Deuces Wild Video Poker
Deuces Wild is one of the two most popular video poker styles out there. However, it also has one of the highest levels of volatility as well. Here we break down this iconic game and show you everything you need to know to get started.
Casinos with Deuces Wild Video Poker
An Introduction to Deuces Wild Video Poker
The online scene for video poker is pretty expansive. With that said, Deuces Wild video poker remains one of the most popular games. There are a lot of reasons for this, but they can mostly be summed up in one sentence:
A very large portion of the cards are wild, which makes this a fun game to play.
Getting wild cards is exciting because it adds to the flexibility of your hands. It’s easier to hit better made hands on average, and it adds a lot more strategic depth. With that said, along with this comes a higher level of volatility. The swings can be severe for a non-progressive title, though a progressive version of this title does exist.
The bottom line is that if you like action or a lot of strategy, or both, you’ll find them here. This is one of the best games out there for people who like either of these in any genre.
The Best Casinos for Deuces Wild Video Poker
There are a few key things to look for in online casinos for this game specifically. We’re going to offer a quick checklist to check for:
- Good Pay Tables – Not all Deuces Wild games are created equally. Looking for online casinos with good pay tables is very important.
- Promotional Opportunities – Because you can get a high payout rate in video poker in general, promotional opportunities can vary. Look out for sites that have bonuses and other goodies for Deuces Wild.
- Mobile Performance – Most players these days want to take their video poker action on the go. Make sure that their mobile options work for your device and that you’re satisfied with the interface before making a deposit.
If you get these three things where you want them, then you’ll have a much better experience.
Basic Gameplay Elements
There are a few things to know about this game before you start looking at how it operates. The idea is that there is a 52-card standard French deck used. This is the deck commonly used in so many other card games. You’ll be playing a version of five-card draw against the house.
What you’re trying to do is make poker hands with your draw. Essentially, you’re given five cards, but you get to discard some to receive new cards to help your cause. Your end result is compared to a pay table of poker hands according to hand ranking. The better the hand you get, the better your payout.
However, there’s a twist put on this whole arrangement. All cards of a rank of two (aka: “deuces”) are full wild cards. That means that they will substitute for the cards that give you the best possible hand. Unlike some other games that require the wild be used for a flush or straight or otherwise count as an ace, there are no such restrictions on the wild cards for Deuces Wild.
Gameplay Procedure
The procedure for playing this game is straightforward and easy to learn. That makes it really easy for new players to hop right in without much in terms of special knowledge. Aside from knowing the hand rankings (see below), new players can see what’s going on quickly.
With that said, here is what a basic hand looks like in terms of gameplay procedure:
- Players start off by choosing a bet size. This includes two elements: the coin size and the number of coins.
- Coin sizes will vary from game to game. However, you’ll always want to play with five coins active. A failure to do so gives worse payouts.
- After choosing your wager, five cards are dealt to you face-up.
- From these five cards, you choose which (if any) to discard. Some games require that you click the cards you want to discard. Others will require you to click the ones you want to keep/hold. Be mindful of which is the case when you start playing.
- After your discards are chosen, they are removed from your hand. New cards are taken from the remaining deck to replace them. Note that discarded cards are not reshuffled into the deck. You cannot receive back a card that you discarded.
- Once you’re back to having five cards post-discard, there’s nothing else to do. Your five cards will be compared to the pay table to determine if you won. If so, your prize is paid automatically.
- Note that you do not have to chose which hand value you made. You’ll automatically be credited with the best possible hand for your five cards. This avoids situations of losing value due to misreading your cards.
The process for playing a hand of this game is fairly quick once you get the hang of it. Experienced players get in several hands per minute on average, for example.
Deuces Wild Video Poker Hand Rankings
The hand rankings for Deuces Wild are based on the traditional five-card poker hands. However, they’re not exactly the same. Here we’ll quickly break down the poker hand rankings for this particular game. We’ll also include one of the most popular pay tables found online. With that said, we’ll get more into pay table versions further below.
- Natural Royal Flush (800x) – AKQJT in the same suit with no wilds
- Four Deuces (200x) – 2222 in the same hand
- Wild Royal Flush (20x) – AKQJT in the same suit with at least one wild
- Five of a Kind (12x) – Five cards of the same rank, must include at least one wild
- Straight Flush (9x) – Five cards of the same suit but also of consecutive rank
- Four of a Kind (5x) – Four cards of the same rank
- Full House (3x) – Three cards of a matching rank with two more cards of a different matching rank
- Flush (2x) – Five cards all with the same suit
- Straight (2x) – Five cards of consecutive rank
- Three of a Kind (1x) – Three cards of the same rank
Players who are familiar with poker hand rankings will notice something. Two pair and one pair hands are not listed on this pay table. That is because they do not pay out in Deuces Wild video poker.
A big reason for this is the fact that you have four wild cards in the deck at all times. That makes it much easier to make better hands than usual. As a result, the payouts have to be adjusted upwards to compensate.
Pay Table Variations
The pay table that we listed above is found with a number of software providers online. Most online pay tables will be similar but perhaps with some small deviations. The above pays out 98.94 percent with correct play, and you typically won’t find Deuces Wild games that pay much more than 99 percent online.
A slightly different pay table that’s also common has a 25x win for a wild royal flush with a 15x win for five of a kind. These are both improvements over the above listing. To compensate, four of a kind is worth 4x instead of 5x. The remaining payouts are 4x for quads and a full house, 3x for a flush, 2x for a straight and 1x for trips. The resulting payout is 98.91 percent with correct play. That’s obviously very close to the above.
We strongly suggest looking up the maximum payout value for a given pay table before enjoying this game. The reason for that is that different software providers and casinos use different tables. For Deuces Wild, you want to avoid any game that pays out less than 98 percent.
How to Win at Deuces Wild Video Poker
Strategy for Deuces Wild is pretty complicated. As far as common video poker games go, it may have the most complicated strategies of them all. This is because you have to treat each number of wilds as its own class of hands. For example, you have to learn to play zero-wild hands, one-wild hands and so on in different ways.
With that said, we have two important resources for players who want to get better at this title:
- Our Deuces Wild Video Poker Strategy Guide covers the basics from A to Z.
- We also have examples of Deuces Wild strategies for advanced players with a focus on example hands. This one is a bit more nuanced.
In any event, recreational players can have a lot of fun with this game as well. It’s not something that you’re obligated to take super seriously by any means in terms of detailed math and strategy.
Overview
Deuces Wild video poker is one of the most iconic casino games of all time. It’s also one of the most in-depth titles from a strategic standpoint. Because of this, it’s really easy to see how it’s maintained a strong fan base for such a long time. If you’re the type of player who likes taking on a game with a lot of skill involved, this is a great pick.
FAQ
Which online casinos have Deuces Wild Video Poker?
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