Full-Pay Deuces Wild Strategy Chart
Deuces Wild turns every 2 into a wild card, and the full-pay version returns 100.76% with perfect play — one of the only games in the casino where the math favors you. This strategy chart is organized the way every serious player uses it: by the number of deuces in your dealt hand. Every expected value below was computed by our combinatorial engine for the example hand shown.
The full-pay pay table
Full pay is identified by the 15 / 9 / 5 line: five of a kind 15, straight flush 9, four of a kind 5. If any of those three numbers is lower, you are on a short-pay machine and giving back the player edge.
| Hand | Pays (per coin) |
|---|---|
| Natural Royal Flush | 800 |
| Four Deuces | 200 |
| Wild Royal Flush | 25 |
| Five of a Kind | 15 |
| Straight Flush | 9 |
| Four of a Kind | 5 |
| Full House | 3 |
| Flush | 2 |
| Straight | 2 |
| Three of a Kind | 1 |
Notice what is missing: pairs and two pair pay nothing. Roughly a third of the return arrives through quads and better, which makes Deuces Wild far more volatile than Jacks or Better — see the bankroll calculator for what that means for your session.
The strategy chart: find your deuce count, take the first match
Count your deuces, go to that section, and hold the highest line your hand matches. This is the complete full-pay Deuces Wild cheat sheet; EVs shown are engine-exact for the example hand (close calls can shift slightly with different discards — the trainer resolves every hand exactly).
Four deuces
| Hold (first match wins) | Example hand | EV/coin |
|---|---|---|
| Four deuces (hold all five) | 2c 2d 2h 2s 9c | 200 |
Three deuces
| Hold (first match wins) | Example hand | EV/coin |
|---|---|---|
| Pat wild royal flush | 2c 2d 2h Ah Kh | 25 |
| Pat five of a kind, 10s or better | 2c 2d 2h Jc Jd | 15 |
| Three deuces only (with 5oaK 9s or lower, draw) | 2c 2d 2h 9c 9d | 15.0574 |
| Three deuces only (draw two) | 2c 2d 2h 9c 5d | 15.0518 |
Two deuces
| Hold (first match wins) | Example hand | EV/coin |
|---|---|---|
| Pat wild royal flush | 2c 2d Qh Kh Ah | 25 |
| Pat five of a kind | 2c 2d 9c 9d 9h | 15 |
| Pat straight flush | 2c 2d 7h 8h 9h | 9 |
| Four of a kind (draw one) | 2c 2d 9c 9d 5h | 5.8511 |
| Four to a wild royal | 2c 2d Jh Qh 5c | 4.8298 |
| Four to a straight flush (6-7 up) | 2c 2d 7h 8h Kc | 3.3404 |
| Two deuces only (draw three) | 2c 2d 9c 5d Kh | 3.2556 |
One deuce
| Hold (first match wins) | Example hand | EV/coin |
|---|---|---|
| Pat wild royal flush | 2c 10h Jh Qh Ah | 25 |
| Pat five of a kind | 2c 9c 9d 9h 9s | 15 |
| Four to a wild royal | 2c 10h Jh Qh 5c | 3.9574 |
| Pat straight flush | 2c 6h 7h 8h 9h | 9 |
| Four of a kind (draw one) | 2c 9c 9d 9h 5s | 5.8511 |
| Pat full house | 2c 9c 9d 5h 5s | 3 |
| Four to a straight flush | 2c 6h 7h 8h Kc | 2.2553 |
| Pat flush | 2c 4h 7h 9h Kh | 2 |
| Pat straight | 2c 6h 7d 8s 9c | 2 |
| Three of a kind (deuce + pair) | 2c 9c 9d 5h Kc | 2.0176 |
| Three to a wild royal | 2c Jh Qh 8d 5c | 1.2211 |
| Three to a straight flush | 2c 7h 8h Kd 4c | 1.0953 |
| Deuce only (draw four) | 2c 5d 8h Jc Ks | 1.0308 |
No deuces
| Hold (first match wins) | Example hand | EV/coin |
|---|---|---|
| Natural royal flush | 10h Jh Qh Kh Ah | 800 |
| Four to a natural royal | 10h Jh Qh Kh 5c | 19.8511 |
| Pat straight flush | 5h 6h 7h 8h 9h | 9 |
| Four of a kind (draw one) | 9c 9d 9h 9s 5c | 5.8511 |
| Pat full house | 9c 9d 9h 5c 5d | 3 |
| Pat flush | 3h 6h 9h Jh Kh | 2 |
| Pat straight | 5c 6d 7h 8s 9c | 2 |
| Three of a kind (draw two) | 9c 9d 9h 5c Kd | 2.0176 |
| Four to a straight flush | 6h 7h 8h 9h Kc | 1.6596 |
| Three to a natural royal | Jh Qh Kh 5c 8d | 1.3765 |
| One pair (never hold two pair) | 9c 9d 5h Jc Ks | 0.5602 |
| Three to a straight flush (no gaps) | 7h 8h 9h Kc 4d | 0.5199 |
| Four to a flush | 3h 6h 9h Jh Kc | 0.5106 |
| Four to an outside straight | 6c 7d 8h 9s Kc | 0.5106 |
| Two to a natural royal (J/Q/K high) | Jh Qh 5c 8d 3s | 0.3517 |
| Nothing: draw five | 3c 6d 9h Js Kc | 0.3226 |
The rules that never change
Never discard a deuce. A wild card is worth more than any draw it could become part of. Never hold two pair. It pays nothing here; hold one pair and draw three (0.5602 vs 0.5106 EV per coin). Never hold a kicker. Extra cards next to made hands only block your draws.
The 10s-or-better rule our engine found
Dealt three deuces and a pat five of a kind? Most players hold everything. The exact answer depends on the pair: with 10s or better, hold the pat 15 (drawing yields 14.94). With 9s or lower, break it and draw two to the three deuces — EV 15.0574 vs 15.0000 — because discarding low cards costs you nothing toward a wild royal, while every possible draw still leaves you with at least five of a kind equity. It is a tiny edge, and it is exactly the kind of play that separates a 100.76% player from everyone else.
Full pay vs NSUD vs short pay
Most machines labeled Deuces Wild are not full pay. The two common downgrades, with engine-computed optimal returns:
| Version | 5oaK / SF / Quads | Return |
|---|---|---|
| Full pay | 15 / 9 / 5 | 100.76% |
| Not So Ugly Ducks (NSUD) | 16 / 10 / 4 | 99.73% |
| Short pay | 15 / 9 / 4 | 94.34% |
The quads payout is the tell: quads arrive so often in this game that dropping them from 5 to 4 costs over six percent of return. Check the pay tables guide for how to read a machine before you sit down.
Practice it
Reading strategy is not playing it. The free trainer now includes Full-Pay Deuces Wild — every hold you make is graded against the exact optimal play, with the EV cost of every mistake. Deuce-count thinking becomes automatic after a few hundred hands.
More strategy
Deuces Wild strategy is its own world. For the games where pairs still pay, start with the 9/6 Jacks or Better strategy chart, then 8/5 Bonus Poker, 10/7 Double Bonus, and 9/6 Double Double Bonus. Or compare everything on the best games page.