Deuces Wild Strategy – How to Increase Your Chance of Winning at Video Poker

Deuces Wild is arguably one of the most popular video poker variations you can find at both online and land-based casinos.

Unlike regular poker, Deuces Wild and other video poker games are fairly streamlined. You follow a specific pattern from game to game and can’t influence the gameplay to any significant extent.

That said, depending on the situation you find yourself in, there are certain things you can do to enhance your odds of winning.

On this page, we’ve compiled the most comprehensive Deuces Wild strategy guide you’ll find online. So, if you want to increase your chances of winning at this game, make sure to give it a thorough read-through.

How Do You Play Deuces Wild

Before we go into the specific tactics and strategies for playing each hand, let’s quickly go over the gameplay aspect of Deuces Wild. This video poker variation is the same as many other video poker games, meaning that it’s based on the 5 Card Draw poker variation.

You begin every Deuces Wild round by receiving five cards. You can hold or discard as many cards as you wish. The discarded cards are then replaced with new ones from the pack, and you get paid out if you landed a winning combination.

This is all there is in terms of gameplay, so the game is very easy to get the hang of in just a few minutes.

However, there is one aspect of the game that this variation’s name gives away. Namely, the difference between Deuces Wild video poker and any other formats is that in this game, you can utilize the Deuces (2s) in your favor.

Any of the four two’s in the 52 card deck can replace any other card to help you line up a winning combination.

Deuces Wild video poker

Such a gameplay element makes the Deuces Wild video poker strategy different from that for other games. This brings us to the main point of the page – the best Deuces Wild strategies you can use for each poker hand you get.

Deuces Wild Odds and Payouts

Deuces Wild offers a standard payout structure across most bets. But, some of the payouts can vary when compared to other video poker games.

To help you get a better understanding of what you’re up for, here’s a detailed table of all of the Deuces Wild payouts:

Hand	1 Coin Bet	2 Coins Bet	3 Coins Bet	4 Coins Bet	5 Coins Bet
Royal Flush (without the wild symbol)	250	500	750	1000	4000
4 Deuces (Twos)	200	400	600	800	1000
Royal Flush (with the wild symbol)	25	50	75	100	125
5 of a Kind	15	30	45	60	75
Straight Flush	9	18	27	36	45
4 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
3 of a Kind	1	2	3	4	5

The numbers from the table aside, another critical aspect that plays into your winning chances is the expected payback percentage. For Deuces Wild, the payback percentage hovers around 100.7% if you play it optimally.

This means that if you employ the right Deuces Wild poker strategy in each specific situation you find yourself in, you can actually have the advantage over the casino.

Deuces Wild Poker Strategy – What To Do If You Don’t Get Any Twos

Deuces Wild is relatively simple to play, and you can learn it within minutes. That said, the tactical side of the game is surprisingly complex.

Since Deuces Wild has the wild card element, you should never resort to the same strategy you would use for Jacks or Better or other video poker variations.

Deuces Wild video poker strategy

To help you get a better grasp, we’ve filtered out all of the possible card combinations to bring you the best tips on how to play Deuces Wild if you don’t get any deuces in your initial hand:

Discard your entire hand. This is the easiest move to make, but keep in mind that you’ll have no additional moves.
If you have two cards for a Royal Flush that are Jack and Queen or higher, keep the two cards and discard the remaining three.
If you have three of the five cards of a Straight Flush, discard the remaining two.
If you have four connecting cards of a five-card straight, discard the fifth card that doesn’t fit in.
If you have four cards of a flush, get rid of the fifth card.
If you have a pair and no other potential combination, discard the three unmatched cards.
If you have three cards needed for a Royal Flush, discard the remaining two that don’t match up.
If you have four of the five cards of a Straight Flush, keep them and discard the fifth card.
If you have three of a kind to a Straight Flush, you can keep all of your cards. Alternatively, for three of a kind, throw away the two cards that don’t match.
If you get a Royal Flush without a deuce, sit back and proceed to the end. If you have four of the five cards needed for a Royal Flush, discard the fifth card that doesn’t match.

The above list of optimal moves has you covered in most scenarios you can run into if you get a hand without any deuces. However, some additional notes are worth highlighting.

For example, a lower-valued and suited potential combination beats out a higher-valued and suited combination. So, a suited 7-10-J is better than a 10-J suited if the King and Ace discards, or the Queen discard without an 8.

As you can see, Deuces Wild video poker isn’t as simple as video slots, for example, and you need to learn some basics to get the best returns from this game.

Deuces Wild Video Poker Strategy – What to Do With the Twos?

Since the wild deuces are the main appeal of this game and can be the most rewarding aspect, they deserve special attention in terms of tactics.

There are several strategies you should be mindful of when you have at least one number two card in your hand. Here’s how to play Deuces Wild video poker if you get twos:

Strategy for One Deuce in Deuces Wild

If you have just one deuce in your hand, it’s still up to you whether you win or lose. You can play it in a number of ways, so you need to make sure you always make the best decision based on the situation. Here are the optimal moves to make if you get one number two card in your hand:

If it helps you line up a full house, keep your hand and cruise to the finish.
If you have four of the five cards needed for a Royal Flush, discard only the fifth card that doesn’t help you.
If you have a four-of-a-kind hand, you can keep your hand or discard the fifth card for a chance to line up Five of a Kind.
If you have three Straight Flush cards of 5-7 or better plus one deuce, keep these four cards and discard the fifth card.
If the deuce helps you connect a three-of-a-kind hand, keep the three cards and discard the other two.
If you have three of the five cards of a Royal Flush, keep the three cards and discard the remaining two.

Finally, if the deuce is the only valuable card in the hand, keep it and discard the other four cards.

Strategy for Two Deuces in Deuces Wild

Two deuces is a good hand, but you can still hope and play for a better final combination. From that perspective, here are four different ways how you can play two deuces depending on your initial hand:

If the two deuces help you make a four-of-a-kind hand, keep the four cards and discard the fifth card that doesn’t match.
If you’re one card short of a Royal Flush, keep the four cards and get rid of the fifth card that doesn’t help you.
If you have four cards of the five needed for a 6-7 Straight or better, keep the four cards and discard the fifth card.

If you have any other card combination, keep the two deuces and discard the other three cards. You have a lot of potential with two deuces, so you don’t want to chase weak hands.

Strategy for Three Deuces in Deuces Wild

The Deuces Wild strategy for three deuces is quite simple, as you have two main options. In that sense, there are no reasons for detailed lists like with the previous examples.

If the deuces help you make the elusive wild Royal Flush, stick with all of your cards. If not, keep the three deuces and discard the other two cards.

Strategy for Four Deuces in Deuces Wild

If you get dealt four deuces, there’s not much to think about. As you can see from the table we’ve talked about previously, it’s the second-biggest win in the game, rounded off at 1,000 coins. Just hold on to your cards and look forward to the massive payout!

Deuces Wild poker strategy

Deuces Wild Strategy – Key Takeaways

With so many possible outcomes and strategies that we’ve shared with you above, making the right decision can seem overwhelming if you’re a beginner player.

For this reason, we advise you to make a list of the four main scenarios we’ve gone over on this page. That way, depending on how many deuces you get, you can quickly adapt your video poker strategy and make the right move every time.

Learning all of the appropriate Deuces Wild strategies from this page will take some time. So, don’t get discouraged if you don’t manage right away. With a bit of effort, you’ll get used to it and will have all of the moves memorized before you know it.

Remember that you’re playing the long game, practice the strategies, and you’re set to increase your chances of winning at Deuces Wild video poker!