Deuces Video Poker

by Gayle Mitchell

Deuces Video Poker is one of the most popular VP versions. 
I love the excitement of ‘the roller coaster ride’ with this wild card game.
Every 5000 hands of cycled play, on average, will produce four Deuces—a secondary jackpot to the Royal Flush.

Deuces Video Poker is a game where less than perfect strategy can be costly.
Newbie players are reluctant to throw away all five cards, but this is a most important strategy in that you want to make room for additional cards that could be Wild.

Holding on to that ace or king is not going to help you if the next hand is destined to be four or five sevens.

Here’s the reason for the reluctancy--die-hard Jacks+ players will throw away a complete hand (5 cards) only 3% of the time.

However, Deuces Wild Video Poker players toss all cards almost 20% of the time, nearly every fifth hand.           

Below is an example of a  9/5 VP pay schedule.
9/5 refers to one coin payout for Straight Flush and 4-of-a-kind payouts.
The minimum payout that qualifies for a return of your bet is 3-of-a-kind, therefore, you would not hold two pair, chose one pair only.

The paytable below illustrates the payout for specific winning hands, one coin return payout and maximum coin return payout.

Strategy:
I have simplified the strategies below in that hold cards are determined by the number of Deuces dealt for each hand, as follows: 

4DW: Hold all cards. 

3DW: Hold wild Royal Flush, any high 5/kind (10’s through aces). When you discard the lower cards (less than 10 value), there are more high cards in the deck, therefore improving  your chances of  a wild royal or 4 Deuces for a better payout.                       

2DW: Hold 4/kind or better, any 4-card royal, or any suited open-ended straight flush (6 or higher). 
You would not hold a possible straight flush lower than 6, to form A-2-3-4-5 straight flush because you would lose the value of the Deuce. 

1DW: Hold pat hands, except draw to a 4-card royal, any 4-card straight flush including inside draws (remember, this is a wild card game) or 3-card royal.
Hold ace high only if one or more of the other cards is of the same suit. e.g., if ace of spades and jack of spades, then hold with Deuce.
Do not hold ace and jack if not same suit–that strategy will bring in a possible straight–no big money there.  
Any two parts of a straight flush 6-7 or higher.  

0DW: Hold any pat hand, except always draw to a 4-card Royal Flush, 4-card straight flush (including inside draw),  3-card Royal Flush (see above for exceptions), one pair (discard second pair—you do not have to keep the highest pair every time as any 3-of-a-kind pays), any 4-card flush or open 4-card straight, any 3-card straight flush and any inside draws, (for example, J-10, Q-J, Q-10, K-Q, K-J, K-10 suited). 

NONE OF THE ABOVE: all five cards are discarded.

Simplified Strategy:
Never hold one card except a Deuce.

Never hold two cards unless pair, or 2-card royal draw. (exceptions noted above)

Never hold three cards unless 3/kind, straight flush or royal draw, and never hold just one other card with one, two or three Deuces. 

7-J has the best straight and straight flush potential.

As with all Video Poker games, maximum coin play for each hand is the best strategy.

May all your VP choices turn out to be ‘Royalty’.

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