Deuces Wild is a video poker variant offered at most online casinos. It is the second most popular variant after Jacks or Better. In Deuces Wild all twos act as wild cards. This necessitates a change in the payout table and the optimum strategy.

There are two important changes made to the Jacks or Better payout table hand rankings. Because of the advantage offered by wild cards the payout table starts with three of a kind instead of jacks or better. Also three new hand rankings have been introduced between straight flush and natural royal flush. First is five of a kind, which has to be made using wild deuces. Then is wild royal flush, which is royal flush made with the help of wild deuces. The last new hand ranking is four deuces.

The optimum strategy for Deuces Wild is described with respect to the number of deuces dealt in the initial hand. If the player is dealt four deuces in the initial hand he must hold on to the deuces and the fifth card becomes irrelevant. If the player is dealt three deuces then he must first check whether with the remaining two cards he can make a royal flush or five of a kind with cards ranked at ten or higher. If so, then he must hold on to all five cards. If one of the two remaining cards is ranked at ten or higher, then the player must hold on to it and change the fifth card. If both the remaining cards are less than tens then the player must replace both of them.

If the player is dealt two deuces in the initial hand, he must check whether he has a hand ranking of four of a kind or higher. If so then he must hold on to those cards. Thereafter the optimum strategy for deuces wild states that the players must hold cards in the following descending order of sequences: four cards to a royal flush, a straight flush with the lowest card being a six, the two deuces.

If the player is dealt one deuce in the initial hand, he must first hold paying hands of four of a kind and higher. Lower paying hands should be broken to try for a wild royal flush. Thereafter the optimum strategy for deuces wild states that the players must hold cards in the following descending order of sequences: full house, four cards to a straight flush with the lowest card being five, straight, flush, three of a kind, four cards to a lower straight flush, three cards to a royal flush, three cards to a straight flush with the lowest card being a six, the deuce. With no deuces in the initial hand the Deuces Wild optimum strategy is very similar.

Another aspect of the Deuces Wild optimum strategy is that the player must wager with five coins. With five coins wagered the average return to the player is 100.7% if the optimum strategy is religiously employed. Therefore unless the player runs into terrible bad luck he is assured of not losing money in the long run. This average return is applicable for the following payouts: natural royal flush 800, four deuces 200, wild royal flush 25, five of a kind 15, straight flush 9, four of a kind 5, full house 3, flush 2, straight 2, three of a kind 1.