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 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.
REMEMBER THESE
The three rules that move the game
01
The Ace bonus changes the deuce branches
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
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
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.
DECISION LADDER
Start at the top; compare overlapping choices.
CORE ORDER
“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 stay out of the draw and can weaken a competing hold.
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.
Why this isn’t an exception chart
Suits, gaps, discarded cards, and custom payouts can move close hands. This is a compact learning guide, not a complete first-match chart. For wild games, use only the branch for the wild cards actually dealt. SmartHold Practice compares all 32 holds for the exact deal. EV means average total return, including the stake, per coin wagered; it is not profit or the chance of winning. The examples use the schedule named above.
WORKED EXAMPLES
The deals that split from NSUD Deuces Wild
5
DRAW
6
DRAW
7
DRAW
8
DRAW
A
DRAW
Draw five
The four-card straight goes back
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
The Ace rides with the 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 the bare pair of deuces.
2
HOLD
2
HOLD
2
HOLD
2
HOLD
9
DRAW
Break four deuces
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.