Super Triple Play vs. Triple Play – Is it Worth the Extra One-Credit Bet?

Video poker is a great casino game:

• It offers a good return to the player.
• The machines are readily available.
• There are dozens of different games. 
• The player has a say in the outcome of the game. 
• The games come in many different denominations.
• There are single-play and multiple-play games.

This article covers a multiple-play game called Super Triple Play. It is like the standard three-play games but has a twist. 

For an additional one-credit bet, a separate “Super” pay table is activated. This pay table super sizes some of the payouts. Hitting those hands can add to the player’s enjoyment of the game.

The burning question is, however, is it worth the extra one-credit bet?

1. Triple Play video poker defined

Triple Play video poker is just what the name implies – three hands are played at once. There are three rows of cards – one for each of the three hands. The player bets for all three hands. When the Deal button is pressed, the hand is dealt face up in the bottom row.

For each dealt hand, the cards the player selects to hold automatically become cards in the same position of each of the three rows. 

For example, if a flush is dealt in the initial hand and the player makes the proper hold (hold all five cards), each of the three hands is a flush and the player is paid for three flushes.

The pay tables are the same as for a single play game. The strategy for play is also the same as it is for a single play game with the same pay table.

Normally these games are for lower denominations – but not always.

2. Super Triple Play video poker defined

Super Triple Play video poker was developed by IGT, a huge name in slots and video poker machines. It is the same as Triple Play video poker except:

• Unlike Triple Play where you must play three hands. Super Triple Play allows the player to select three, five, or 10 hands to play simultaneously.
• Also, unlike Triple Play video poker, Super Triple Play allows the player to select the number of credits per hand to bet. It can be one to five credits per hand.
• Super Triple Play video poker offers the player a bonus pay table. This pay table becomes active when a sixth credit per hand is bet. That is the “Super” in Super Triple Play video poker.
• Super Triple Play video poker is available in three denominations: 25-cent, 50-cent and $1. 

3. How to play Super Triple Play video poker

Playing Super Triple Play video poker is very similar to playing a multiple-play video poker game.

• Select the game variant such as Jacks or Better.
• Select the denomination – 25-cent, 50-cent, or $1.
• Select the multiple-play number – 3-play, 5-play, or 10-play.
• Bet the number of credits per hand. You can select one to five credits plus a sixth credit to activate the “Super” pay table. When playing this game betting six credits per hand is the way to go.
• Hit the Deal button. The bottom row shows the hand face-up. The other rows are still face-down.
• Select the cards you want to hold (if any). The cards that you select will appear in each of the other rows in the same position.
• Hit the Draw button.

This game plays very similarly to every other video poker game. The only difference is betting the six credits per hand.

4. Super Triple Play game variants

When IGT introduced Super Triple Play video poker, the manufacturer included lots of variants to suit every player’s taste. Here is the list:

• Jacks or Better
• Bonus Poker
• Double Bonus
• Double Double Bonus
• Super Double Bonus
• Super Double Double Bonus
• Deuces Wild
• Deuces Wild Bonus
• Double Bonus Deuces Wild
• Double Bonus

Due to the large number of games available in Super Triple Play video poker, the scope of this article will be limited to specifics of the Jacks or Better variant of this game.

5. Pay Table changes

For a one- to five-credit bet, the pay tables for all the games included on the machine are the same as they are for the standard version of the games. There are full-pay versions as several short-pay versions.

The differences that make this game so interesting are contained in the pay table that is activated by betting the sixth credit per hand. 

The “Super” pay table for each different game variant is different just like the standard pay table for each is different. The standard and “Super” pay table information for Jacks or Better is shown below.

Only three hands have enhanced payouts:

• Straight flush increased by 50 credits.
• Four-of-a-kind increased by 375 credits.
• Full house increased by 10 credits.

6. Strategy and return

Unlike many other video poker games, the Internet does not have a lot of information on strategy and returns for Super Triple Play video poker. Searching the web produces some limited information. In  order to get the best information for a specific game and pay table, a video poker playing strategy app or program needs to be consulted. 

Initially, it may seem that an app that deals specifically with Super Triple Play video poker is necessary. Unfortunately, none are available.

So, what to do?

Calculating return which is by definition based on strategy does not care about how much is bet. It can be one credit, five credits, 10 credits, or even 1,000 credits. That is irrelevant.

What matters is the frequency that paying hands appear and the amount that those hands pay relative to the amount bet.

That simplifies things.

Any video poker strategy-generating program or app can be used – as long as it deals with the paying hands for the game in question. That is, any strategy app that will handle Jacks or Better, Bonus Poker, Double Bonus Poker, Double Double Bonus, will work for that variant of Super Triple Play video poker.

If the pay table amounts can be entered, the strategy and return can be calculated. Let’s use the Jacks or Better pay table in the previous section as an example.

For the standard version of Jacks or Better, the payouts for five credits (or the one credit equivalent of the five credit payout) are entered. For Jacks or Better, they are:

• Royal flush – 800 for 1
• Straight flush – 50 for 1
• Four of a kind – 25 for 1
• Full House – 9 for 1
• Flush – 6 for 1
• Straight – 4 for 1
• Three of a kind – 3 for 1
• Two Pairs – 2 for 1
• Pair of jacks or better – 1 for 1

The app will then generate the best return of the game as well as the strategy producing the highest return. In most cases the variance of the game/pay table is also calculated.

This game returns 99.54% with perfect play. To see the strategy for this full-pay Jacks or Better game, as well as others, click here. 

Now let’s look at how the Super Triple Play strategy and return is calculated. Using the same app that was used for the standard version of Jacks or Better, the following information is entered:

• Royal flush – 800 for 1
• Straight flush – 60 for 1
• Four of a kind – 100 for 1
• Full House – 11 for 1
• Flush – 6 for 1
• Straight – 4 for 1
• Three of a kind – 3 for 1
• Two Pairs – 2 for 1
• Pair of jacks or better – 1 for 1

The payouts that are different are bolded. Here is the strategy generated by the app. It is simplified by combining multiple lines into one when possible.

Most of the changes in Jacks or Better Super Triple Play strategy versus the standard game are related to the dramatically increased payout for a four of a kind. This hand pays four times the normal amount. Because of that, high pairs and even low pairs move up the strategy chart.

That is how to generate the strategy. It is actually pretty straightforward. What about the return?

If we use the same pay table numbers, the calculated return is 119.697%. Sounds like a fantastic game. However, no casino would ever put such a game on the floor – at least not for very long. 

The problem is the return is calculated for a bet of five credits. In Super Triple Play we are betting six credits to activate the “super” pay table. How can we allow for that?

The solution is simple. We need to divide the return by six (the number of credits we are betting) and then multiply by five (the number of credits used to calculate the original return). The actual return, corrected for the proper amount bet is 99.7475%. This is almost three-tenths of a percent more than the five-credit return of 99.54%.

Please note that the processes used to generate the return and strategy that were used for Jacks or Better can be used for any Super Triple Play game or pay table.

7. Player be warned

Super Triple Play video poker can be better to play than standard versions. It promises some hefty returns for four of a kind hands – four times the normal amount. Since these hands occur roughly every 420 hands, it provides a nice bankroll boost much more often.

Both the straight flush and full house payouts are also enhanced. All of this comes at a cost, however.

• Cost to play

Super Triple Play video poker is expensive to play compared to the standard game. At six credits for each of the three plays, the total bets for the three denominations that are available amount to:

• $4.50 per bet for the 25-cent game.
• $7 per bet for the 50-cent game.
• $18 per bet for the $1 game.

This game is not for low rollers. 

• Two pay tables to consider

The standard games have only one pay table. The player only needs to check this information once to determine whether it is a good game.

There are two pay tables to consider when playing Super Triple Play. Even though the one to five credit pay table may look good, the “Super” pay table must also be factored into the decision. A downgraded “Super” pay table could actually return less to the player than a non-Super game.

• Not much help on the Internet 

Unlike other video poker games, there is not much information available on the Internet about Super Triple Play video poker. Players must go through some extra effort to determine the proper playing strategy and return for the games that are available.

8. Summary 

There is little doubt that Super Triple Play video poker is a fun game to play. However, it does come with several drawbacks. Those include:

• Lack of easy access to information concerning the game
• High cost of play – even at the lowest denomination
• Significant effort required to get the proper playing strategy and game return details.

The original question posed in this article – is Super Triple Play video poker worth the extra one-credit bet – is not easily answered. It all depends on the games and information available to the player. In some cases, it could be a worse option. Is the effort and cost worth it? 

Only the player can answer that question.