The best strategy for Deuces Wild video poker

With its four 2s capable of replacing almost any card, Deuces Wild turns the usual conventions of video poker on their head. Behind its straightforward rules lies an online casino game where the order in which decisions are made, the paytable and discipline all play a decisive role. Learn the best strategy for Deuces Wild video poker here.

The role of the 2 in Deuces Wild

The fundamental principle of Deuces Wild is in its name: the four 2s act as wild cards. They can therefore substitute for other cards to complete a winning hand.

In particular, a 2 can help form a straight, a flush, three of a kind, four of a kind or even a royal flush with a joker. The only exception is the natural royal flush: to be considered as such, it must consist of the ten, jack, queen, king and ace of the same suit, without the use of a joker.

The game uses a standard 52-card deck. After being dealt five cards, you choose which ones to keep and which ones to replace. A new hand is then formed using the cards you have kept and the newly dealt cards.

At first glance, the gameplay resembles that of other video poker variants such as Jacks or Better. However, the presence of twos profoundly alters the value of the hands and the decisions to be made.

Why the paytable must be checked before playing Deuces Wild

The effectiveness of your strategy in Deuces Wild video poker depends on the paytable offered by the machine. Applying a strategy designed for a specific paytable to a machine with a different payout structure may alter the expected outcome.

The RTP for Deuces Wild video poker is generally between 97 per cent and 99 per cent. A higher RTP indicates smaller losses in the long term. These figures obviously do not mean that a particular session will be a winner. They represent a theoretical return calculated over a very large number of hands and for a specific paytable.

The first question to ask in Deuces Wild: how many 2s do you have?

The strategy begins with a very practical observation: the number of wilds you are dealt immediately changes your priorities.

4 wilds in Deuces Wild

With four 2s, the decision is obvious: they are kept.

3 wilds in Deuces Wild

With three 2s, a royal flush that is already formed takes priority; in the other situations indicated by the strategy, the three wilds are kept on their own.

2 wilds in Deuces Wild video poker

With two 2s, there are four possibilities.

Only one joker in Deuces Wild

The situation becomes more varied with only one 2.

No wilds in Deuces Wild

An open straight can be completed by a card at either end, whilst an inside straight requires a specific missing card in the middle or at a specific end of the sequence.

An already winning hand is not always the best option

This is probably one of the most counter-intuitive aspects of Deuces Wild. Unlike the strategy in Jacks or Better, a hand that has already been formed can sometimes be partially discarded when another possibility offers a better expected value.

For example, if you are dealt the following cards: six of clubs, seven of clubs, eight of clubs, queen of clubs and two of hearts, you already have a flush thanks to the 2 being used as a wild card. You could therefore keep all five cards and accept this hand.

However, the strategy recommends a different decision: keeping four cards in order to pursue a straight flush. This has a higher expected value.

What you really need to know about Deuces Wild

Deuces Wild seems simple because its core mechanic can be summed up in a single sentence: twos act as wild cards. But this rule alters the odds enough to make some decisions surprising.

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