SmartHold
99.45%
DEUCES, PLUS AN ACE
Deuces Wild Bonus Poker
Strategy guide
Count the deuces first, exactly as in Deuces Wild — then ask whether an Ace is next to them. The Ace is what turns four deuces into 400 and trips into Five Aces, while a 1-for-1 Straight quietly kills every straight draw in the game.
Built for full-pay Bonus Deuces Wild, 1-1-3-4-4-9-20-40-80-25-200-400-800.
REMEMBER THESE
The three rules that move the game
01
The Ace is a bonus card — but only beside deuces
Three deuces plus an Ace is 19.38 per coin against 15.55 for throwing it, and even two deuces plus a lone Ace beats bare deuces, 3.20 to 3.03. With no deuce in the hand an Ace is worth nothing — drawing five beats holding it.
02
Break four deuces without an Ace
Four deuces and an offside fifth card are worth 217.02 per coin if you throw that card, against the 200 you would lock in — one draw at the 400-for-1 Ace. It is the rare hand where you break a made 1,000-credit winner.
03
Straights pay 1, so straight draws are dead
A four-card straight is worth 0.255 per coin against 0.297 for a fresh five. This is the biggest split from ordinary Deuces Wild — about 12% of deals are played differently, and most of them are exactly this.
DECISION LADDER
Scan from the top. Stop at the first match.
CORE ORDER
01
Natural royal, or four deuces with an Ace
Four deuces plus an Ace pays 400-for-1. Keep all five.
02
Four deuces with any other fifth card
Throw it and draw one: 217.02 per coin against a pat 200.
03
Three deuces, keeping an Ace if the hand has one
19.38 with the Ace, 15.95 for the three deuces alone.
04
Two deuces: wild royal, or four to a wild royal
A made wild royal pays 25; the draw to one is the premium two-deuce hold.
05
Two deuces with a pair or trips
Keep them — this is the route to Five Aces at 80 or Five 3s-5s at 40.
06
Two deuces with a lone Ace
Keep the Ace, 3.20 against 3.03. Any other lone card goes back.
07
One deuce: made flush or better, then trips
Trip Aces run 10.47 per coin, trip 3s-5s 7.06, trip 6s-Ks 5.36.
08
One deuce with four to a straight flush or four to a flush
The flush still pays 3, so suited draws keep their value.
09
No deuce: made flush or better
Keep the payout. A made straight is only 1-for-1 but still beats redrawing.
10
No deuce: four to a straight flush, then three to a royal
1.66 and 1.32 per coin — the two strongest deuceless draws.
11
No deuce: four to a flush
0.77 per coin, and it outranks a pair of Aces at 0.63.
12
Three to a straight flush, else draw five
Draw five over any four-card straight or lone high card.
Why this isn’t an exception chart
Suits, gaps, discarded cards, and custom payouts can move close hands. This ladder is the memory framework; SmartHold Practice compares all 32 holds for the exact deal.
COMMON TRAPS
Mistakes worth recognizing on sight
!
Playing straight draws out of habit
Ordinary Deuces Wild keeps four-card straights. Here the Straight pays the same 1-for-1 as Three of a Kind, and the draw is worse than a fresh five.
!
Standing pat on four deuces
Without an Ace alongside, holding all five costs about 17 credits per coin. Discard the fifth card and take the draw at 400.
!
Chasing the Ace bonus with no deuce
A lone Ace is not a hold — the bonuses are Five Aces and four deuces plus an Ace, and both need wild cards you do not have yet.
TURN THE LADDER INTO INSTINCT
Explore Deuces Wild Bonus Poker
See the exact pay table, return, and game details before you start training.