Wild Royal Flush on Deuces Wild – Follow-up

4 March 2023

By Jerry Stickman

A response from Darren to my article giving him advice to hold a wild royal flush that has one deuce rather than dump the deuce and go for the natural royal flush.

Stickman,

Thanks for the reply. It's also the psychological factor.

If I hit 125, I'll probably just play it back. But if I hit 4000, I'm outta there!

Now how about this one. What if I get THREE deuces in a wild royal?

I feel it is worth it to dump the two other cards and try to get four deuces for the 1000.

Of course, mathematically, I am probably wrong but there are rare occurrences and worth the risk, in my opinion.

If I also factor in my psychology, I am more likely to cash out if I hit 4000 or 1000, but will likely keep playing if I only get 125...which will dwindle away.

Darren


Hi Darren,

You are correct about the psychological factor.

One of the normal human emotions that casinos rely upon is greed.

When gamblers win, they want to win more. They are constantly seeking more from their play. They often lose all their winnings and will often then hit the ATM in order to play some more.

Whether playing video poker, blackjack, or craps – all games that require some skill to get the best results – smart players always look for a reason to quit playing.

Anything that helps you keep more of your money in your pocket (especially on a negative expectation game) is a good thing.

Is it worth what you throw away? Only you can answer that.

Enough of the generalities. How about your specific question on a wild royal with three deuces. Is it worth it to throw the two non deuces and go for the 1,000-credit jackpot?

The math on three deuces is like your original question about a wild royal flush with a single deuce vs natural royal.

• You have a sure 125 credits for 5 played with the wild royal hold.
• Holding the three deuces drops your average return to about 74 credits for five credits played.
• You have a 1-in-47 chance of getting the 1,000 for the fourth deuce.

Similar situation to your original question. Therefore, my advice is the same.

Getting a hand of quad deuces is nice. It pays a lot. However, in the long run, you are winning less. Keep the wild royal flush. On average this move returns to most.

But it is your money, and your choice, my friend.

As always, may all your wins be swift and large, and your losses be slow and small.

Jerry “Stickman”


Jerry “Stickman” is an expert in craps, blackjack and video poker and advantage slot machine play. He is a regular contributor to top gaming magazines. He authored the video poker section of "Everything Casino Poker: Get the Edge at Video Poker, Texas Hold'em, Omaha Hi-Lo, and Pai Gow Poker!" You can contact Jerry “Stickman” at stickmanjerryg@gmail.com