Complete hold/discard strategy for every possible dealt hand — split into hands with deuces and hands without. The best positive-EV game for multi-hand play.
All four 2s are wild cards — they can substitute for any card to complete any hand. This fundamental change requires a completely separate strategy from Jacks or Better. Natural hands (no deuces) have different rankings, wild hands follow different hierarchy, and the minimum paying hand is Three of a Kind (not a pair). Strategy is split into two tables: hands without any deuces, and hands with one or more deuces.
The "Full Pay" version uses the 25-15-9-5-3-2-2-1 paytable. Common reduced-pay versions (like 20-12-9-5-3-2-2-1) drop the RTP below 100%. Always verify the Wild Royal pays 25 and Four Deuces pays 200 before playing.
| Rank | Hold This Hand | Approx. EV | Notes & Multi-Hand Considerations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Natural Royal Flush | 800.00 | Hold all 5. Maximum natural payout. 100H: Hits multiple times per session |
| 2 | Four Deuces (rare without drawing) | 200.00 | Hold all 5. Second biggest payout in the game. |
| 3 | Straight Flush (pat) | 9.00 | Hold all 5. Do not break for a royal draw. |
| 4 | 4 to a Natural Royal Flush | ~10.80 | Break a straight, flush, or full house. The 800-coin natural royal makes this draw extremely powerful. Multi-H: This is THE premier draw — chase it |
| 5 | Four of a Kind (pat) | 5.00 | Hold all 4, discard kicker. Quads pay less here than JoB (5 vs 25) but are far more frequent with wilds. |
| 6 | Full House (pat) | 3.00 | Hold all 5. Full house only pays 3x here vs 9x in JoB — but it's still a made hand. |
| 7 | Three of a Kind (pat) | 2.02 | Hold the three matching cards. Draw 2. This is the minimum paying hand — no pairs pay in Deuces Wild. |
| 8 | Flush (pat) | 2.00 | Hold all 5 unless 4 to a royal or 4 to a straight flush present. |
| 9 | Straight (pat) | 2.00 | Hold all 5 unless 4 to a royal or 4 to a straight flush present. |
| 10 | 4 to a Straight Flush (open-ended) | 2.34–3.40 | Strong draw — break a pat flush or straight for this. Multi-H: Hits straight flushes regularly at 50+ hands |
| 11 | Three of a Kind (draw hand) | 2.02 | Hold 3, draw 2. Also breaks even vs medium draws. |
| 12 | 4 to a Straight Flush (1 gap) | 1.49 | Inside SF draw still worth pursuing in Deuces Wild due to wild card value. |
| 13 | 4 to a Flush | 0.96 | Hold 4 suited cards, draw 1. Note: flush only pays 2x here. |
| 14 | 3 to a Natural Royal Flush | 1.12 | Strong draw because the natural royal pays 800. Outranks 4-flush with no royal draw potential. |
| 15 | Open-Ended Straight Draw (4 cards) | 0.74 | 4 consecutive non-suited cards. Hold 4, draw 1. |
| 16 | 3 to a Straight Flush (open-ended) | 0.62 | 3 suited consecutive cards. Better than any pair — pairs don't pay in Deuces Wild. |
| 17 | 3 to a Straight Flush (1 gap) | 0.50 | Inside SF draw, 3 cards. Still worth holding over junk. |
| 18 | 2 to a Natural Royal (suited high cards) | 0.47 | Two suited 10-A cards. Weak but still beats discarding everything. |
| — | Discard All 5 | 0.36 | When nothing else ranks above. Pairs never qualify — a pair without deuces is trash in Deuces Wild. Multi-H: Discard all is very common in Deuces Wild |
When you hold a deuce, you already have a wild card. Never discard a deuce. Strategy shifts dramatically.
| Deuces | Hold This Hand | Approx. EV | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | Four Deuces — Hold All 5 | 200.00 | Hold all 5. Best possible hand. Wild |
| 3 | Wild Royal Flush — Hold All 5 | 25.00 | Wild royal pays 25x. Hold all 5. Wild |
| 3 | Five of a Kind — Hold All 5 | 15.00 | Hold all 5. Wild |
| 3 | Straight Flush — Hold All 5 | 9.00 | Hold all 5. Wild |
| 3 | 4 to a Wild Royal Flush | ~8.20 | Break 4-of-a-kind or straight flush for this (except pat SF). Wild |
| 3 | Four of a Kind — Hold All 5 | 5.00 | Hold all 5. Wild |
| 3 | 3 Deuces + Any 2 Cards (no made hand) | ~3.60 | Hold all 3 deuces. Draw 2. Expected to make strong hand. Wild |
| 2 | Wild Royal Flush — Hold All 5 | 25.00 | Hold all 5. Wild |
| 2 | Five of a Kind — Hold All 5 | 15.00 | Hold all 5. Wild |
| 2 | Straight Flush — Hold All 5 | 9.00 | Hold all 5. Wild |
| 2 | 4 to a Wild Royal | ~5.20 | Strong draw with 2 deuces. Break 4-of-a-kind for this. Wild |
| 2 | Four of a Kind (pat) | 5.00 | Hold all 4 quads + both deuces. Wild |
| 2 | 4 to a Straight Flush (open-ended) | 3.60 | Hold 4 including both deuces. Very strong draw with 2 wilds. Wild |
| 2 | Full House (pat) | 3.00 | Hold all 5. Wild |
| 2 | 2 Deuces + Any 3 Unrelated Cards | ~2.90 | Hold just the 2 deuces, draw 3. Two wilds give excellent equity. Wild |
| 1 | Wild Royal Flush — Hold All 5 | 25.00 | Hold all 5. Wild |
| 1 | Five of a Kind — Hold All 5 | 15.00 | Hold all 5. Wild |
| 1 | Straight Flush — Hold All 5 | 9.00 | Hold all 5. Wild |
| 1 | 4 to a Wild Royal Flush | ~3.60 | Break a straight flush for 4 to a wild royal only if it includes the deuce. Wild |
| 1 | Four of a Kind (pat) | 5.00 | Hold all 5. Wild |
| 1 | Full House (pat) | 3.00 | Hold all 5. Wild |
| 1 | 4 to a Straight Flush (open-ended) | 2.90 | Hold 4 including the deuce. Strong draw. Wild |
| 1 | Three of a Kind (pat) | 2.02 | Hold 3, draw 2. Keep the deuce in your 3. Wild |
| 1 | 4 to a Straight Flush (1 gap) | 1.76 | Inside SF draw with the deuce acting as filler. Wild |
| 1 | Straight or Flush (pat) | 2.00 | Hold all 5 unless better draw exists (4 to SF or royal). Wild |
| 1 | 3 to a Straight Flush | 1.22 | Hold deuce + 2 suited connectors. Draw 2. Wild |
| 1 | Deuce Only (no qualifying draw) | ~1.88 | Hold just the deuce, draw 4. Always better than discarding the deuce. Wild |
With a 100.76% base return, Full Pay Deuces Wild is the premier positive-EV game for multi-hand play. Positive EV compounds across every hand played simultaneously.
At 100.76% return, you expect to earn $0.76 per $100 wagered over time. In 100-hand play at $0.25/hand, each deal costs $25 and the expected return per deal is $25.19. The edge is small but real — and with correct strategy it grows over sessions. This is why serious multi-hand players specifically seek out Full Pay Deuces Wild machines.
Four Deuces pays 200x and occurs roughly once per 4,900 hands (single). In 100-hand play, you get multiple draws at this hand every session when you hold 3 deuces. The 200x payout swings entire sessions — expect big positive variance spikes in heavy multi-hand play.
Despite the positive EV, Deuces Wild has high variance. Session-to-session results can vary dramatically. Hands that pay 0 (no pair, straight, flush — you need trips to cash) are frequent. Budget for 20+ qualifying sessions before judging results, and use at least 300 deals worth of bankroll.
| Hands | Cost/Deal | Std Dev/Deal | Recommended Bankroll |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $0.25 | ~$1.40 | $150 |
| 3 | $0.75 | ~$2.42 | $300 |
| 5 | $1.25 | ~$3.13 | $450 |
| 10 | $2.50 | ~$4.43 | $700 |
| 25 | $6.25 | ~$7.00 | $1,600 |
| 50 | $12.50 | ~$9.90 | $3,000 |
| 100 | $25.00 | ~$14.00 | $5,500 |
Use our variance calculator for custom scenarios.
Pairs are worthless — don't hold them. High cards don't matter for qualification — trips is the minimum pay. Everything changes when 2s are wild.
Many machines offer non-full-pay Deuces Wild with RTP below 100%. The Four Deuces payout (must be 200) and Wild Royal (must be 25) are the key identifiers.
Never discard a deuce chasing anything — the deuce itself has massive value as a wild card. Always hold all deuces dealt.
Positive EV doesn't protect you from short-run variance. Many sessions will be losing sessions even at 100.76% — you need deep enough pockets to reach the long run.
It's one of the only casino games where the player has a mathematical edge with correct strategy. The 100.76% return, combined with multi-hand play compounding that edge across dozens of simultaneous hands, makes this the top choice for advantage players. It's the game serious video poker players specifically search for in casino offerings.
The second-best positive-EV game at 100.65% RTP. One wild Joker instead of four — more intuitive for many players.
View Strategy →Positive-EV at 100.17% with no wild cards. Big four-Ace bonuses reward aggressive Ace-chasing strategy.
View Strategy →The standard baseline game at 99.54% RTP. Simpler strategy, lower variance — great for learning fundamentals.
View Strategy →Try our Multi-Hand Variance Calculator to see how Deuces Wild plays at different hand counts and size your bankroll before you sit down.