Video poker is one of the most popular casino game genres in the world. It emerged around the 1970s when computer technology was entering the mainstream. In short, video poker combines the inherent random fun of slot games with the rules of poker, resulting in a unique and entertaining casino game genre. Video poker quickly skyrocketed to popularity and many different variations of the original game appeared as a result of this. Nowadays, players have at their disposal a wide variety of video poker titles, each slightly different from the rest.
Out of those, the Deuces Wild variation is one of the most beloved and it is featured in a wide range of online casinos. If you are interested in getting into video poker, Deuces Wild is an excellent game for beginners but it also appeals to veterans of the genre. In this article, we will cover all major features of Deuces Wild and give you some insight into how things work.
Basic Rules of Deuces Wild
Deuces Wild is relatively simple to understand and even easier to play. The rules of the game will be immediately familiar to someone who has played some form of poker. When you place your bet, you will likely have the option to bet between 1 and 5 coins. The size of the coins is determined by you, with the respect to the game’s minimum and maximum bets. Once you have placed your wager, you will be dealt a hand of five random cards. From there, you will get to choose which to keep and which to discard. Ideally, you wish to form a hand equal to or higher than a Three of a Kind.
Deuces Wild gets its name from the Wild card feature which is iconic for this game. Wild refers to cards which can be used to stand in for other cards in order to form a winning combination. In the case of this game, the Deuces, or in other words the 2s, fulfil this purpose. This is a feature commonly found in slot games and it also used in video poker. The way it works is rather simple. For example, you are dealt a hand of A-3-8-A-10. You choose to keep the two Aces and discard the other cards. When you are dealt your new three cards your hand is A-2-J-A-6. Under normal circumstances, this would be a losing hand since you do not have a minimum hand required for a payout. However, since the Deuce can be used to finish a combination, it serves as another Ace in this scenario. This makes your hand equivalent to a Three of a Kind and thus, earning you a payout.
Another feature which you may be glad for is the Double. When you score a win, the game will likely give you the opportunity to stake your winnings for a chance to double them. If you choose to take this option, you will be dealt five cards and the leftmost one will be revealed. Your job would be to flip another card and if it has a higher value than the first one, the game will double your money. If, however, you choose wrongly, your winnings will be forfeited. In most Deuces Wild games, you can Double up to 4 or more times, but be careful when using this feature as it may end up costing you from time to time.
Hand Rankings in Deuces Wild
The hands that you can acquire in Deuces Wild follow the same hierarchy as in traditional poker. Below, we will list all the hands that you can have in Deuces Wild in ascending order. Deuces Wild generally follows this ranking of hands, but there may be some exceptions to this rule. Some games are known to switch the positions of certain combinations in the hierarchy, but this seldom happens.
Three of a Kind
This hand is made up of three identical cards and two random ones. For example, 3 Queens, a Seven and a Ten.
Straight
This hand features five cards of different suits which are in sequence with each other. For example, 2-3-4-5-6 is considered a Straight. The suit of the cards is not important for this combination. In a Straight, the Ace can count as both a high and low card, e.g. A-2-3-4-5 or 10-J-Q-K-A.
Flush
The Flush hand consists of five cards that are of the same suit. For this hand, the sequence of the cards is not important.
Full House
The Full House Hand consists of two cards of the same type and three cards also of the same type. For example, 2-2-3-3-3 is a Full House and the suit of the cards is not of importance.
Four of a Kind
This is a hand where you have four cards of the same type and one more which is different. For example, Q-Q-Q-Q-K is a Four of a Kind.
Straight Flush
A Straight Flush is when you have a hand of five cards all of which are of the same suit and are in sequence with each other. For example, A-1-2-3-4 of diamonds is a Straight Flush.
Five of a Kind
This is a hand where the whole hand consists of five cards of the same kind. An example of this would be A-A-A-A-2. The suit of the cards does not matter in this scenario.
Royal Flush with Deuces
This hand is where you have a Royal Flush, where one or more Deuce stands in for a missing card. For example, 10-J-2-K-A would be a Royal Flush with Deuces or a Wild Royal Flush. All of the cards, with the exception of the Deuce, have to be of the same suit.
Four Deuces
This hand is mostly self-explanatory and it consists of four 2s and another random card. The suits of the cards are not important here.
Natural Royal Flush
This hand is a Straight Flush, where the sequence is made up from 10-J-Q-K-A all in the same suit. A Natural Royal Flush can only be formed with the cards listed here and cannot contain any Deuces. This is the highest paying combination in any video poker game.
Paytable variations of Deuces Wild Video Poker
There are cases in which certain Deuces Wild games feature different paytables. Therefore, it only makes sense that you are aware of what you are getting into when playing a particular game. Below, we have listed two of the most commonly included paytables in Deuces Wild games.
| Bet | Payout |
|---|---|
| Royal Flush | 800:1 |
| Four Deuces | 200:1 |
| Wild Royal Flush | 25:1 |
| Five of a Kind | 15:1 |
| Straight Flush | 9:1 |
| Four of a Kind | 5:1 |
| Full House | 3:1 |
| Flush | 2:1 |
| Straight | 2:1 |
| Three of a Kind | 1:1 |
The paytable directly above is often referred to as a ‘full pay’ paytable. This is the paytable that will give you the most favorable odds and it is the one that you should look for when picking out a Deuces Wild game. The average return-to-player percentage for a game with this paytable is 100.76%.
| Bet | Payout |
|---|---|
| Royal Flush | 800:1 |
| Four Deuces | 200:1 |
| Wild Royal Flush | 25:1 |
| Five of a Kind | 16:1 |
| Straight Flush | 10:1 |
| Four of a Kind | 4:1 |
| Full House | 4:1 |
| Flush | 3:1 |
| Straight | 2:1 |
| Three of a Kind | 1:1 |
The paytable directly above is still common, but not as favorable as the previous one. It comes with an RTP percentage of 99.73%.
While the second paytable may look more favorable at first, due to the slightly higher payouts on certain hands, you should also note that it features lower payouts on hands that are easier to get. It makes more sense that a game will give you a better return when it pays more for hands that appear more frequently.
House Edge of Deuces Wild
The house edge is an important aspect to consider when choosing a casino game to play. It is the statistical advantage that the casino has over the players and it represents the overall amount of money wagered that the house will keep as profit over the course of thousands of games. As far as video poker is concerned, this genre features some of the lowest house edge percentages in the industry, rivaled only by blackjack.
Playing video poker is not only fun and exciting but also fair. You will find that when that when a game features a particular paytable and you utilize a good strategy, the house edge is reduced and, in some cases, even disappears. For example, when a game of Deuces Wild features the first of the paytables listed above, the house advantage is calculated to be at -0.24%, meaning that the odds are in your favor. However, when the second one is in use, the house edge will be at 0.27%. Even if this is the case, this is a minuscule advantage for the casino and it will barely impact your general gameplay.
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