Deuces Wild Strategy for Beginners
With a potential return of as much as 100.76%, it doesn’t take a genius to understand why Deuces Wild is one of the most popular video poker games, but it does take a skilled player to make the most of this game’s potential. A common mistake that many players make when approaching the Deuces Wild machines is assuming that 100.76% figure applies to everyone. In truth, only a perfect Deuces Wild strategy can help you to turn a profit at these machines. It’s a pretty steep challenge for new and amateur players alike, because Deuces Wild isn’t just another Jacks or Better spin off.
The good news is that Deuces Wild strategy cheat sheets are available all over the web. The bad news is that even with these tools amateurs may find themselves losing. A good player knows how to read and use a perfect strategy, but new players often get confused and overlook logic in their attempt to play a Deuces Wild strategy that quite frankly is over their head and beyond their skill level. If you really want to win at Deuces Wild, but you’re new to the world of video poker, then you’re going to have to start from the beginning.
Our Deuces Wild strategy advice for beginners isn’t geared toward making you great; it’s geared toward giving you a basic understanding of the game. After all, if you don’t understand the fundamentals then you won’t understand the specifics — even when they’re laid out right in front of you. Beginning from the very beginning, it all starts with the game layout. While strategies vary from one machine to the next, all video poker games are essentially played the same way. Whether you’re playing a video poker machine or an online video poker game, the game screen and layout remains the same. At the center of the screen will be your cards, and beneath the cards are your buttons. There is a button beneath each card that you will use to select which ones you want to hold and which you want to discard. There are also betting buttons that allow you to select single credits or max credits, and there is the all-important Deal/Draw button.
If you’re building a Deuces Wild strategy from the ground up, then you need to know that like all video poker games Deuces Wild is based around the basic poker game Five Card Draw. (Hence the five-card and Deal/Draw setup on your game screen.) Deuces Wild has one fundamental difference from traditional Five Card Draw — wilds. A common mistake players make when forming their first Deuces Wild strategy is in underestimating the impact of these wilds. The wilds make the occurrence of high combinations vastly more frequent, so the game’s paytable compensates by starting payback at Three of a Kinds. Forget about aiming for a high pair or even for two pairs — in Deuces Wild these hands won’t even earn your bet back.
One unique feature of a good Deuces Wild strategy is that you don’t have to play max credits. Other video poker games offer an increased payout for their top prize when achieved at max bet, but the Deuces Wild payouts remain consistent whether you’re playing with one credit or five. While we recommend that you test your skills at the free Deuces Wild poker games first, this makes it a little less painful to play the cash games while you’re learning.
