When choosing the video poker game you want to play, you might be overwhelmed by the myriad of options casinos tend to offer. With various rules, features and bonus payouts, video poker games definitely provide quite the diversity to casino fans.
One of the most popular variations of the game is Deuces Wild which adds a little excitement to the regular game and gives players the opportunity to stack up wonderful payouts. It is not difficult to recognize the appeal of the game as it is definitely one of the most volatile variations of video poker. The winning streaks also occur quite frequently which is just another reason to prefer making bets on Deuces Wild.
It may be surprising for you but in reality, it may turn out that you are dealt more hands without deuces than the other way around. This being said, all four deuces acting as wilds give you better chances to form winning hands which is definitely great news. Thanks to the specific features of this game, you can actually enjoy a very lucrative game without even landing a Royal Flush. Thanks to the various options on Deuces Wild, players can always feel entertained and enjoy many chances for a lucrative game.
How to Play Deuces Wild
The deck which is used in Deuces Wild is the standard type that incorporates 52 cards. The only difference is that the deuces play the role of wilds which means that they can substitute for any rank or suit. Since the wild deuces change the ways hands can be formed, there is a slight difference in the paytable of this video poker variation. The lowest hand that will qualify you for a payout is Three of a Kind, meaning that no matter how high-valued a pair can be, you will not be paid if you are holding just two cards of the same rank.
The goal in Deuces Wild is just like in any other video poker variation and you have the chance to hold and discard cards from your initial hand in order to form a stronger hand and enjoy a better payout. Of course, in order to be able to enjoy the best outcome while playing the game, you have to know which is the best possible strategy. You will also have to know which is the best version of Deuces Wild that will bring the results you are looking for. This is why you should know the best possible payouts that you can enjoy and look for a game that offers them.
Deuces Wild Additional TipsThe full-pay version of Deuces Wild is known as the 15/9/5 variant which indicates that Five of a Kind pays out 15 to 1, Straight Flush rewards a payout of 9 to 1 and Four of a Kind pays out 5 to 1. It is probably the best option that fans of video poker can play as it provides an expected return above 100% whenever one utilizes perfect strategy. This variant of Deuces Wild, however, is pretty hard to be found and often players opt for playing options with lower payouts.
The main strategy for playing Deuces Wild revolves around making the right decision in accordance with the number of wilds in your initial hand. Once you have mastered this simple strategy, you will be able to make the optimal decisions and elevate your video poker gameplay.
This video poker variation is very entertaining and many players prefer it due to the excitement and payouts that it offers. There is even a newer version of the game with 5 wild cards which include the 4 deuces and a joker. It is estimated that if you use the right strategy the RTP is 98% which is a rather good expected return.
Deuces Wild Video Poker Gameplay
Variations of Deuces Wild
While most video poker machines will not use a name different than Deuces Wild, there are several variations of the game which have alterations in their payouts and this requires a change in the strategy you are using. This is why it is useful to be able to recognize the different Deuces Wild variants and pick the one that fits your taste the best.
Full-Pay Deuces Wild
As it was mentioned earlier, the best and probably the most difficult to find version of Deuces Wild is the one that offers the highest possible payouts. The full-pay variant is definitely worth playing as it can turn the tables in your favor and allow you to enjoy much more fruitful outcomes. The paytable for Full-Pay Deuces Wild should look in the following way:
| Combination | Payout |
|---|---|
| Natural Royal Flush | 250 to 1 up to 4,000 for staking 5 coins |
| Four Deuces | 200 to 1 |
| Wild Royal Flush | 25 to 1 |
| Five of a Kind | 15 to 1 |
| Straight Flush | 9 to 1 |
| Four of a Kind | 5 to 1 |
| Full House | 3 to 1 |
| Flush | 2 to 1 |
| Three of a Kind | 1 to 1 |
The easiest way to recognize a full-pay version of Deuces Wild is to take a look at the payout for Four of a Kind which should award 5 coins for staking 1. In most of the variations of the game, this hand pays 4 to 1. The expected return on this version when using a perfect strategy is 100.76%.
Almost Positive Deuces Wild
One of the newest variations of Deuce Wild offers an RTP of 99.96% when using the right type of strategy. Since the expected return reaches almost 100%, many players refer to this game as Almost Positive Deuces Wild (APDW) as it almost gives the players an advantage over the house.
The paytable for this game has several different payouts which will help you to recognize it among the other Deuces Wild options. In order to be able to play this variant you have to make sure that the payout for Straight Flush is 11 to 1, instead of 9 to 1, meanwhile, Four of a Kind pays 4 to 1, instead of 5 to 1. Full House offers a payout of 4 to 1, instead of 3 to 1 and Flush pays 3 to 1, instead of 2 to 1. Since Straight Flush and Flush have rather high payouts, the strategy is concentrated on forming these hands.
Not So Ugly Deuces
This is a rather popular variation of Deuces Wild and it offers an RTP of 99.7% whenever you utilize an optimal strategy. Since video poker enthusiasts tend to refer to low-paying variations of Deuces Wild as ‘ugly ducks’ many decided to name this variant Not So Ugly Ducks/Deuces (NSUD) as it definitely allows you to enjoy a rather fruitful game.
The paytable for NSUD should look like this:
| Combination | Payout |
|---|---|
| Natural Royal Flush | 250 to 1 up to 4,000 when 5 coins are staked |
| Four Deuces | 200 to 1 |
| Wild Royal Flush | 25 to 1 |
| Five of a Kind | 16 to 1 |
| Straight Flush | 10 to 1 |
| Four of a Kind | 4 to 1 |
| Full House | 4 to 1 |
| Flush | 3 to 1 |
| Straight | 2 to 1 |
| Three of a kind | 1 to 1 |
As you can see, like many other Deuces Wild variations, you will be paid 4 to 1 for Four of a Kind but the payouts for other hands will be significantly higher. The payouts are almost the same as the Almost Positive Deuces Wild variation but you will enjoy a higher payout on Five of a Kind which pays 16 to 1, instead of 15 to 1, while Straight Flush will pay only 10 to 1, instead of 11 to 1.
Illinois Deuces
Known also as Airport Deuces, this variation of Deuces Wild was very popular at the beginning of the 1990s at the Par-A-Dice Casino in East Peoria, Illinois. It is the game on which APDW and NSUD are based. If you are using the right type of strategy, the expected return will be 98.9%.
The paytable for this variation of Deuces Wild looks like this:
| Combination | Payout |
|---|---|
| Natural Royal Flush | 250 to 1 up to 4,000 when 5 coins are staked |
| Four Deuces | 200 to 1 |
| Wild Royal Flush | 25 to 1 |
| Five of a Kind | 15 to 1 |
| Straight Flush | 9 to 1 |
| Four of a Kind | 4 to 1 |
| Full House | 4 to 1 |
| Flush | 3 to 1 |
| Straight | 2 to 1 |
| Three of a kind | 1 to 1 |
It is easy to recognize this version of Deuces Wild when you look at the payouts for Four of a Kind and Flush which are increased respectively to 4 to 1 and 3 to 1. However, Five of a Kind and Straight Flush are lower compared to NSUD and APDW.
Midwestern Deuces
One of the reasons why you should always check carefully the paytable of the game you are about to play is to be able to recognize when it is best to avoid certain video poker machines. If you take for example the variation of Midwestern Deuces, you will have an RTP of only 94.4% which is significantly lower than the one of the aforementioned games. The paytable for this video poker variant would look like this:
| Combination | Payout |
|---|---|
| Natural Royal Flush | 250 to 1 up to 4,000 when 5 coins are staked |
| Four Deuces | 200 to 1 |
| Wild Royal Flush | 20 to 1 |
| Five of a Kind | 10 to 1 |
| Straight Flush | 8 to 1 |
| Four of a Kind | 4 to 1 |
| Full House | 4 to 1 |
| Flush | 3 to 1 |
| Straight | 2 to 1 |
| Three of a kind | 1 to 1 |
You may be fooled since the payouts for Full House and Flush are enhanced, just as it is with Illinois Deuces and NSUD. However, the hands with a higher value have remarkably lower payouts with the Wild Royal Flush paying only 20 to 1, Five of a Kind – 10 to 1 and Straight Flush to 8 to 1. This proves that if you come across this variation, you are better off not playing.
Short-Term Play vs Long-Term Play
Depending on the time you would like to spend playing on Deuces wild, there are different variants of the game you should play. For those who are planning to spend a rather short period of time making smaller bets on video poker, there is the short-term Deuces Wild play. As it was previously said, in this version of video poker the strategy is based on the number of deuces you are holding in your hand.
Short-Term Play
If we start with a hand that has no deuces, your strategy chart would look like this:
| Decision | Action |
|---|---|
| Royal Flush | draw no cards |
| Four cards to a Royal Flush | draw one card |
| Straight Flush | draw no cards |
| Four of a Kind | draw one card |
| Full House | draw no cards |
| Flush | draw no cards |
| Straight | drawn no cards |
| Three of a kind | draw two cards |
| Four to a Straight Flush | draw one card |
| Three to a Royal Flush | draw two cards |
| One pair (if you have a second one, discard it) | draw three cards |
| Four to a Flush | draw one card |
| Four to a Straight | draw one card |
| Three to a Straight Flush | draw two cards |
| Two to a Royal Flush | draw three cards |
| Not a winning hand | draw 5 new cards |
If you have one deuce in your initial hand:
| Decision | Action |
|---|---|
| Royal Flush | draw no cards |
| Five of a Kind | draw no cards |
| Straight Flush | draw no cards |
| Four of a Kind | draw one card |
| Four cards to a Royal Flush | draw one card |
| Full House | draw no cards |
| Three of a kind | draw two cards |
| Four to a Straight Flush | draw one card |
| Flush | draw no cards |
| Straight | drawn no cards |
| Three to a Royal Flush | draw two cards |
| One Deuce | draw 4 cards |
If you have two deuces in your hand:
| Decision | Action |
|---|---|
| Royal Flush | draw no cards |
| Five of a Kind | draw no cards |
| Straight Flush | draw no cards |
| Four of a Kind | draw one card |
| Four to a Royal Flush | draw one card |
| Two Deuces | draw three cards |
Since you are always holding Three of a Kind with two wild deuces in your hand, you should always draw three cards in order to improve your chances of landing a better hand.
If your hand has three deuces, the strategy chart looks like this:
| Decision | Action |
|---|---|
| Royal Flush | draw no cards |
| Five of a Kind | draw no cards |
| Three Deuces | draw two cards |
Whenever you are holding three deuces, you always have Four of a Kind. By drawing two more cards, you are improving your odds of landing a higher-paying hand.
If your hand consists of four deuces, you do not need to draw any cards. As you can see, when playing Deuces Wild, the main strategy is to divert your attention towards forming a Royal Flush more often. You have probably noticed that three cards to a Flush or a Straight are not worth keeping, as they will not help you enjoy a payout. When you have no deuces in your hand, keeping two pairs will not payout either which is why you should discard one of the pairs.
Long-Term Play
The majority of players prefer to spend less time on video poker machines, mainly because a long-term play requires a bigger budget. This being said, with the rising popularity of online casinos, numerous fans of the game, have the chance to embark on a long-term play.
In order to enjoy the best possible outcome, you are advised to opt for the highest-paying variant of Deuces Wild. The great thing about it is that when you know which strategy to utilize, you can achieve an expected return of 100.76%.
In order to play a high-paying version of Deuces Wild, look for a payout of 20 to 1 for a Wild Royal Flush, 15 to 1 for Five of a Kind and 5 to 1 for Four of a Kind. Since such version may be hard to find, you might have to settle down for a game that offers 20 to 1 for a Wild Royal Flush and 12 to 1 for Five of a Kind. The payout for Four of a Kind, however, should always be 5 to 1, because a lower payout will not provide a fruitful game.
When you are planning to enjoy a long-term play, you should always make the maximum bet which will enable you to enjoy the bonus payout if you land a Royal Flush. Yet again, the number of deuces in your hand will determine your actions when playing Deuces Wild. If you are holding even a single 2, you have to always keep it as it will help you form any winning hand easier.
Conclusion
Deuces Wild is one of the most popular variations of video poker and there are several reasons for that. While you are still playing with the standard 52-card deck, you have the chance to get winning hands easier thanks to all four deuces which are playing the role of wilds. This means that the deuces in the deck can replace any card, no matter the suit or the rank.
There are many variations of Deuces Wild and while some offer wonderful winnings chances, others are better to be avoided. If you check the paytable of the game you are about to play, however, you will have no issue distinguishing a lucrative Deuces Wild game from a bad variation.
The one key thing you should always keep in mind is the number of deuces you are holding. This will help you determine which cards to replace in order to revel in a lucrative game of Deuces Wild. Whether you plan to play for a shorter period of time or you have prepared the budget to enjoy a long play, you will have to always utilize the right strategy that will help you stack up great payouts on video poker.