If you play video poker for the maths, the headline number here is the one that matters: bonus poker (ka gaming) is listed at 94% RTP, against a site-wide video poker average of 97.5%. That is a 3.5 percentage point gap in a game category where the well-known paytables sit above 99%. The free demo is available, so you can learn the interface and the hand ranks at no cost, but for real-money play this return is a long way behind what the category can offer.
Bonus Poker (KA Gaming) and the Ka Gaming game range
KA Gaming is a comparatively small presence in video poker. This site lists two titles from the provider, and both carry the same 94% return, which gives the studio a provider average identical to this single game’s figure. That is a narrow catalogue rather than a broad video poker suite, so if you like the way this table handles you will not find many siblings from the same studio.
The other KA Gaming entry is Super Video Poker, which is worth a look mainly for comparison — its return is not published in this listing, so you would need to read its in-game pay chart to see whether it improves on this one.
The name tells you the ruleset. Bonus Poker is a Jacks or Better derivative: it pays from a pair of jacks upward, and it adds enhanced payouts for specific four-of-a-kind ranks, usually aces and the 2-3-4 group, funded by a reduced payout somewhere else on the schedule. That trade-off is the whole design of the variant, and where exactly the money is taken back is what separates a good Bonus Poker paytable from a poor one. This listing does not publish the schedule for this version.
| Provider | Ka Gaming |
|---|---|
| RTP | 94.0% |
| Theme | Cards |
| Free demo | Yes |
| Site-wide average RTP | 97.5% |
The 94.0% figure and the strategy it assumes
Video poker RTP is not an estimate drawn from a hidden reel weighting. It is a solved calculation with exactly two inputs: the paytable, and the assumption that you play the mathematically optimal hold and discard decision on every hand. The 94% figure quoted here is the number you would reach with perfect play on this game’s schedule. Play less accurately and you land below it.
That matters because 94% is unusually low for the category. In standard Jacks or Better, the 9/6 paytable — 9-for-1 on a full house, 6-for-1 on a flush — returns roughly 99.5% with perfect play. Cut those two numbers to 8/5 and the same game falls to about 97.3%. A 6/5 schedule drops below 95%. The difference is two figures on a pay chart, nothing else. A 94% video poker return implies a schedule trimmed considerably harder than the versions most strategy charts are written for.
KA Gaming has not published the paytable for this exact version in this listing, and in video poker the paytable is the return. Open the in-game pay chart and read the full house, flush and four-of-a-kind rows before you commit real money, because that chart is the only place the 94% is actually explained.
Which hands to hold, in general terms
Optimal video poker strategy is a published hold and discard chart, not a betting system. It changes which of the five dealt cards you keep and never touches the deck, which is freshly shuffled for every hand from a single 52-card pack. Deviating from the chart costs you return; it does not make anything more or less likely to appear.
In Jacks or Better and its Bonus Poker relatives, the general shape of the chart is well known. Made paying hands are usually kept intact. Four cards to a royal flush outrank a made flush or straight. Low pairs are held over three cards to a straight flush in most spots. Single high cards are kept when nothing better exists, and you discard all five only when the hand contains no high card, no pair and no useful draw.
The important caveat: those are the general priorities for the family, not the correct chart for this table. Because Bonus Poker rewards particular four-of-a-kind ranks, the exact chart is paytable-specific. If you want to play accurately, match the chart to the schedule printed inside this game rather than to a generic Jacks or Better guide.
Wild cards, bonuses and how they change the maths
Bonus Poker uses no wild cards. Every hand is read straight from a standard 52-card deck, which keeps the hand ranks familiar and the strategy chart shorter than the wild variants. Deuces Wild, by contrast, turns all four 2s wild and pays nothing below three of a kind, which rewrites both the payout schedule and the entire hold chart, and lifts variance sharply. Joker Poker adds a joker acting as wild or as a bonus card depending on the ruleset, with the same effect on strategy.
What Bonus Poker does instead is skew the top of the schedule. Enhanced four-of-a-kind payouts for selected ranks pull a slice of the total return into rarer outcomes, then claw it back from a more common hand such as the full house or two pair. Net effect: a slightly longer wait between meaningful hits than flat Jacks or Better, for the same or lower overall return.
If you want to see the high end of the category’s paytables, Jacks or Better (Red Rake Gaming) is listed at 99.55%, which is roughly what a 9/6 schedule produces and a useful benchmark for reading any Bonus Poker chart you find.
Variance in video poker versus slots
Video poker variance comes from the frequency distribution of the paytable, and it is calculable rather than hidden. A schedule that leans on four of a kind and royal flushes swings harder than one that pays evenly across pairs and two pair. Bonus Poker leans a little toward the top, so expect a slightly bumpier ride than plain Jacks or Better on the same stake.
The structural difference from slots is transparency. A slot’s symbol frequencies are set in software and not published; a video poker deck is a single 52-card pack, shuffled fresh each hand, and every probability follows from that. You can compute the chance of any draw yourself.
Multi-hand formats do not change any of this. Dealing one hand and playing the same holds across several independent decks alters how many hands you play per minute and how wide your session results scatter, but the per-hand return stays exactly what the paytable dictates. If you want a different structural shape rather than a different variance, Russian Poker is a table-poker format listed at 98.42%.
Playing responsibly
Video poker is 18+ and it is entertainment you pay for, not income. Decide the amount you are willing to spend before you start, treat it as the cost of the session, and stop when it is gone rather than topping up. No hold pattern, stake progression or session length changes the expected value written into the paytable, and no deal is ever due — every hand comes from a fresh shuffle with no memory of the last one. Free demo results tell you nothing about how real-money play will go.
Verdict on Bonus Poker (KA Gaming)
The free demo is genuinely useful. It costs nothing, it teaches you the interface, and it lets you read the in-game pay chart at leisure — which is exactly what you need to do here, because the listing does not publish the schedule behind the 94% figure.
For real money, the number speaks for itself. At 94.0%, this sits 3.5 points below the video poker average on this site and more than five points below the standard 9/6 Jacks or Better benchmark. In a category where the return is fully solved and openly comparable, that is a hard gap to justify when higher-paying schedules are listed a click away. Play the demo to learn Bonus Poker’s structure, check the pay chart carefully, and compare it against the 99%-plus paytables before you stake anything.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I play Bonus Poker (KA Gaming) free with no download?
Yes, the free demo is available for this game and runs in the browser with no download or registration needed. It uses play-money credits, so you can learn the hand ranks, test hold decisions and read the in-game pay chart at no cost. Demo results carry no predictive value for real-money sessions.
What is the RTP of Bonus Poker (KA Gaming)?
It is listed at 94.0% with optimal play. In video poker, that figure is decided entirely by the paytable plus perfect hold and discard decisions — nothing is hidden. For context, the video poker average across this site is 97.5%, so this game sits 3.5 percentage points below it.
Which video poker variant is Bonus Poker, and how do you play it optimally?
Bonus Poker is a Jacks or Better derivative: it pays from a pair of jacks up and adds enhanced payouts on specific four-of-a-kind ranks. Optimal play means following a published hold chart matched to the exact paytable — generally holding made paying hands, favouring four to a royal, and keeping low pairs over marginal draws.
Why does the paytable matter so much in this game?
Because the paytable is the return. Jacks or Better pays about 99.5% on a 9/6 schedule and roughly 97.3% on 8/5 — same game, two changed numbers. KA Gaming has not published the schedule for this version, so read the in-game pay chart before staking money.
How does it compare to Jacks or Better (Red Rake Gaming)?
Jacks or Better (Red Rake Gaming) is listed at 99.55%, about 5.5 points higher than this game's 94.0%. It is the flat version of the format, without Bonus Poker's enhanced four-of-a-kind payouts, so it pays out more evenly and, on that listed figure, considerably better overall with correct play.
