Deuces Wild Strategy – How to Increase Your Chances of Winning
9 minutes
Posted by: Ivan
Deuces Wild is one of the more popular video poker variants. Although it shares most of the gameplay with other video poker games, some features make it stand out.
Because of these features, it requires a slightly different approach and strategy. In this text, we will teach you everything you need to know about the Deuces Wild video poker strategy.
Why You Should Play Deuces Wild Video Poker
Before we jump into the Deuces Wild rules, paytables, and strategy, we will first mention why you should play this variant of video poker.
Thanks to its unique characteristics, Deuces Wild brings several advantages to players:
- You can get unique hands that give bonus payouts
- Deuces Wild has the biggest return among video poker games
- It is easy to find Deuces Wild poker strategy on the Internet
- The video poker variant has progressive jackpots
- Deuces wild has a lot of variations that guarantee a good time
As you can see, Deuces Wild is widely popular among casino players because it gives players to have fun and potentially make money at the same time. However, to achieve the latter, several conditions must be met.
Deuces Wild Video Poker Rules & Hand Rankings
Most video poker variants are based on similar rules with slight variations to make the games more exciting and prevent players from getting bored.
Deuces Wild uses a 52-card deck, and the cards are dealt to the player the same way as in 5-card draw poker. The goal of the games is to achieve the best possible poker hand.
As the name of the game suggests, the main difference between Deuces Wild and other video poker variants is in how the deuces are counted.
In this variant of video poker, deuces are used as replacements or “wild” cards. This means that players can use the deuces to replace the card they need to get the best possible hand.
For example, if you have two jacks and a deuce on the board, instead of having only a pair of jacks like in other video poker variants, you actually hold three jacks.
In this situation, the deuce is counted as a jack to give you the best possible hand.
The game consists of two rounds. In the first round, you receive five random cards, and you need to choose which cards you will hold and which cards you will discard.
After you choose the cards, the second round starts, and the discarded cards are replaced with new cards giving your final hand.
In accordance with the strength of your final hand, you will receive your payout.
In the table below are Deuces Wild poker hand rankings and Deuces Wild odds for each of the hands.
| Hand | Odds |
| 1. Royal Flush (without a deuce) | 0.000022 |
| 2. Four Deuces | 0.000204 |
| 3. Royal Flush (with a deuce) | 0.001796 |
| 4. Five of a Kind | 0.003202 |
| 5. Straight Flush | 0.004168 |
| 6. Four of a Kind | 0.064938 |
| 7. Full House | 0.021229 |
| 8. Flush | 0.016784 |
| 9. Straight | 0.056070 |
| 10. Three of a Kind | 0.284690 |
Because there are four deuces in the deck that act as replacement cards, the lowest paying hand in Deuces Wild video poker is three of a kind.
Deuces Wild Video Poker Paytable
Deuces Wild is one of the video poker variants that are beatable in the long run. However, to achieve positive results playing this game, you need to play the Full Pay Deuces Wild. If you play any other form of this casino game, your returns will not be as high.
For this reason, you need to find the Deuces Wild game with the full pay schedule, as shown below.
| Royal Flush | 250 | 500 | 750 | 1000 | 4000 |
| Four Deuces | 200 | 400 | 600 | 800 | 1000 |
| Wild Royal Flush | 25 | 50 | 75 | 100 | 125 |
| Five of a Kind | 15 | 30 | 45 | 60 | 75 |
| Straight Flush | 9 | 18 | 27 | 36 | 45 |
| Four of a Kind | 5 | 10 | 15 | 20 | 25 |
| Full House | 3 | 6 | 9 | 12 | 15 |
| Flush | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 |
| Straight | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 |
| Three of a Kind | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
To recognize the Full Pay Deuces Wild video poker, you need to look at three key fields in the paytable, and those are payouts for Five of a Kind, the Straight Flush, and the Four of a Kind, as we highlighted in the table.
In the version that we are looking for, the payouts for these three hands with a 1 coin stake are 15/9/5. This means that the Full Pay Deuces Wild can have a return of up to 100.76%!
To have a better understanding of why you should play the Full Pay Deuces Wild version, we have created a table with RTPs of other Deuces Wild video poker variants.
| Pay Table | Payout Percentage |
| Full Pay Deuces Wild | 100.76% |
| Not So Ugly Deuces Wild | 99.73% |
| Ugly Deuces Wild | 98.91% |
| 20/4/4 Deuces Wild | 97.97% |
| 20/12/10/4 Deuces Wild | 97.58% |
| 16/13/4 Deuces Wild | 96.77% |
| 12/4/4 Deuces Wild | 96.01% |
| 20/10/8/4/4 Deuces Wild | 95.96% |
How to Play Deuces Wild Video Poker
Before we start with the correct Deuces Wild strategy, keep in mind that this strategy was developed especially for Full Pay Deuces Wild. If you play any other version of this video poker game, you will need to make adjustments.
With this said, implementing the correct strategy on this game can bring you a 0.76% gain in the long run, which makes it worth your while.
We should also mention that the variance of Deuces Wild is a little higher than in Jacks or Better, and because of this, you will need about a 10% bigger bankroll.
The most important piece of strategy that we can give you for Deuces Wild is to never discard a deuce!
By incorporating this simple rule into your strategy, you will make the first step in the right direction. If you fail to do so, you have no chance of improving your bottom line.
Deuces Wild Strategy With at Least One Deuce
| Number of deuces | Action |
| 4 | Hold 4 deuces |
| 3 | Hold a Wild Royal Flush |
| 3 | Hold 3 Deuces, Discard 2 Non-Paired Cards |
| 3 | Hold 3 Deuces, Discard Pair of 9s or Lower |
| 3 | Hold Five of a Kind |
| 3 | Hold Four to a Royal Flush |
| 3 | Hold a Straight Flush or Lower |
| 2 | Hold a Wild Royal Flush |
| 2 | Hold Five of a Kind |
| 2 | Hold a Straight Flush |
| 2 | Hold Four of a Kind |
| 2 | Hold 2 Deuces + Consecutive Cards |
| 2 | Hold 2 Deuces |
| 1 | Hold a Wild Royal Flush |
| 1 | Hold Five of a Kind |
| 1 | Hold a Straight Flush |
| 1 | Hold Four of a Kind |
| 1 | Hold Four to a Royal Flush |
| 1 | Hold a Full House |
| 1 | Hold the Deuces + Three Cards to a Straight Flush |
| 1 | Hold Three of a Kind |
| 1 | Hold a Straight |
| 1 | Hold a Flush |
| 1 | Hold Four to any Straight Flush |
| 1 | Hold Three to a Royal Flush (highest card K) |
| 1 | Hold the Deuce + Two Cards to a Straight Flush (6-7 or Higher) |
| 1 | Hold Three to a Royal Flush (highest card A) |
| 1 | Hold the Deuce |
Deuces Wild Strategy Without Any Deuces
| Number of deuces | Action |
| 0 | Hold a Natural Royal Flush |
| 0 | Hold Four to a Royal Flush |
| 0 | Hold a Straight Flush |
| 0 | Hold Four of a Kind |
| 0 | Hold a Full House |
| 0 | Hold Three of a Kind |
| 0 | Hold a Straight or a Flush |
| 0 | Hold Four to an Open-ended Straight Flush |
| 0 | Hold Suited Q-J-T |
| 0 | Hold Four to an Inside Straight Flush |
| 0 | Hold Three to a Royal Flush |
| 0 | Hold One Pair |
| 0 | Hold Four to a Flush |
| 0 | Hold Four to an Open-ended Straight |
| 0 | Hold Two to a Royal Flush (highest card J) |
| 0 | Hold Four to an Inside Straight |
| 0 | Hold Two to a Royal Flush (highest card Q) |
| 0 | Hold Two to a Royal Flush (highest card K) |
| 0 | Discard All Cards |
Additional Deuces Wild Strategy Tips
Knowing which cards to hold and which cards to discard is the most important part of the Deuces Wild strategy.
However, if you want to create additional advantages in your favor, there are several other strategies that you should implement.
In this part of the text, we will be mentioning the best ways to improve your game and make a profit playing Deuces Wild video poker.
Video Poker Bankroll
Video poker is, in general, a game of small edges that requires players to play for a long time to see any meaningful profit (unless you get really lucky at the start).
For this reason, you need to have a video poker bankroll which you will use only for playing poker.
If you have played Jacks or Better before, add approximately 10 to 15 percent more money to that bankroll, and you are good to go.
Having a separate bankroll just for this game will help you to overcome bad streaks as well as help you track your progress.
Finally, correctly managing your gambling funds will prevent you from becoming emotional and letting your feelings get the best of you.
Play the Full Pay Deuces Wild & Bet Maximum Coin
To maximize your gains, apart from paying the Full Pay Deuces Wild you also need to set your stake to the maximum of 5 coins. It will make the game even swingier, but it is the correct way to do it.
If you take a look at the paytables for Full Pay Deuces Wild, you will notice that players receive a huge bonus with a Royal Flush but only for the stake of 5 coins.
Having the option of collecting such a big bonus is necessary to play a profitable game, and this is why we recommend you to play with the maximum stake.
Play Deuces Wild Video Poker Demo
After you go through the theoretical part of the Deuces Wild strategy, you might think that you are ready to jump into the game, but we advise differently.
Our advice would be to find a Deuces Wild demo game with the same table as in this article and practice to get a better feeling for the game and the dynamics.
You can even track your score over some time to see how you are doing. Without the financial aspect, you will be more focused on playing the correct strategy.
And finally, without the constraints of a bankroll, you can play as many hands as you want and get into difficult spots more frequently.
Take Advantage of Promotions
There are two ways in which you can boost your Deuces Wild video poker returns. The first way is by using your Players Club card if you are playing in your local brick-and-mortar casino or by playing on online casinos that have VIP or loyalty systems.
Both the Players Club card and the online promotions will reward you based on how much you play.
With the Players Club card, you get free food, beverages, hotel rooms, free play, and other perks.
Playing on an online platform that has a VIP or loyalty system will grant you free spins, cash bonuses, tournament invitations, gifts, and a lot more, depending on the operator.
The second way you can improve your video poker win rate is by playing during promotions.
This includes video poker promotions in both traditional and online casinos. Video poker promotions consist of video poker bonuses, cash bonuses, free spins, and even free holidays!
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