Loose Deuces 12/8 is the short-pay version with reduced Five of a Kind (12x) and Straight Flush (8x). The signature 500x Four Deuces payout remains, making deuce-hunting the primary strategy.
1. Four wild cards: All four 2s (deuces) substitute for any card of any suit to complete the best possible hand.
2. Minimum winning hand: Three of a Kind (pairs and two-pair do not pay in wild card games).
3. Special hands: Five of a Kind (five cards of same rank using wilds), Wild Royal Flush (Royal with wild cards), Four Deuces (the jackpot hand), Natural Royal Flush (no wilds — maximum payout).
4. Always bet max (BET 5) for the Natural Royal Flush bonus payout.
With four wild deuces in the deck (~7.7% of cards), hands occur far more frequently than in standard poker. Strategy must account for wild card probability:
| Hand | Payout (BET 1) | Frequency |
|---|---|---|
| Natural Royal Flush | 250× | 1 in ~45,000 |
| Four Deuces | 500× | 1 in ~4,900 |
| Wild Royal Flush | 25× | 1 in ~600 |
| Five of a Kind | 12× | 1 in ~300 |
| Straight Flush | 8× | 1 in ~90 |
| Four of a Kind | 4× | 1 in ~15 |
| Full House | 3× | 1 in ~40 |
| Flush | 2× | 1 in ~60 |
| Straight | 1× | 1 in ~18 |
| Three of a Kind | 1× | 1 in ~3 |
Always hold deuces: Never discard a wild card under any circumstances. Wild cards are the most valuable cards in the deck.
No-wild hands: With no wild cards, hold any paying hand (Three of a Kind or better), or draw to 4-card Royal Flush, Straight Flush, or Flush.
One wild card: Look for 4-card Royal Flush draws first, then keep made hands (full house, straight, flush, three of a kind). With one wild, Three of a Kind is your baseline.
Two wild cards: You already have a strong hand. Draw to Royal Flush, Five of a Kind, or Straight Flush. Otherwise discard non-wild cards and draw.
Three wild cards: Only hold a natural Royal or Five of a Kind alongside. Otherwise discard the 2 non-wild cards.
Four deuces: You've already won the Deuces jackpot. Hold all four, draw one card.
Natural Royal priority: With 4 cards to a Natural Royal Flush (no wilds), always break any made hand to draw — the 250× payout justifies it completely.
Wild card counting: The more wild cards in your hand, the more aggressively you should draw. With 2+ wilds, you can make almost any hand with just 2-3 draws.
Straight Flush draws: With one wild and 3 cards to a Straight Flush, drawing 2 cards is often correct — Five of a Kind and Straight Flush are both achievable.
No low pairs: Without wild cards, low pairs are weaker than flush or straight draws. Unlike standard poker, there is no "low pair" win in wild card games.
Bankroll expectations: Expect to hit Four deuces approximately once every 5,000 hands. Track your sessions and manage your bankroll for the long run.
| Hand | BET 1 | BET 2 | BET 3 | BET 4 | BET 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Natural Royal Flush | 250 | 500 | 750 | 1000 | 4000 |
| Four Deuces | 500 | 1000 | 1500 | 2000 | 2500 |
| Wild Royal Flush | 25 | 50 | 75 | 100 | 125 |
| Five of a Kind | 12 | 24 | 36 | 48 | 60 |
| Straight Flush | 8 | 16 | 24 | 32 | 40 |
| Four of a Kind | 4 | 8 | 12 | 16 | 20 |
| Full House | 3 | 6 | 9 | 12 | 15 |
| Flush | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 |
| Straight | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Three of a Kind | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
Loose Deuces 12/8 returns 97.38% to the player (RTP) with optimal strategy. This means for every $100 wagered over the long run, the expected return is $97.38. Using proper strategy is essential to achieve this return rate.
Place your bet (1-5 coins), then press Deal to receive 5 cards from a 52-card deck. Deuces (2s) serve as wild cards, substituting for any other card to form the best possible hand. Select which cards to hold, then press Draw to replace the rest. Your final hand is evaluated against the pay table. The minimum winning hand is Three of a Kind. Always bet max coins (5) to qualify for the enhanced Royal Flush jackpot of 4,000 coins.
In Loose Deuces 12/8, Deuces (2s) act as wild cards — they can substitute for any other card to complete the best possible hand. This means hands like Five of a Kind become possible. Wild card games typically require Three of a Kind as the minimum winning hand, since pairs are much easier to form with wilds.
Loose Deuces 12/8 has very high variance. This means significant bankroll swings with potential for large payouts on premium hands. You need a substantial bankroll and patience to ride out the dry spells.
Yes! Loose Deuces 12/8 is completely free to play on Pure Video Poker. No download, no registration, and no real money required. You get 1,000 practice credits to play with. It works in any modern web browser on desktop computers, tablets, and smartphones. Use it to practice strategy and learn the game before playing at a real casino.