Deuces Wild Strategy

Deuces Wild is a leading option in the realm of video poker, distinguished by its unique feature of twos acting as wild cards. Further, what differentiates this game is its impressive Return to Player (RTP) rate that fluctuates between 97% and 100%, making it one of the highest-ranking games within its category.

If you want to start winning big on video poker, Deuces Wild is a great place to start! In this piece, I wanted to take a closer look at this exciting video poker variant and all the top strategies you need to use to win. Let’s have a look!

Basics of Deuces Wild

There’s not much you need to know if you want to play the game for the first time. Deuces Wild is almost indistinguishable from all other video poker variants, especially popular games like Jacks or Better and Double Bonus.

You start playing with a conventional 52-card deck, as you always do. When each game starts, you get to choose which cards from the five awarded ones you want to hold. Then you press the Draw button, and you hope to get the best result possible.

However, unlike with other video poker games, in Deuces Wild you have the possibility of getting deuces, or 2s, that act as wilds in this game.

This changes the game significantly, as it provides you with additional opportunities to win. Naturally, you still get the five cards per draw and you have to choose which ones to keep while hoping to get the best result in the next draw.

If you’ve never played any type of video poker, you’ll have to learn each of the possible winning hands, so you know what to chase with the cards you get. However, you’ll also have to remember that 2s can act as any other card as they are wilds. The only combination the deuces can’t be used for is the Natural Royal Flush.

Here are the possible winning combinations you can get in Deuces Wild, starting with the least rewarding one:

Three of a Kind — Three cards with the same value
Straight — Five consecutive cards of any suit
Flush — Five cards of the same suit and any value
Full House — Two cards of the same value + three of the same kind
Four of a Kind — Four cards with the same value
Straight Flush — Five sequential cards
Five of a Kind — Four cards of the same value + a deuce
Deuces Royal Flush — Same as the Royal Flush, but with one card being a deuce
Four Deuces — Four deuces
Natural Royal Flush — a 10, Jack, Queen, King, and Ace of the same suit

Deuces Wild Odds

As the 2s significantly increase your chances of getting a winning hand, the game is also designed to have lower odds than other video poker types.

However, when you combine that with the fact that your chances of winning are much higher thanks to the wilds, you still end up having higher chances of winning than with other video poker variants. That’s precisely why the RTP of Deuces Wild is one of the best in the world of video poker games.

Now that the basics are out of the way, let’s take a look at some of the strategies you need to employ in Deuces Wild if you want to have better chances of winning and if you want to learn how to play the game well.

Deuces Wild Strategies

As you can expect, there are many strategies experts suggest for Deuces Wild. They all state that you need to use their strategy as it’s somehow the most optimal Deuces Wild strategy in the world.

However, in reality, you need to choose which strategy to implement based on what you’re getting and how you’re playing. You still need to learn to play the game well. If you have all the strategies in the back of your mind, you’ll always be able to determine which are the best cards to hold on to.

Basic Deuces Wild Strategy

The first thing you need to know when it comes to strategies is the number of cards you need to hold based on the hand you’re dealt with.

Hold four cards and draw one if your dealt hand (pat hand) is:

Four to a Royal Flush
Four to a Straight Flush
Four of a Kind
Three to a Royal Flush
Four to a Flush
Four to a Straight

Hold three cards and draw two if your pat hand is:

Three of a Kind
Three to a Straight Flush

Hold two cards and draw three if your pat hand is:

One pair
Two to a Royal Flush

Finally, you should always draw all five cards if your dealt hand holds nothing that can lead to a win.

Deuces Wild Strategy to Use Based on the Number of Deuces

Aside from the aforementioned, you need to look at the number of deuces you get and adjust your strategy accordingly.

I’ll make it simple for you. You only need to look at the number of deuces you got in your initial hand, and then choose one of the viable ways to play that hand by going through the possibilities listed below.

If you get four deuces:

Keep them and collect

If you get three deuces:

Pat Royal Flush
Keep the three deuces and draw the other two cards

If you get two deuces:

Pat Four of a Kind or better
4 to a Royal Flush
4 to a Straight Flush
Keep the two deuces and draw the other three cards

If you get one deuce:

Pat Four of a Kind or better
4 to a Royal Flush
Full House
4 to a Straight Flush
Three of a Kind, a Straight Flush, or a Royal Flush
3 to a Royal Flush
3 to a Straight Flush
Keep the deuce and draw the other four cards

In the end, if you don’t get any deuces, the best thing to do is to draw all five cards, unless you have a winning combination. If you do, keep the winning hand and draw the rest to try and get something better, unless the winning combination includes all five cards.

Also, remember never to keep two pairs. It’s better to keep one pair and draw the other three cards as the expected value is always higher if you do that instead of holding two pairs and drawing a single card.

Try it out for free!

Here’s a free version of Deuces Wild which you can try above’s strategy on without risking any real money

Conclusion

This is all you need to know if you’re looking for a Deuces Wild strategy. However, remember that this is a game of chance, so whichever play you choose to use, you’re still at the whim of Lady Luck.

The strategies and plays I explained will help you increase your chances of winning substantially, but they might take some getting used to. So, start by playing small amounts until you get the hang of things. Once you’re proficient enough, you’re bound to start winning more than before!