Loose Deuces Wild is one of the few video poker games that gives the player a mathematical edge — if you can find the right pay table. With a full-pay return of approximately 100.97%, it ranks among the highest-RTP games in any casino, online or land-based.
But the word "loose" in the name refers to the boosted payout for four deuces, not to loose casino floors. The difference between the full-pay version and the short-pay machines you are more likely to encounter is roughly three percentage points of RTP. That gap compounds into significant losses over thousands of hands.
This guide breaks down the Loose Deuces Wild pay table, shows you how to spot the profitable version, and explains why it matters for your bankroll.
How to Identify the Full-Pay Version
Loose Deuces Wild is a variant of standard Deuces Wild, and the critical difference is in one line of the pay table: four deuces pays 2500 coins (on a max bet) instead of the 1000 coins in regular Deuces Wild.
To quickly identify the pay table version, look at four numbers in order: the per-coin payouts for Four Deuces, Wild Royal Flush, Five of a Kind, and Straight Flush. The full-pay version reads 15/8/4/3. If any of those numbers are lower, you are looking at a short-pay machine.
Here is the fast check:
- 15/8/4/3 — Full pay (100.97% RTP). This is the one you want.
- 12/8/4/3 — Slightly reduced. Still decent at roughly 99.41%.
- 10/8/4/3 — Significantly reduced at approximately 97.95%.
The easiest tell is the Four Deuces line. If it shows anything less than 15 coins per coin wagered (or 2500 on a max 5-coin bet), you are not playing full-pay Loose Deuces.
Pay Table Comparison: Full Pay vs Short Pay
Here is the complete pay table comparison across three common versions. All payouts shown are per coin wagered (multiply by 5 for max-bet payouts):
| Hand | Full Pay (15/8/4/3) | Short Pay (12/8/4/3) | Short Pay (10/8/4/3) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Natural Royal Flush | 800 | 800 | 800 |
| Four Deuces | 15 | 12 | 10 |
| Wild Royal Flush | 8 | 8 | 8 |
| Five of a Kind | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Straight Flush | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Four of a Kind | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Full House | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Flush | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Straight | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Three of a Kind | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Notice that the only changes are in the Four Deuces line. Every other payout stays identical. Casinos know exactly which lever to pull: they reduce the one payout that makes this game special, and most players never notice.
The RTP Gap: 3 Percentage Points, Real Dollars
At first glance, the difference between 100.97% and 97.95% seems small. It is not.
On a $1 machine playing max bet ($5 per hand) at 400 hands per hour, that 3.02% RTP gap translates to roughly $60 per hour in expected value difference. Over a weekend trip, the full-pay version theoretically pays you to play, while the 10/8/4/3 version steadily drains your bankroll at a rate comparable to many slot machines.
Even the middle version at 99.41% flips from player-positive to house-positive, eliminating the entire reason to seek out Loose Deuces in the first place.
Why Full-Pay Machines Are Hard to Find
Casinos are not in the business of offering games with a player edge. Full-pay Loose Deuces machines were never common, and they have become rarer over the past decade. When they do appear, it is typically as a loss leader — the casino knows that most players will not play perfect strategy, so the theoretical edge never materializes.
In Las Vegas, full-pay Loose Deuces has largely disappeared from the Strip. You may still find it in select off-Strip casinos or locals-oriented properties. Online, some video poker platforms carry the full-pay version, but always verify the pay table.
Strategy Differences from Standard Deuces Wild
If you already know Deuces Wild strategy, you cannot simply transplant it to Loose Deuces. The boosted Four Deuces payout changes the math on several key holds.
The most important difference: when you are dealt three deuces, the optimal play changes. In standard Deuces Wild, three deuces plus a wild royal card means you hold all four. In Loose Deuces, because the Four Deuces payout is so much higher (15 vs 5 per coin), there are situations where you hold only the three deuces and go for the fourth.
Other notable differences include:
- Holding patterns with two deuces shift to favor more aggressive draws toward four deuces.
- Single deuce hands follow a similar hierarchy to standard Deuces Wild, but the break-even points between chasing a wild royal versus a straight flush change slightly.
- No-deuce hands play almost identically to standard Deuces Wild.
The differences are subtle enough that a Deuces Wild strategy applied to Loose Deuces will still return close to theoretical, but perfecting the Loose Deuces-specific strategy is what pushes you past the 100% threshold.
The Bottom Line
Loose Deuces Wild is a rare breed: a casino game where the math favors the player. But that edge lives or dies on the pay table. The full-pay 15/8/4/3 version returns 100.97% with perfect strategy. Drop to 12/8/4/3 and you are at 99.41% — still excellent by casino standards, but the player advantage is gone. Fall to 10/8/4/3 and you are at 97.95%, an entirely different proposition.
Before you sit down at any Loose Deuces machine, check the Four Deuces line. If it does not say 15 per coin or 2500 on max bet, you are playing a different game than the one that earned Loose Deuces its reputation.
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