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Information about Deuces Wild Online
| Genre | Video Poker |
|---|---|
| Release date | 2018 |
| Developer | Red Rake Gaming |
| RTP | 96.77% |
| Min/Max Bet | 0.05$/50$ |
| Platforms | Windows, MacOS, Android, iOS |
| Technology | HTML5 |
Deuces Wild is an (online) video poker game vaguely related to the traditional games in the poker family. Like most video poker games, it is based on the popular Five-Card Draw game.
As its name suggests, it is differentiated from the other Video Poker games by making each 2, or “deuce” card in the Deck a wild card. These wild cards can be substituted for any card in the deck to form melds.
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How to Play Deuces Wild Poker?
The game is played using a Deuces Wild Machine, or at an online casino. Players must place cash into the kiosk/machine when at a physical location such as Vegas or Atlantic City. Online casinos often keep track of an account balance, which is connected to a bank account.
Players must convert their currency of choice into tokens/credits via the game itself. Each of these tokens represents some equal cash value. The value of tokens may differ per venue. Sometimes a token will be 50 cents, $1, or $5.
Once a player has converted their currency into tokens, they are able to make a wager in tokens. Like in most Video Poker games, players should always bet the maximum amount of tokens allowed by their machine/casino of choice.
Gameplay
Once a bet is made, the proper game of Deuces Wild can begin. The game itself is played with a digital copy of a standard deck. As mentioned above, players should be aware that each of the 2s, or “Deuces” are wild-cards in this game. These 2s can substitute any card of any rank and suit.
- Once players have made their bet, five cards are dealt.
- After viewing their five cards, players are given the option to hold none, some, or all of their cards.
- Players can choose to hold between 0-5 of the five cards originally dealt to them.
- After a player has chosen which, if any, of their cards to hold, they can press the Draw button.
- All cards that a player did not hold will then be discarded, and returned to the Dealer. These discards will be substituted with new cards from the Deck. Players cannot be dealt the cards that they have already been dealt.
Ending
After this Draw, the player’s final hand is immediately calculated by the computer, and payouts are meted out accordingly. The Computer will use the Deuces, if there are any, in order to form the strongest Poker hand possible automatically without input from the player.
Players are paid out according to the pay table associated with the particular machine/casino. There are many different versions of Deuces Wild, and players should do their best to only play the version of the game that offers the optimal House Edge. These instructions will be further elaborated upon in the “Pay Tables” section below.
Cashing Out
Payouts are made in the form of tokens, rather than hard currency. Players are able to use their tokens to keep playing until they run out of tokens altogether. Alternatively, players can walk away once they feel they have made enough money simply by cashing out.
In a land-based casino, this button will print a receipt that the player must take to the cashier and exchange for real money. In most online casinos, players can simply withdraw the money from their player account into their bank account.
Quick Rules
- Deuces Wild does not follow the “Jacks or Better” rule for Pairs. This is because Deuces Wild does not allow Pairs, or Two-Pair melds, to payout. Only Three-of-a-Kind or better can receive payout in this game.
- The Deuce is able to substitute any card of any rank and suit. For example, the hand 2♥ 8♣ 9♣ 10♣ J♣ is actually a Straight Flush with the 2 substituting a 7♣, even though the 2 is a ♥.
- Players make their wagers in Tokens, and are paid out in Tokens. Money must be converted into Tokens before playing, and back into cash when done playing.
- Players may hold any, all, or none of their cards before pressing the Draw button. If holding No Cards, players will instead compare their whole starting hand against the table and receive payouts accordingly.
Pay Tables
Just like other games of Video Poker, multiple different Pay Tables exist for Deuces Wild. Most Video Poker games have been given special nicknames to readily differentiate among the best and worst table variations.
Full Pay
Usually, in Video Poker, players will want to seek out what other players call the “Full Pay” Game. Full Pay refers to the Table with the best payouts possible. All other games with inferior odds are given different names.
While Full Pay Deuces Wild does exist, it is only available in a few Las Vegas casinos. Due to the significant Edge granted to the player by four wildcards in the deck, Full Pay Deuces Wild actually has a Player Edge (as opposed to a House Edge).
The player has about a 0.8% Edge over the House if playing optimally on a Full Pay machine.
Since Full Pay is so incredibly rare, as most casinos do not want to install machines that statistically will cost them money, the second-best version of the Deuces Wild pay table has become the most popular.
Not So Ugly (4/3 Deuces)
This table has come to garner the nickname “Not So Ugly” Deuces because it is only 1% less favorable than Full Pay. This is also known as 4/3 Deuces, as the Full House pays out 4 Tokens per Token bet, and the Flush pays out 3 Tokens per Token bet.
Given below is the Not So Ugly pay table. You should always be playing the Not So Ugly, unless you are in Nevada and can find a proper Full Pay machine.
The table below assumes players are maximizing their bets:
| Meld | Payout, In Tokens (Max Bet) |
|---|---|
| Natural Royal Flush (No Wildcards) | 4000 |
| Four-Kind (All 2s/Deuces) | 1000 |
| Wild Royal Flush | 125 |
| Five-Kind | 80 |
| Straight Flush | 50 |
| Four-Kind | 20 |
| Full House | 20 |
| Flush | 15 |
| Straight | 10 |
| Three-Kind | 5 |
While many Video Poker games will award a push for players that achieve a pair of face-cards, Deuces Wild does not. Players essentially have double the chance to achieve a pair of Jacks or Better than they do in other Video Poker games.
As such, players can receive no payout of any kind for Pairs or Two-Pairs.
Example Scenario
Suppose that you are dealt the following cards initially in a game of Not So Ugly Deuces Wild where you placed the Max Bet:
3♥ 4♦ Q♦ 7♦ 5♥
There are multiple possibilities for this hand:
- Hold the Q♦ for a possible Trips
- Hold the 3♥ 4♦ 5♥ 7♦ for a possible Straight.
However, there is a third option. While often overlooked as a choice, players could discard all of their cards here and hold none of them.
This third option, in reality, may be the best one available to the player. Most Jacks or Better games would hold the Queen and nothing else, but Deuces Wild is quite different. Since this game does not payout for Pair or Two-Pair hands, holding onto the Queen is not as helpful as it would otherwise be.
Discarding the entire five-card hand maximizes the player’s chances to draw a superior meld that can actually pay out. By not holding any cards, the player is given 5 chances to draw useful cards, instead of 4.
While it is true that chasing straights and flushes is slightly less risky in Deuces Wild, due to the high number of wild cards increasing the likelihood of being dealt the necessary component, the cards above are unsuited. Players should generally only chase 4-Component Straight Flushes and 4-Component Flushes.
Strategy and Tips
Key Differences from Jacks or Better
Deuces Wild is very different from most other “Jacks or Better” style Video Poker games when it comes to Holding strategy. Players will often hold single face-cards in Jacks or better, but doing so is usually harmful in a game of Deuces Wild. A Pair of Face-cards does not push in this game.
Always Hold Your Deuces
While this should be common sense, remember to hold all 2s. 2s are wild cards, and become any component of any rank and suit. As such, 2s are undoubtedly the best possible cards in the deck. They should always be held.
Chasing Premium Hands (Four Components)
Players can chase a Flush, Straight Flush, or Royal Flush if they have four of the necessary components, and have been dealt none of the 2s in the deck. This maximizes the chances of being dealt the necessary component, or a 2, as there will be 3-4 copies of the necessary component in the deck, and 4 copies of the wild card. This would give players about a 15% chance to achieve the proper component.
The Flow Chart Approach
Deuces Wild Strategy can largely be thought of as a Flow Chart. Players should hold the highest four-component meld that they can, so long as it is a Flush or better. Holding the components of a Straight is usually not recommended. This is because the payout of a Straight is so small that chasing it is not worth it, statistically speaking. Chasing Unsuited Straights is not optimal play, and increases House Edge.
When You Don’t Have Four-Component Hands
If there are no 4-component hands to hold, players should move down the Pay-Table, keeping full melds if they can. Three-Kinds, for example, should always be held. If players cannot hold any 4-component melds, or full three-card melds, then they should discard everything but their 2s.
Special Case: Three-Component Premium Hands
Sometimes, it can be appropriate to hold 3-component hands, as they are 3-component Royal Flushes, or Straight Flushes. Players should only hold these 3-component premium hands if they are dealt a single 2 card. Such that players have two of the natural components, and a 2.
With only a single two dealt from the deck, there are still 3 remaining. This increases the Edge in favor of the player slightly, and makes it optimal to keep the two natural components as well as the Deuce.
Ready to Play? Try Deuces Wild for Free!
Now that you’ve learned the ropes, it’s time to put your skills to the test! Our free online Deuces Wild game at the top of this page gives you the perfect opportunity to apply everything you’ve just discovered.
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