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DEUCES, PLUS AN ACE
Deuces Wild Bonus Poker Strategy guide
Updated November 4, 2026
Count the deuces first, exactly as in Deuces Wild, then check whether you also have an Ace. The Ace is what turns four deuces into 400 and five of a kind into Five Aces, while a 1-for-1 Straight makes ordinary unsuited straight draws too weak to keep. Suited draws still have flush and royal value.
Built for 9/4/4 Deuces Wild Bonus Poker: straight flushes pay 9, quads and full houses pay 4, flushes pay 3, and straights pay 1 per coin.
View Deuces Wild Bonus Poker pay table →
REMEMBER THESE
Three rules to remember
01
An Ace can be worth keeping with the deuces
After checking for made premium hands, keep an Ace with three deuces. An Ace can also improve a two-deuce hold, as the worked example shows. Without deuces, an isolated Ace loses to drawing five, but Ace pairs and suited royal draws can still be worth keeping.
02
With four deuces, discard a fifth card unless it is an Ace
Four deuces and a fifth card other than an Ace 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
Separate plain straights from suited draws
The unsuited 5-6-7-8 draw in the example is worth 0.255 per coin versus 0.297 for drawing five. This does not apply to four-card royal, straight-flush, or flush draws, whose additional payouts can justify keeping them.
WHAT TO HOLD
Use these priorities to find holds to compare.
HOLD PRIORITIES
How to use these priorities
These are usual hold priorities. If your hand fits more than one choice, choose the hold with the higher average return; the first matching row may not give the best hold. In wild-card games, use the rows for the number of wild cards in your hand. Suits, missing straight ranks, discarded cards, and payouts can change which hold returns more. Use the worked examples below or check the exact hand in Practice, which compares all 32 ways to hold or discard the five cards. EV means average total return, including the stake, per coin wagered; it is not profit or the chance of winning. The examples use the pay table named above.
“Pat” means keep all five. “Four to” or “three to” counts the held cards, including any wild cards. An outside straight such as 5-6-7-8 can finish at either end; an inside straight such as 5-6-8-9 needs one rank. A-2-3-4 and J-Q-K-A also have only one completing rank. Discarded cards cannot be drawn again. For example, discarding a heart leaves one fewer heart to complete a flush. “Trips” means three of a kind; “quads” means four of a kind. “Natural” means without wild cards. A “kicker” is a side card; some games pay a bonus for a specific kicker alongside quads.
01
Four deuces
Keep an Ace alongside for 400-for-1. Otherwise discard the fifth card: the draw returns 217.02 per coin versus 200 pat.
02
Three deuces: made Five of a Kind or Wild Royal
Keep all five. The Ace-draw rule below must not break these completed hands.
03
Three deuces: otherwise keep an Ace if present
With no made premium hand, keep one Ace alongside the deuces. Without an Ace, keep only the three deuces.
04
Two deuces: made quads or better
Keep a completed five-card premium hand. With quads, hold the two deuces and natural pair, then draw one for Five of a Kind.
05
Two deuces: four to a wild royal, then a lone Ace
Four to a wild royal means both deuces plus two suited royal ranks. Otherwise keep a lone Ace with the deuces; with neither, keep only the deuces.
06
One deuce: full house or better, then four to a wild royal
Keep made five-card payouts; with quads, draw one for Five of a Kind. Four to a wild royal means the deuce plus three suited royal cards and can beat an ordinary flush.
07
One deuce: flush, trips, and straight-flush draws
Trips means the deuce plus a natural pair. Its rank and the gaps in a competing suited run determine the hold; do not skip trips to keep an ordinary four-flush.
08
One deuce: smaller royal draws, straight, or flush draw
The deuce plus two suited royal cards, a made straight, or four to a flush can be worth keeping. Selected deuce-plus-two-card straight-flush draws also qualify; otherwise keep only the deuce.
09
No deuces: natural royal, four to a royal, and made hands
Check four to a royal before standing on a flush or straight. Keep natural quads and draw one; full houses and flushes are strong made hands.
10
No deuces: trips and premium suited draws
Keep natural trips and draw two. Four to a straight flush or three to a royal can beat a made 1-for-1 straight; compare the exact cards.
11
No deuces: straight, four-flush, Two Pair, or one pair
Keep an ordinary made straight after checking stronger draws. Four to a flush, both pairs, or a single pair are useful holds; do not discard a pair just because pairs pay nothing.
12
No deuces: smaller suited draws, else draw five
Three-card straight flushes and selected two-card royals can be holds. Draw five over a plain unsuited four-card straight or isolated high card.
WORKED EXAMPLES
The deals that split from NSUD Deuces Wild
5
DRAW
6
DRAW
7
DRAW
8
DRAW
A
DRAW
Draw five
Discard this four-card straight draw
Deuces Wild keeps this at 0.51 per coin. A 1-for-1 Straight leaves the same draw worth 0.255 here, against 0.297 for five fresh cards. The flush and royal possibilities of suited cards are separate decisions.
2
HOLD
2
HOLD
A
HOLD
9
DRAW
4
DRAW
Keep the Ace with the two deuces
The reverse of the ordinary Deuces Wild rule. Five Aces pays 80 and four deuces with an Ace pays 400, so the Ace is worth keeping beside the wilds: 3.20 per coin against 3.03 for keeping only the two deuces.
2
HOLD
2
HOLD
2
HOLD
2
HOLD
9
DRAW
Keep the four deuces and discard the 9
A thousand credits are already won, and you throw a card anyway. Four of the 47 unseen cards are Aces and each doubles the hand to 400-for-1, so the one-card draw is 217.02 per coin against a pat 200. With an Ace already alongside, stand.
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
An isolated Ace loses to drawing five. A pair of Aces or a suited royal draw can be worth keeping even with every deuce still in the deck.
TURN THE LADDER INTO INSTINCT
Practice Deuces Wild Bonus Poker
Every miss comes back through Review until the correct hold is automatic.
PRACTICE THIS STRATEGY
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