What will you play next?
Deuces Wild is one of the most popular forms of video poker. You will find this game in Game King cabinets from IGT – as well as in standalone format. A regular 52-card deck is used for Deuces Wild. The difference between this and other video poker games is that all the twos (deuces) are wild cards. This means they will substitute for any other card to create poker hands.
Not only are strong hands like royal flushes and full houses more common in Deuces Wild, but brand-new poker hands also become possible. You will hit five of a kind hands with a combination of regular cards and wilds. You can also get a royal flush with or without a wild included. If you are lucky enough to get four wilds on the same hand, a big prize is coming your way.
This page covers Deuces Wild video poker in depth. New players will find the game instructions below. The pay table, strategy and how to use this game to clear casino bonuses and bonus play is covered after that. You will find Deuces Wild in casinos across Canada. This game is also available in Canadian online casinos – including provincial lottery sites and sweepstakes casinos.
Step by Step: How to Play Deuces Wild
When you open a game of Deuces Wild, the first thing to take note of is the pay table above the row of five cards. This shows the prizes, which will start at three of a kind. You can choose to play between one and five coins. The returns for all forms of video poker are always better if you play five coins. If you need to drop down a denomination (for example from $1 to 25c) to make this fit with your casino bankroll, then this is the way to go.
After choosing your coins you hit the deal button. This gives you five cards face up. The video poker strategy part of this specific game now comes into play. You select which cards to hold, then hit the ‘draw’ button to replace the rest.
When the new cards arrive, your final poker hand is completed. This is compared to the pay table, any credits won are added to your total, and you are ready for a new hand.
Older consoles have individual buttons to hold each card. You can select and unselect by hitting these buttons twice. Online variations of Deuces Wild and newer casino consoles have touchscreens.
Pay Table and Coins Bet
The top paying hand in Deuces Wild video poker does not involve any deuces. This is a royal flush hand with no wild cards included. It pays 4,000-coins, assuming a five-coin bet. This highlights why you must always bet the maximum five coins in video poker games. Prizes for that same royal flush with between one and four coins go up proportionally to your bet. Add the fifth coin, and your prize is bigger.
This bigger prize is what gives Deuces Wild a great ‘Return to Player’ (often over 99%) compared to slots and other casino games. If you bet between one and four coins, you are giving more money to the casino in the long run.
Other factors worth noting on the Deuces Wild pay table include the big prize for all four wild deuces, and the fact that a five of a kind hand is listed. This could be any combination of between one and three wilds and two to four regular cards.
Here is a typical pay table for Deuces Wild video poker:
- Royal Flush (no wilds): 4000
- Four of a Kind 2’s: 1000
- Royal Flush (with wilds): 100
- Five of a Kind: 60
- Straight Flush: 50
- Four of a Kind: 20
- Full House: 20
- Flush: 15
- Straight: 10
- Three of a Kind: 5
Strategy for Deuces Wild Video Poker
There is more to the strategy for Deuces Wild than just betting the maximum coins. You will also need to learn which cards to hold and which to draw.
One easy starting point is that you will always hold any deuce dealt. Wild cards will combine so many different poker hands, that they are too valuable to discard. This even applies to the most extreme hands. For example, if you have a royal flush with a single wild, you should hold all the cards. The chances of completing a ‘non wild’ royal do not match up with the jump in prize money.
If you are lucky enough to get two+ wild cards, do not hold a ‘kicker’ high card with them. You will always get at least three of a kind. The strategy is to maximize your chances of hitting another wild card. The higher probability of hitting flushes and straights (or better) with these wilds, means that you will break single pairs more often when better hands are possible in this format.
Deuces Wild Video Poker and Casino Bonuses
Live casinos across the country have loyalty programs which track your betting. They give you bonus play, access to promotions and discounts at their resorts based on how much you gamble. You often get bonus play simply for registering, with free play video poker options often available.
Video poker games do require more betting than slots to get the same level of benefits. This is due to these games having a lower house edge (higher return to player), and lower volatility than most casino games.
If you play online, you will find casinos apply ‘Weightings’ to video poker titles for bonus clearing. This means you must bet your bonus money more times to clear your welcome offer than on other games.
Wrapping Up: Why Choose Deuces Wild Video Poker?
The appeal of this video poker format is that you get the strongest poker hands more often. In alternatives like Jacks or Better or Joker Poker, hands higher than a flush are rare. With four completely wild cards in the deck, you will be hitting full house hands, quads, and straight / royal flushes more frequently.
To balance the frequent big hands, single pairs and two-pair hands don’t pay in Deuces Wild. Instead, you get some new hands to shoot for. This form of video poker lets you hit high paying combinations including four wilds, or five of a kind.