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A Beginner’s Deuces Wild Strategy

Deuces Wild is a popular video poker game and this simple strategy guide will help you maximise your winnings.

The Basics

Deuces Wild is a hugely popular form of video poker as it is extremely enjoyable, offers very large payouts and with proper strategy, it is known for having a particularly high RTP. It is very similar to the traditional game of Jacks or Better but with a crucial twist, all of the 2s (or deuces) are wild cards, making it easier to form winning hands. Before discussing strategy, it is important that the game’s rules are properly understood. The aim of the card game is to put together the best possible five-card poker hand. The game pays out as long as you have a hand of at least three of a kind. At the start of a round you are dealt five cards, you can then choose which to hold and which to discard, and the discarded cards are then replaced. You will then be paid according to the strength of your hand. In case you are unfamiliar with the standard poker hands featured in Deuces Wild, here is a quick explanation of them in ascending order:

Three of a Kind –This is a hand that contains three matching cards. For example, three 6s.
Straight– This is a hand of five sequential cards, for example 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. The suits of the cards is not important and an Ace can be at the start or end of a sequence.
Flush– This is a hand where all the cards are the same suit, for example, 6, 9, 10, Q and A of Spades.
Full House –This is the combination of a pair together with a three of a kind, for example two fours and three Jacks. It doesn’t matter what suit the cards are, as long as they have the same value.
Four of a Kind – This is a hand that contains four matching cards. For example, four 10s.
Straight Flush– This is a hand that is both a straight and a flush. For example, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 of Hearts.
Five of a Kind –This is a hand that only exists in Deuces Wild. It is a Four of a Kind hand (e.g. four 7s) together with a 2, a wild card that makes it five matching cards.
Royal Flush– This is a straight flush composed of the highest cards, such as 10, J, Q, K, A. This is the strongest hand in video poker.
Four Deuces –A hand of all four 2s.
Natural Royal Flush – A Royal Flush as described above but without the inclusion of any wild cards.

There is some more terminology that is helpful to understand when discussing strategy:

Outside (Open-Ended) Straight– This is a set of cards that can be made into a Straight with another card on either end. For example, 8, 6, 9, 7, 2 is an outside straight because either a 5 on the low end or a 10 on the high end will turn it into a straight.
Inside Straight– This is a potential straight with a hole in the middle. 8, 3, 9, 7, 5 is an inside straight because only a 6 will turn it into a straight. It is important to know the difference between inside and outside straights when considering strategy and likely outcomes.

If you are new to video poker then the first thing you need to learn is to always bet the maximum number of coins. The reason for this is simple, if you look at the paytable you will see that there is an extra-large payout available for a Royal Flush when betting five coins, meaning that the potential returns are far larger than when betting one to four coins.

Deuces Wild Basic Strategy

Deuces Wild strategy is best explained using a number of charts. These charts tell you exactly what you should do in certain sitwwwions and if you stick to what the charts tell you then you can be sure of maximising your winnings. There are five charts and you need to refer to the one that corresponds to the number of Deuces you are holding in your hand. There are also two general rules you need to remember, never discard a Deuce and never hold any single card unless it is a Deuce.

Four Deuces

If you are dealt Four Deuces, just hold on to them as you are in for a huge payout of up to 1000 coins.

Three Deuces

If your hand forms a Royal Flush then stick with it, otherwise get rid of the two cards that are not Deuces.

Two Deuces

If you have a hand that is 4 of a Kind or better then stick with it (if you have 4 of a Kind then discard the fifth card and hope for 5 of a Kind)
If you have four of the five cards needed for a Royal Flush, keep those four cards and discard the other.
If you have four of the cards in a Straight Flush with two connected cards of 6-7 or higher, keep the four cards and discard the other.
For all other combinations of cards, keep your Deuces and discard the others.

One Deuce

If you have a hand that is 4 of a Kind or better then stick with it (if you have 4 of a Kind then discard the fifth card and hope for 5 of a Kind)
If you have four of the five cards needed for a Royal Flush, keep those four cards and discard the other.
Keep a Full House
If you have four of the cards needed for a Straight Flush, with three consecutive cards of 5-7 or higher, then keep those cards and discard the other.
Keep 3 of a Kind and discard the other two cards, also keep Straights and Flushes
If you have four of the cards needed for a Straight Flush, keep the four and discard the other.
If you have three of the cards needed for a Royal Flush, keep those three and discard the other two.
If you have three of the cards needed for a Straight Flush with 2 connected cards (6-7 or higher), keep the three cards and discard the other two.
Keep the Deuce and discard the other four cards.

No Deuces

Keep a Royal Flush, if you have four of the cards needed for a Royal Flush then discard the other card.
Retain any made hand from 3 of a Kind to Straight Flush (if you have 3 of a Kind exactly then discard the other two cards).
If you have four of the cards needed for a Straight Flush then discard the other card.
If you have three of the cards in a Royal Flush discard the other two cards.
If you have a Pair then discard the other three cards.
If you have four cards of a Flush, discard the fifth card.
If you have four cards of an open-ended Straight then discard the other card.
If you have three cards of a Straight Flush then discard the remaining two cards.
If you have four cards of an Inside Straight, discard the fifth card unless the missing card is a 2.
If you have two cards of a Royal Flush (J, Q or higher), then discard the other three cards.
Discard all five of your cards.

How to Use the Charts

The above charts can at first seem a bit confusing but they are actually very easy to use. When you are dealt a hand, count how many Deuces you have and then go to the corresponding chart. There you can look up your hand and then just do as instructed. In many cases, your hand will fit many scenarios on a chart; in that case, you just take the highest ranked one. Here is an example in which you are dealt King Diamonds, 4 Diamonds, 3 Diamonds, 5 Clubs, 6 Diamonds. The hand does not contain any Deuces so you know that you are dealing with the No Deuces chart. The hand can actually be applied to three different scenarios on the chart. Firstly, you have three cards of a Straight Flush (the 3, 4 and 6 of Diamonds), which is ranked number eight on the chart. Secondly, you have four cards of an Open-Ended Straight (3, 4, 5 and 6), which is ranked number seven on the chart. Finally, you have four cards of a Flush (King, 4, 3 and 6), which is ranked six on the chart. This means that you follow the instructions at number six, as it is the highest ranked, you discard the fifth card and hold the rest. Don’t worry if this sounds confusing, you will soon get used to it. You can practice using these strategy charts playing in demo mode at mr.play Casino and then start playing for real money as soon as you’ve got the hang of things. Before you know it, your Deuces Wild winnings will start increasing and the strategy will have become second nature.