Nearly all video poker games feature standard 5 card hands.

But Big Split Poker is an exception because you’re dealt 8 cards and arrange
them into 5 and 3 card hands.

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This creates an interesting dynamic that’s not seen in other video poker
variations. In fact, it feels like Pai Gow poker, where you create 5 and 2 card
hands.

Many beginners like this game because it has easier strategy than regular 5
card poker. And the freedom to form your own hands is also fun.

Let’s continue discussing Big Split Poker, including how to play, payback,
pay tables, strategy, and where to find this game.

The Basics of Playing Big Split Poker Video Poker

The Big Split Poker screen is confusing at first because you’re looking at
two different pay tables (5 and 3 card) and eight cards.

But this game isn’t as tough as it seems after you play for a few minutes. In
fact, you should have no trouble getting the hang of Big Split Poker.

If you have any confusion in the beginning, though, keep reading as we cover
how to play this game.

Betting Process

You have two betting options to start any hand:

1. Bet on the 5 card pay table.
2. Wager on both the 5 card and 3 card pay tables.

You can put anywhere from 1 to 5 coins on each pay table, for a maximum of 10.

We find that it’s far more enjoyable to play both the 5 and 3 card hands. But
at a $0.25 coin denomination, this adds up to $2.50 per hand when you make 5
coin max bets on both hands.

Low rollers may find this expensive and opt to play the 5 card pay table. And
this still gives you an interesting video poker experience because you get to
arrange your hands.

But if you’re worried about playing both hands, note that this also gives you
the chance to win a regular payout (5 card hand) and a multiplier (3 card hand).

Playing Hands

Here are the steps for playing Big Split Poker after you’ve made your initial
bet:

1. Choose the Deal button and 8 cards will be dealt.
2. If no winning hand is possible, the game automatically ends and you lose.
3. If a winning hand is possible, you arrange cards into both a 5 and 3 card
   hand. You fill out the 5 card hand first, then the 3 card hand.
4. Choose Submit to complete both hands.
5. If you only play the 5 card hand, then your round will only be evaluated
   based on that pay table; if you play both the 3 and 5 card hands, then your
   round is evaluated on both pay tables.

Onscreen Display

Big Split Poker has a very different setup than most video poker machines.
Let’s go through the unique aspects below:

• Two pay tables are shown,
  with the 5 card table (payouts) on the left and the 3 card table (multipliers)
  on the right. This differs from other video poker games, where there’s only one
  pay table.
• There are 13 card slots,
  with 5 empty spaces at the top where your 5 card hand goes. The bottom 8 slots
  are filled with cards that you must choose from to form the hands.
• You press Submit after the
  deal round, rather than Draw. Since there is no drawing round, the Draw button
  is unnecessary.
• This game has a Bet Per Pay
  Table display to show your average wager on each pay table.

Other than this, you’ll see common elements that are present in standard
video poker games like the Bet Max button and an information / game rules
option.

Variations

Many unique video poker games have different games / pay tables you can
choose, such as Bonus Poker, Double Bonus, Double Double Bonus, Jacks or Better,
and Joker Poker.

Big Spit Poker doesn’t come in as many different variations as other games
we’ve reviewed. But it can be found in the following variations:

• Deuces Wild

  If you’ve
  played Deuces Wild before, then you know that 2s are wild. The pay table is
  short in Big Split Poker Deuces Wild, though, cutting payouts off at a flush.
  This differs from the standard variation, where you also earn payouts for a
  straight and 3 of a kind.

• Jacks or Better

  This game
  is famous for offering payouts all the way down to a pair of Jacks or Better.
  The Big Split Poker variation differs, though, because its lowest qualifying
  payout is a two pair (2s & Jacks or Better).

• Joker Poker

  This game
  includes a joker wildcard, making for a 53 card deck. Normally, the lowest
  qualifying payout is a pair of kings. But in Big Split Poker, you must have at
  least a two pair (king high) to get a win.

Overall, the main difference between the standard and Big Split variations of
these games is that the latter requires better qualifying hands.

This seems unfair at first. But then again, Big Split Poker is easier because
you receive 8 possible cards to form your 5 card hand./p>

Pay Back and Pay Tables in Big Split Poker

As mentioned before, the 5 card pay table delivers payouts, while the 3 card
table offers multipliers. This makes for some huge payouts, especially when
you’re betting 5 coins on both pay tables.

Of course, this also makes the payouts tougher to figure out for both
beginning and experienced video poker players.

Here’s an example of how the Big Split Poker payouts work:

• Your 5 card hand is a four
  of a kind, which is worth 10 coins.
• Your 3 card hand is a
  straight, which offers a 4x multiplier.
• Your payout is 40 coins (10
  x 4).

As you can see, the math isn’t too intense. But it takes some getting used to
because most video poker games don’t have multipliers.

The software will help you by highlighting potential pay outs / multipliers
every time you arrange cards.

This is nice because it shows you what to expect before you push the Submit
button. If you’d like to try for a better payout and multiplier, just rearrange
your cards before choosing Submit.

Big Split Poker Pay Tables

Below you can see two different pay tables for Big Split Poker Jacks or
Better. Both tables are based on 5 card hands:

Big Split Poker 5 Card Pay Table #1

Big Split Poker 5 Card Pay Table #2

Table 1 offers better payouts for a straight flush and 4 of a kind.
Therefore, this is the ideal pay table if you can find it.

Table 2 offers significantly less for the straight flush, and 3 coins less
for a four of a kind.

The biggest drop in value comes when you wager less than the max and / or
don’t play both pay tables. In both situations, the royal flush only pays 50
coins per coin wagered – rather than 200 coins per coin wagered with a max bet.

Big Split Poker Multipliers

Let’s go over examples of what these multipliers can do for your payouts.
Also note that the following examples are based on max bets:

Example #1

• Your 5 card hand is a royal flush = 1,000 coins
• Your 3 card hand is a straight = 4x multiplier
• Your payout is 4,000 coins.

Example #2

• Your 5 card hand is a full house = 25 coins
• Your 3 card hand is a straight flush = 15x multiplier
• Your payout is 375 coins.

Example #3

• Your 5 card hand is 4 of a kind = 50 coins
• Your 3 card hand is a pair = 2x multiplier
• Your payout is 100 coins.

Example #4

• Your 5 card hand is a royal flush = 1,000 coins
• Your 3 card hand is a 3 of a kind = 16x multiplier
• Your payout is 16,000 coins.

Obviously example #4 is a dream scenario. But it shows you the massive payout
that’s possible when the 5 card and 3 card hands align.

Of course, nobody will complain about the straight flush, 4 of a kind, and
full house payouts they receive when combined with multipliers.

Big Split Poker Pay Back

Big Slick Poker Tables

Like all video poker games, Big Split Poker payback differs based on the
variation and available payouts.

Referring back to the two Jacks or Better (JoB) pay tables we discussed, the
straight flush and 4 of a kind payouts differ from each other.

This leaves both pay tables offering the following under perfect strategy:

• Big Split Poker JoB Pay Table #1 = 99.95% payback
• Big Split Poker JoB Pay Table #2 = 97.91% payback

Straight flushes and 4 of a kinds come often enough that they make a serious
impact in pay back.

The first pay table delivers 20 coins for a straight flush, and 10 coins for
a 4 of a kind. The second pay table offers 10 coins for a straight flush, and 7
coins for a 4 of a kind.

Big Slik Poker Tables Game

These changes make for a 2.04% difference in payback. And this is why it’s
good to know the pay table differences for any Big Split Poker game you find.

Let’s look at one more example:

• 11 / 9 Big Split Poker Deuces Wild = 99.96% payback
• 10 / 7 Big Split Poker Deuces Wild = 98.99% payback

The 11 / 9 indicate that this game offers 11 coins for a royal flush w / a
deuce wildcard, and 9 coins for a 5 of a kind.

Likewise, the 10 / 7 indicates that the second version pays 10 coins for a
royal flush w / a deuce, and 7 coins for a 5 of a kind.

Again, this reiterates the need to know Big Split pay tables along with where
you can find the best games.

Where to Find Big Split Poker – Online, Offline, Free, and Real Money

Big Split Poker isn’t a widely played game, making it harder to find than
other video poker variations. Nevertheless, this doesn’t mean that it’s
impossible for you to find Big Split.

Big Slik Poker Tables Folding

LedGaming.com offers an online version that you can play for free.

The catch is that you must sign up for the site when downloading the game
(PC). Mac users can play through Adobe Shockwave Player, but you’ll need to have
the latest version.

Your options are limited for finding this game in land based casinos.
According to VideoPoker.com, you can only find a handful of machines in
Colorado, New York, and Nevada.

You might have luck using vpFREE2.com when searching for brick and mortar
video poker. This site allows you to search casinos by region / city, including
Las Vegas, Reno Tahoe, Laughlin, Nevada (Other), East, Gulf Coast, Mid West,
West, and Canada.

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But you’ll need to do some digging because casinos don’t offer much Big Split
Poker for some reasons.

Big Split Poker Video Poker Strategy

As mentioned earlier, Big Split Poker has easier strategy than standard video
poker. This means that you won’t need strategy charts or video poker trainers in
order to be successful.

The main thing you need to do is ensure that your 5 card hand is arranged for
the best possible payout. And the good news is that you can arrange the 5 card
hand as many times as you’d like to get it perfect.

The software also helps in two ways:

1. The game highlights your payout and / or multiplier when your 5 card and
   3 card hands are arranged.
2. The software alerts you when a win is possible, yet you haven’t arranged
   your 5 card hand properly.

These two aspects ensure that Big Split Poker strategy is much simpler than
other video poker variations. Let’s quickly look at the differences with
standard video poker strategy:

• Each hand has multiple possibilities when holding cards and making
  discards.
• You need a strategy chart, or practice with a video poker trainer
  to know every correct move.
• Any mistake you make lowers the theoretical long term payback.
• The software doesn’t help you in any way.

Again, Big Split Poker is much easier because you have limited options when
arranging your hand. Furthermore, you can continue making arrangements until the
software highlights the best possible payouts.

One more thing worth noting is that you must bet both the 5 card and 3 card
pay tables to achieve top payback.

Conclusion

We really like four aspects of Big Split Video Poker:

1. It has easy strategy, which is perfect for those transitioning
   from slots to video poker.
2. This game offers the freedom of arranging two hands.
3. Big Split Poker offers a unique display.
4. This game has multipliers.

Out of these elements, our favorite is the freedom to arrange your hands.
Anybody who enjoys Pai Gow poker will also like putting hands together in Big
Split Poker.

Another thing to like is the display, which features two pay tables and 13
card slots. If you’re tired of seeing the same video poker format over and over,
you should enjoy this.

The biggest downside to Big Split Poker is availability. Outside of one
website and a handful of US casinos, you won’t find this game.

Contrast this to other video poker variants like Deuces Wild, Double Bonus,
Jacks or Better, and Joker Poker, which are abundant in both land based and
online casinos.

Few people will embark on a cross country trip to find Big Split Poker. But
if you can conveniently find this game on a Las Vegas vacation, then it’s worth
playing for a different video poker experience.

Also keep in mind that Big Split Poker is newer in comparison to other
variations. This means that perhaps it will slowly expand into other casinos.