dealt certain hands on the deal.

Rules

1. Power Stacks Poker is an optional feature to some multi-play video poker games in 3-play, 5-play and 10-play formats.
2. If the player bets 1 to 5 coins per hand, the game plays like conventional multi-play video poker.
3. If the player bets 10 coins per play, then he enables the Power Stacks feature.
4. If the Power Stacks feature is enabled, the player will play the feature if he is dealt a pair of jacks or better or three of a kind.
5. If the player gets a qualifying hand on the deal, he must hold those cards. It is optional to hold other cards other than the high pair/three of a kind. However, an exception is the player may not hold all five cards.
6. If the player is dealt a full house, including a high pair, the qualifying cards are considered the three of a kind.
7. Replacement cards will be dealt one hand at a time to Extra Hands.
8. If the player gets a card of the same rank on the draw in an Extra Hand as the qualifying cards, it will become "Sticky" and also be automatically given to all subsequent Extra Hands.

The following are the games, pay tables and number of Extra Hands available in 3-Play mode. The "Extra Hands" columns show the number of extra hands the player gets for a high pair and three of a kind respectively.

The following are the games, pay tables and number of Extra Hands available in 5-Play mode. The "Extra Hands" columns show the number of extra hands the player gets for a high pair and three of a kind respectively.

The following are the games, pay tables and number of Extra Hands available in 10-Play mode. The "Extra Hands" columns show the number of extra hands the player gets for a high pair and three of a kind respectively.

Example

 

In the hand above, I am playing 10-play Jacks or Better with the feature enabled.  Note the pay table was boosted to 10-7-5.  I was dealt a pair of aces on the deal, which I held. 

 

 

In the 10 hands I paid for, my pair of aces improved to a two pair once and a three of a kind three times.  Based on 5 coins bet per play, the total wins on these hands is 5 * (6*1 + 1*2 + 3*3) = 85. 

 

 

My ten Extra Hands all begin with the pair of aces which I held after the deal. 

 

 

Extra Hands are dealt to starting from the bottom and then going left to right.  The first two hands didn't improve, but I got the ace of spades in the second position of the third hand.  This additional ace was also replicated to hands 4 to 10. 

 

 

Hands 3 to 5 do not improve beyond the third ace from hand 3. 

 

 

In hand 7 I get the fourth ace. That ace is propigated to hands 8 to 10 as well. 

 

 

Hands 7 to 10 have all four aces.  In the end, the Extra Hands are 2 jacks or better, 4 three of a kinds and 4 four of a kinds.  The win from the Extra Hands is 5*(2*1 + 4*3 + 4*25) = 570. 

 

 

The total win is 85 from the 10 hands in the base game and 570 from the feature, for a total of 655. 

External Links

• Discussion about Power Stacks Poker in my forum at Wizard of Vegas.
• VideoPoker.com. Play Power Stacks Poker and many other video poker and video keno games. All images on this page taken with permission from VideoPoker.com.

Written by: Michael Shackleford