All four 2s are wild — which changes everything. Here's the exact optimal strategy, organised by how many deuces you hold, plus a live analyzer for every hand.
Deuces Wild is one of the very few casino games a skilled player can beat: on the full-pay schedule, perfect strategy returns 100.76% — a genuine player edge. Even the common NSU ("Not So Ugly") version returns 99.73%. But that edge only exists with near-flawless play, because the wild deuces make the decisions genuinely different from Jacks or Better: pairs and two pair pay nothing, so you're always chasing three of a kind or better.
A deuce is worth far more than any single natural card, so you always keep every deuce you're dealt. That's why Deuces Wild strategy is organised by how many deuces you have — count them first, then apply the rule for that count.
Note: with no deuces, a single pair is worth keeping (you're drawing to trips), but you never hold two pair — keep one pair only.
Set a hand and the analyzer returns the exact optimal hold and the EV of every option, for NSU or full-pay Deuces:
The difference between NSU and full-pay Deuces comes down to a couple of payouts — four of a kind and the flush — but it moves the whole game from house-favourable to player-favourable. Always check the pay schedule: our house edge page shows exactly how each version returns. Then drill your holds in the trainer, because full-pay Deuces only rewards the players who make every decision correctly. New to video poker? Start with Jacks or Better strategy first.
Deuces Wild video poker rewards precise play more than almost any game, because the wild deuces create hands you never see in Jacks or Better — five of a kind, the wild royal flush, and Four Deuces itself. The strategy chart above is organised around one idea: count your deuces first, keep them all, then play the best pattern for that count. The biggest edge in Deuces Wild video poker isn't a secret hold, it's discipline — following the strategy chart on every hand and never breaking up a wild card. Get a wild royal flush and you've hit the second-biggest payout in the game after a natural royal.
Because Deuces Wild strategy differs so much from standard video poker strategy, treat it as its own game. The analyzer above uses our exact engine, so use it whenever a hand doesn't fit neatly on the chart — a wild royal flush draw against a pat straight flush, for instance, is exactly the kind of close call worth checking.
Strategy and returns verified against our engine over all 2,598,960 deals (NSU Deuces = 99.7283%). Educational content, not gambling advice.