Deuces Wild Video Poker

The Michigan online gaming market offers a variety of video poker variations. Deuces Wild is among the most popular.

This game features deuces, also known as twos, as wildcards. A deuce can be used as a substitute for any other card to form a winning poker hand.

This wildcard aspect adds more potential excitement to Deuces Wild, and we know you’re going to want to know everything you can about this video poker variation before you sit down and play. We’ve got you covered with our gaming guide.

Deuces Wild Rules

Deuces Wild works like any other video poker game for the most part. It offers payouts based on traditional poker hands, beginning with a three-of-a-kind.

Wildcards are the only difference between Deuces Wild and most other poker games. When needed, the twos in your hand can be used as a substitute for any card you need.

Here’s an example:

• A player holds an ace of clubs, an ace of diamonds, three of spades, eight of hearts and a two of spades.
• Normally, this hand would only offer a pair of aces.
• However, the deuce can substitute as an ace.
• As a result, the gambler holds a three-of-a-kind.

Betting

Deuces Wild allows you to wager between one and five coins per hand. Coin denominations vary based on the Michigan online casino you are dealing with.

Many gaming sites will give you the ability to adjust the coin denomination. For example, you might be able to change the coin size from 1 cent to $1. In this case, you would be able to wager anywhere from 1 cent (a single 1 cent coin) to $5 (five $1 coins).

Gamblers should consider risking five coins on each hand no matter what denomination they use. After all, you can only win the maximum royal flush payout (4,000 credits) with a five-coin wager.

Common Buttons

The typical Michigan online casino features the following buttons for the Deuces Wild games:

• Bet One – Adds a single coin to the bet
• Bet Max – Automatically wagers five coins
• Speed – Adjusts the game speed
• Info – Shows the Deuces Wild rules
• Coin Size – Changes the coin denomination
• No. of Hands – Adjusts the number of playable hands in multi-hand variations

How To Play Michigan Online Deuces Wild

You can quickly learn how to play Deuces Wild at Michigan online casinos, once they’ve launched, in just a few simple steps:

1. Select the bet size
2. Choose deal to receive five cards
3. Decide which cards to hold and discard during the draw round
4. Select draw to replace the discards (if any)

After you choose to draw, the game’s software will evaluate the hand for potential wins. Payouts are made based on pay tables discussed in the next section.

Deuces Wild Pay Tables

Michigan online casinos differ on the pay tables they offer for Deuces Wild. Some casinos feature higher payouts for certain hands.

Below, you can see common pay tables for online Michigan Deuces Wild:

“Not So Ugly Ducks” (NSUD)

“Ugly Ducks”

25/15/8/4/4/3/2 Deuces Wild

25/15/6/4/4/3/2 Deuces Wild

Unique Deuces Wild Hands

The wildcard in Deuces Wild creates special hands not usually seen in other games. First off, the second-highest-paying hand is four deuces.

This game rewards players for getting four wildcards — the most possible — in a single hand. You will earn 1,000 credits on a five-coin bet with this hand.

Second, Deuces Wild distinguishes between a “wild” and “natural” royal flush. The former refers to a royal that includes at least one deuce, while a natural royal contains no deuces. This hand pays more because it occurs much less frequently than a wild royal.

The Importance Of Playing Five Coins

Almost every payout in Deuces Wild increases proportionally based on how much you wager.

Let’s use the royal flush again as an example. If you bet a single coin, the payout for the royal flush will be 250 coins. That multiplies with each additional coin up to four.

A bet of two coins would net you 500 coins in return, and a bet of four would land 1,000. However, the fifth coin in your initial wager makes quite a difference.

The prize jumps from 1,000 credits (four coins) to 4,000 credits on a five-coin wager.

This disproportionate increase boosts the Deuces Wild Return to Player (RTP) by approximately 2%. That said, anyone who wants to get the highest payback possible should risk all five coins.

Probabilities Of Getting Each Deuces Wild Hand

Here are the probabilities behind each Deuces Wild hand after the draw round. These probabilities assume you are using the correct strategy:

• Natural royal flush: 0.0022%
• Four deuces:  0.02%
• Wild royal flush: 0.18%
• Five-of-a-kind:  0.32%
• Straight flush: 0.42%
• Four-of-a-kind: 6.49%
• Full house: 2.12%
• Flush: 1.68%
• Straight: 5.61%
• Three-of-a-kind: 28.47%

Each of these hands occurs more often in Deuces Wild than the average video poker game. After all, players can look forward to wildcards that boost their odds of winning.

Deuces Wild RTP

The Deuces Wild RTP varies based on which pay table is used. Here are payback figures for each of the pay tables covered earlier:

• Not So Ugly Ducks: 99.73%
• Ugly Ducks: 98.91%
• 25/15/8/4/4/3/2 Deuces Wild: 98.45%
• 25/15/6/4/4/3/2 Deuces Wild: 97.64%

Optimal RTP Requires Proper Strategy

The above payout percentages only represent what’s possible with optimal strategy. You can’t automatically expect to achieve 99.73% payback with NSUD, for example, with no effort involved.

You have to make the proper decisions in each scenario to boost your winnings. Later in this guide, we’ll discuss some strategies that will help you achieve higher payback.

Doesn’t Deuces Wild Offer Over 100% RTP?

Deuces Wild became famous years ago for being the highest-paying video poker variation. Its absolute-best pay table features 100.76% RTP.

Here is the full-pay Deuces Wild pay table:

However, no Michigan brick-and-mortar or online casino offers this pay table. No casinos outside of Nevada feature this level of RTP.

Full-pay Deuces Wild is even becoming rare in Nevada. Soon, this game could cease to exist like many extinct video poker variations that paid over 100%.

NSUD is commonly the best-available online Deuces Wild game in Michigan. With its potential 99.73% RTP, this variation pays much better than nearly every other casino game in the market.

Deuces Wild Strategy

Deuces Wild strategy hinges on how many wildcards you hold. First, you should evaluate your hand for deuces before making any further decisions.

Here’s a strategy chart that ranks which hand you should keep in each situation:

Four Deuces

1. Four deuces

Three Deuces

1. Wild royal flush
2. Three deuces only (discard any non-pair)
3. Three deuces only (discard any pair of nines or below)
4. Five-of-a-kind
5. Three deuces only (discard any pair of 10s or below)
6. Four cards to a royal flush
7. Straight flush or less

Two Deuces

1. Wild royal flush
2. Five-of-a-kind
3. Straight flush
4. Four-of-a-kind
5. Four cards to a royal flush
6. Two consecutive suited cards
7. Two deuces only
8. Two consecutive suited cards
9. Full house or less

One Deuce

1. Wild royal flush
2. Five-of-a-kind
3. Straight flush
4. Four-of-a-kind
5. Four cards to a royal flush
6. Full house
7. Three consecutive suited cards
8. Three-of-a-kind
9. Straight
10. Flush
11. Four cards to a straight flush
12. Three cards to a royal flush
13. Two consecutive suited cards
14. Three cards to a royal flush
15. Deuce only
16. Three cards to a royal flush
17. Two consecutive suited cards
18. Four cards to an outside straight

No Deuces

• Natural royal flush
• Four cards to a royal flush
• Straight flush
• Four-of-a-kind
• Full house
• Three-of-a-kind
• Straight, flush
• Four cards to an outside straight flush
• Suited 10-jack-queen
• Four cards to an inside straight flush
• Three cards to a royal flush
• Pair
• Two pair
• Four cards to a flush
• Four cards to an outside straight
• Three cards to a straight flush
• Two cards to a royal flush
• Four cards to an inside straight
• Two cards to a royal flush
• Discard everything else

Practicing With Free Online Deuces Wild

Each Michigan online casino offers free video poker. You can use these versions to fine-tune your skills before risking real money.

You only need to register for an account to get started. Once you complete registration, you can begin enjoying free Deuces Wild. You should use the strategy chart presented above when working on your skills so you can get in the habit of referring to this chart every time.

Eventually, certain situations will become common and you won’t need to refer to these charts as much. At that point, you might consider betting real money.

Deuces Wild Trainer

Some websites offer free Deuces Wild trainers, a program that points out incorrect moves when you’re playing.

Here’s an example:

• A player receives an eight of diamonds, a king of diamonds, seven of clubs, ace of hearts and a three of clubs.
• They hold the ace.
• The trainer points out that holding the ace and king is correct.

The advantage of video poker trainers is they always indicate when you make the wrong decision. Free video poker, on the other hand, doesn’t have that feature.

You’ll eventually learn right from wrong using these programs, and trainers remain a valid option when you’re looking to improve your skills.

However, every gambler should still consider using a strategy chart first. This way, you at least know the basics before fine-tuning your play through a training program.