Should You Ever Disgard a “2” at Deuces Wild?

By John Grochowski on Tuesday December 6, 2011

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Ask any experienced video poker player, and they’ll tell you there’s nothing quite like seeing that “4000” light up for credits won on a royal flush. One of the most memorable days of my gambling life came when I drew a royal in spades on a $2 machine — an $8,000 bonanza. A woman and her daughter who were playing a few seats away added to the celebration when they went to the gift shop and bought me a lapel pin displaying a spade royal. I often wear it when I give seminars.

We’ll go a long way to chase that thrill. But just how hard should you push in adjusting strategy for the best chance at a royal flush? It depends on the game.

Take Deuces Wild video poker. It’s decision time after you’re dealt Ace, King, Queen and Jack of spades, along with a deuce. That gives you a wild royal flush, usually worth 125 coins with a five-coin wager, though some casinos today pay only 100 coins.

That’s a pretty nice hand, but if you discard the deuce, you have in 1 in 47 shot at a natural royal, worth 4,000 coins — a thousand dollars on a quarter game. What do you do?

Here’s the tip: NEVER discard a deuce at Deuces Wild. The thought of that natural royal is tempting, but you’ll wind up with nothing often enough that your average return when you toss the deuce is just 95 coins. You’re far better off to accept gratefully the 125-coin payoff for the wild royal.