Deuces Wild is a video poker variant in which all four 2s are wild. A wild card can stand in for any card, so hands that are impossible in Jacks or Better, such as five of a kind, become part of the paytable. Because wilds make strong hands common, the lowest paying hand is three of a kind and the paytable is rebalanced around that.

How the Wild Deuces Work

• Each 2 counts as whatever card makes your hand best, including a card you already hold (that is how five of a kind is made).
• The game evaluates your final hand automatically; you do not assign the deuces yourself.
• A royal flush made without deuces is a natural royal and pays far more than a wild royal made with one or more deuces.
• Four deuces is its own paytable line and pays regardless of the fifth card.

Full-Pay vs Short-Pay Paytables

Deuces Wild paytables differ mainly in the lines between five of a kind and full house. The table shows payouts per coin; the natural royal pays 800 per coin when you play max coins.

Hand	Full Pay	Not So Ugly Deuces (NSUD)	A common short-pay version
Natural royal flush	800	800	800
Four deuces	200	200	200
Wild royal flush	25	25	25
Five of a kind	15	16	15
Straight flush	9	10	9
Four of a kind	5	4	4
Full house	3	4	4
Flush	2	3	3
Straight	2	2	2
Three of a kind	1	1	1
RTP with optimal play	100.76%	99.73%	About 94.3%

The quickest check is the four-of-a-kind line. Four of a kind is the most frequent paying hand above three of a kind (it lands far more often than in non-wild games), so moving it from 5 to 4 has a large effect, even when the full house and flush are raised to compensate. If a paytable pays 5 for four of a kind and 15 for five of a kind, the remaining lines decide whether it is full pay.

Full-pay Deuces Wild is one of the few casino games with a theoretical return above 100%, but only with near-flawless strategy. Many online casinos run reduced paytables, and those that offer full pay usually exclude video poker from bonuses.

How Often Deuces Appear

On the initial deal of five cards from 52:

Deuces dealt	Probability
None	65.9%
One	29.9%
Two	4.0%
Three	0.17%
Four	0.0018% (1 in 54,145)

After the draw, with optimal play, four deuces arrive about once every 4,900 hands and a natural royal about once every 45,000 hands in full-pay Deuces Wild.

Strategy by Number of Deuces

The correct play in Deuces Wild depends first on how many deuces you hold. Count them, then use the matching list and keep the highest-ranked option. This is a simplified version of the full-pay strategy; the full computer strategy adds rare exceptions worth a few hundredths of a percent.

Four deuces

Hold all four deuces. The fifth card does not matter.

Three deuces

1. Hold a made wild royal flush or five of a kind.
2. Otherwise hold the three deuces only and draw two.

Two deuces

1. Hold a made four of a kind or better (four of a kind, straight flush, five of a kind, wild royal).
2. Hold four to a wild royal flush.
3. Hold four to a straight flush with two consecutive suited cards from 6-7 up to 9-10.
4. Otherwise hold the two deuces only.

One deuce

1. Hold a made wild royal, five of a kind or straight flush.
2. Hold a made four of a kind.
3. Hold four to a wild royal flush.
4. Hold a made full house.
5. Hold four to a straight flush with three consecutive suited cards, 3-4-5 or higher.
6. Hold a made three of a kind, flush or straight.
7. Hold any other four to a straight flush.
8. Hold three to a wild royal flush.
9. Hold three to a straight flush with two consecutive suited cards, 6-7 or higher.
10. Otherwise hold the deuce only.

No deuces

1. Hold a natural royal flush.
2. Hold four to a royal flush.
3. Hold a made straight flush, four of a kind or full house.
4. Hold a made three of a kind, flush or straight.
5. Hold four to a straight flush.
6. Hold three to a royal flush.
7. Hold one pair. With two pair, keep only one of the pairs.
8. Hold four to a flush.
9. Hold four to an outside straight.
10. Hold three to a straight flush.
11. Otherwise draw five new cards.

Plays that surprise new players

• Breaking two pair. With no deuces and two pair, keep one pair. Two pair pays nothing here, and drawing three cards to one pair gives more chances at three of a kind, a full house or four of a kind with a deuce.
• Never discarding a deuce. Every deuce is worth more than any natural card, so every correct hold keeps all deuces dealt.
• Breaking a straight flush with three deuces. Three deuces plus 7-8 suited is a made straight flush paying 9, but holding the three deuces alone and drawing two has a higher expected value, because four deuces (200), wild royals (25) and five of a kind (15) are all live.
• Drawing five cards is correct more often than in Jacks or Better, because a single high card has no value when the minimum payout is three of a kind.

Variance and Bankroll

Four deuces and the natural royal together supply about 6% of the return in full-pay Deuces Wild, and four of a kind and five of a kind supply a large share of the rest. The game is more volatile than 9/6 Jacks or Better. Expect long stretches where you win mostly three-of-a-kind payouts (1 coin, a push) and occasional four-of-a-kind and five-of-a-kind hits. Plan for a bankroll of several hundred bets per session; see bankroll management for how to size it.

Deuces Wild Online

Deuces Wild is part of the video poker range of providers such as Games Global (Microgaming), Betsoft and Habanero. The paytable may be shown on the game screen or only in the help file. Before you play:

1. Compare the paytable with the table above and identify the version.
2. Check the RTP in the help file. A Deuces Wild game listed at 96% or below is a short-pay version.
3. Check the bonus terms, because video poker often contributes little or nothing to wagering requirements.

Casinos listing those providers include Cosmobet and MrPunter. Hand values follow the standard poker hand rankings with the addition of five of a kind. For other poker formats, return to the casino poker guide or the full list of casino game guides.

Frequently Asked Questions

Even full-pay paytables require optimal play to reach their stated return. Only gamble if you are 18 or older; Gambling Help Online (1800 858 858) is free and confidential.