Game rules · Draw
Five Card Draw Deuces Wild is draw poker in which all four twos are wild: each deuce can stand for any card its holder needs. It is usually played as Jacks or Better, with one draw and two betting rounds. With four wild cards in the deck, five of a kind becomes possible and ranks as the best hand.
Also known as 5 Card Draw Deuces Wild, Deuces Wild Draw
The object of the game is to win the pot, either by holding the best five-card hand at showdown or by making a bet that no other player calls.
The game is played with a standard 52-card deck. The four twos (deuces) are wild.
Between two and seven players may take part, as in Five Card Draw. Six is a comfortable maximum.
Except as set out on this page, the rules of Five Card Draw and its Jacks or Better form apply.
A deuce may represent any card, of any rank and suit, that the holder chooses in order to make the best hand.
Five of a kind. A deuce may duplicate a card already in the hand when making five of a kind. For example, three natural sevens and two deuces are five sevens.
No duplicates otherwise. In any other hand a deuce may not represent a card that is already in the hand. In practice this matters only for flushes: a player who holds the natural ace of a suit cannot use a deuce as a second ace of that suit, so the deuce becomes the highest card of the suit still missing.
A deuce used as a natural two is permitted, for example to complete the straight A-2-3-4-5.
The group may agree a different set of wild cards, such as fives or the one-eyed jacks (the jack of spades and jack of hearts). The rules above apply to whichever cards are wild.
Before the deal every player places the agreed ante in the pot.
Each player is dealt five cards face down, one at a time, clockwise, beginning with the player to the dealer's left.
The first betting round begins with the player to the dealer's left. A player may open the betting only with a pair of jacks or better, where a deuce may be used to make the qualifying hand. Until someone opens, players may only check.
Once the pot is opened, other players may call or raise whatever they hold.
If no one opens, the cards are thrown in, the antes stay in the pot, every player antes again and the deal passes to the left.
The rules on splitting and proving openers are the same as in Jacks or Better (see Five Card Draw).
| Stage | What happens | First to act |
|---|---|---|
| First betting round | Jacks or better to open | Player to the dealer's left |
| Draw | Each active player may exchange cards | First active player to the dealer's left |
| Second betting round | After the draw | The opener |
| Showdown | Players declare and show | Last player to bet or raise |
Beginning with the first active player to the dealer's left, each active player may discard cards and receive the same number of replacements. The usual limit is three cards; the dealer shall announce any other limit before the deal.
After the draw there is a second betting round, begun by the player who opened. Bet limits in this round are often double those before the draw.
Hands rank as in the standard poker hand rankings, with five of a kind added above the straight flush. Five aces is the highest possible hand.
Hands of equal rank are compared card by card, with each deuce counted as the card it represents. Unless the group agrees otherwise before play, a natural hand has no priority over an equal hand made with wild cards, and identical hands split the pot.
Declaring hands. Deuces Wild is usually played in home games with the rule that each player must state their own hand at showdown, rather than the cards speaking for themselves. How a wrongly declared hand is treated follows the group's house rules, which shall be agreed before play, as shall whether declaring is required at all.
If more than one player remains after the second betting round, the last player to bet or raise shows first. If everyone checked, the opener shows first.
A straight flush beats four of a kind
Player A holds 2♠2♦K♥K♣9♠. Using both deuces as kings, A has four kings.
Player B holds Q♥J♥10♥2♣8♥. The deuce stands for the nine of hearts, giving a queen-high straight flush.
A straight flush ranks above four of a kind, so Player B wins.
The flush rule for wild cards
Player A holds A♥2♠9♥6♥4♥. A already has the ace of hearts, so the deuce cannot be a second ace. It becomes the king of hearts: A-K-9-6-4.
Player B holds A♦K♦8♦5♦3♦, a natural flush, A-K-8-5-3.
Both flushes begin A-K. A's nine beats B's eight, so Player A wins.
Nothing, except a higher five of a kind. Five aces is the best possible hand. Five of a kind beats a straight flush.
No. Except when making five of a kind, a wild card cannot copy a card already in your hand. If you hold the ace of the flush suit, the deuce counts as the highest missing card, usually the king.
Not usually. Hands are compared on the cards they represent, and exactly equal hands split the pot. Some groups agree that a natural hand wins a tie; that should be settled before play.
Usually, yes. The standard form is played as Jacks or Better, and a deuce may help make the pair of jacks. Some home games drop the opening requirement; the dealer should announce which is being played.
Where any doubt remains in the application of this document, Rob is right.
Hand rankings, high to low: royal flush · straight flush · four of a kind · full house · flush · straight · three of a kind · two pair · one pair · high card. Suits never break ties.
Five Card Draw Deuces Wild Rules · OPR-307 · officialpokerrules.com/five-card-draw-deuces-wild/