The standard video poker machines are called single play because the player plays only one game at a time. One game is considered one hand of video poker. However, these are not the only types of video poker games. Also available are games that play three, five, 10, 50, and even 100 games at a time. These multiple-play games deal the exact same hand to three, five, 10, 50, or 100 hands. The player then decides which cards to save for all the hands dealt. Because of this, the strategy for playing a multi-play game is exactly the same as when playing a single-play game.

If you are dealt a good initial hand you can make a lot of money. Imagine your delight at being dealt four-of-a-kind or even a royal flush! However if you are dealt a poor hand, you stand to lose a lot of money. Over half of all hands in video poker end up being losers. Because of the multiplying effect of good or bad starter hands, the variance (amount of bankroll swings both plus and minus) for multiple-play games is higher than for single-play games. You need a bigger bankroll to play multi-play games of the same denomination as single-play games.

In a single-play game, variance is higher when more money is paid out on fewer high-paying hands. For example, 9/6 Jacks or Better (where a full house is paid at 9-for-1 and a flush is paid at 6-for-1) has only one very high paying hand - the royal flush. The variance for this game is 19.5.

Bonus Poker is different than Jacks or Better because it pays a bonus for four aces (80-for-1 instead of 25-for-1) and four 2s, 3s or 4s (40-for-1). Payoffs for a full house and a flush are reduced to make up for the higher payoffs on the quads. The variance for Bonus Poker is 20.9 - a seven percent increase over Jacks or Better.

Double Bonus Poker increases the bonus on four aces to 160-for-1, the bonus on four 2s, 3s, or 4s to 80-for-1, and the bonus on 5s through kings to 50-for-1. Two pair payoff is reduced to 1-for-1 to compensate for the increased quad payoffs. By concentrating much more of the payoff money in fewer, large payoffs and reducing the more frequent lower payoffs, variance on Double Bonus Poker soars to nearly 28.3 - a 45 percent increase from Jacks or Better.

Double-Double Bonus Poker is a very popular video poker game - perhaps the most popular. Its popularity is fueled by the large payoffs for quads; 250-for-1 for four 5's through K's, 400-for-1 for four 2's, 3's or 4's, 800-for-1 for four A's, 800-for-1 for a hand of four 2's, 3's or 4's that includes an Ace, 2, 3 or 4 "kicker", and a whopping 2,000-for-1 for four A's with a 2, 3, or 4 "kicker." Yes, that's right, half a royal for a (very specific) four-of-a-kind. Variance for this game jumps to nearly 42 or 115 percent increase over the variance for Jacks or Better.

In multiple-play games, variance increases as the number of plays increases. This occurs not because more money in concentrated in fewer high paying hands, but because the strength of each multiple-play game is determined by the initial five cards that are dealt. If it is a strong hand, each play will have a strong hand. If it is a weak hand, each play will be weak. For example, if the initial hand contains three aces, the minimum each play will return is 3-for-1. If, however, the initial hand contains nothing and needs to be completely discarded, the chances for a positive outcome for this hand are small.