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Deuces Wild Video Poker
Deuces Wild is a video poker variant where all Deuces are treated
as wild cards: they can be used to complete any hand. Compared to
Jacks or Better video poker, the "father" of all video poker
games, this not only implicates higher ranking hands are easier to
obtain, but also that you will find a couple of hands in a Deuces
Wild pay table, you won't find in Jacks or Better, in particular a
Five of a Kind, a Wild Royal Flush and Four Deuces.
All Deuces Wild variants have one thing in common - they exhibit
much more volatility than Jacks or Better. In other words: your
bankroll will go up and down with bigger swings, than it would playing
Jacks or Better. For some players this makes Deuces Wild a very
attractive game to play - you either win big or lose it all.
If you are one of those players that has a soft spot for the game
of Deuces Wild, this article is written for you. We are assuming
you already have a basic understanding of the rules and strategies
applying to a standard game of Deuces Wild. Starting from there
we will give you a brief summary of the Deuces Wild video poker
variants that can be found in most Microgaming, Playtech, Real Time
Gaming and Cryptologic online casinos. We will then conclude this
article with a comparison of all these games in terms of expected
return and variance. You might like to take your chances, but you
will discover that even among Deuces Wild types of games there are
those that might be too much for your bankroll to handle.
Overview of all Deuces Wild variants available online
Standard Deuces Wild
Cryptologic, Playtech, RTG and Microgaming all offer a standard version
of Deuces Wild. They differ with respect to the pay table used. The
Playtech and RTG variants have a higher expected return than both
the Cryptologic and the Microgaming (one hand) variant.
Deuces Wild Power Poker
Microgaming offers two variants of Deuces Wild: a one hand and a four
hand (power poker) version. Both are played according to standard
Deuces Wild rules. The difference is that the power poker variant
has much higher payout's for Four Deuces and a Wild Royal Flush. This
results in a higher expected return, but also in higher volatility.
Microgaming also offers a progressive variant of Deuces Wild, called
Jackpot Deuces. In this game you are eligible for a progressive jackpot,
if you are dealt a Diamond Royal Flush. The expected return is dependent
on the size of the progressive jackpot - the bigger the better.
Bonus Deuces Wild
RTG's Bonus Deuces Wild pays out higher on specific bonus hands, like
Four Deuces with an Ace, Five Aces, Five 3-4-5's and Five 6-K's. Of
course the payout's on a couple of lower ranking hands are decreased
accordingly. But overall this game has a good expected return. It's
volatility is higher than average.
Deuces & Joker
Microgaming's Deuces & Joker is a hybrid game, combining elements
of both Deuces Wild and Joker Poker. More specifically, not only are
the Deuces wild - there is also a wild Joker added to the deck. Hence,
the highest ranking hand in this game is Four Deuces and a Joker,
which pays 10,000 coins betting max coins. This results in an expected
return comparable to that of Bonus Deuces Wild discussed above, but
a volatility that's in the high end of the Deuces Wild spectrum.
Loose Deuces
This game can be found in RTG casinos. It's called "Loose"
Deuces because Four Deuces are rewarded with an higher than average
payout, that is 2,500 coins instead of 1,000 coins you would expect
playing full pay Deuces Wild. It's variance is almost three (!) times
higher than average.
Sevens Wild
This is also a game only available in RTG casinos. In Sevens Wild
the wild cards are the Sevens and not the Deuces. Besides that, it's
very similar to Deuces Wild, both in terms of expected return and
volatility.
Deuces Wild expected return & variance
The following table gives a quick summary of all Deuces Wild variants
discussed above in terms of expected return and variance. Both expected
return and variance of each game were calculated using "Bob Dancer
Presents WinPoker" by Zamzow
Software.
| Variant |
Expected Return |
Variance |
| Full pay Deuces Wild |
100.7620% |
25.83462 |
| Microgaming Deuces Wild
Power Poker |
99.3747% |
35.03345 |
| RTG Loose Deuces |
99.0722% |
70.87180 |
| Microgaming Deuces &
Joker |
99.0675% |
45.58855 |
| RTG Bonus Deuces Wild |
99.0625% |
32.75408 |
| Playtech & RTG
Deuces Wild |
98.9131% |
25.61744 |
| RTG Sevens Wild |
98.7988% |
26.55395 |
| Cryptologic Deuces Wild |
97.9716% |
24.98064 |
| Microgaming Deuces Wild
(1 hand) |
97.9563% |
25.21670 |
Deuces Wild Comparison Chart
In the chart below we've plotted the various Deuces Wild versions
discussed above. The vertical axis represents the expected return,
and the horizontal axis represents the variance.
The best game of Deuces Wild is offered by
From the chart above we conclude the following:
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For Full pay Deuces Wild visit Las
Vegas. None of the online variants discussed here offer full
pay. |
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If you're looking for a "low" risk
Deuces Wild game play Real
Time Gaming's Deuces Wild and Sevens Wild or Playtech's
Deuces Wild. |
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If you're looking for a high risk Deuces Wild
game play Microgaming's
Deuces & Joker or Real
Time Gaming's Loose Deuces. |
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The best trade off between risk and expected
return is offered by Microgaming's
Power Poker and Real Time
Gaming's Bonus Deuces Wild. |
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