Among the various video poker variations, Deuces and Joker stand out thanks to its five wild cards. Even with the five wild cards though, it sill plays similar to other video poker variations. As a matter of fact, players who’ve played other Microgaming-developed titles such as Deuces Wild and Tens or Better should find the features of this video poker game to be more or less the same. In addition, they also shouldn’t have any issues with its fairness since Microgaming has always striven to ensure that the RNG of their games follow the strictest of industry guidelines.

Features & Payouts

Unlike Jacks or Better and Tens or Better, Deuces and Joker makes use of a single deck containing 53 cards. That’s 52 regular cards in a standard deck including a Joker. In this variation, the deuces as well as the Joker serve as Wilds (making it potentially easier for players to get winning hands). As with other video poker variations, players will need to set their bets prior to starting a Deal. Once they’ve clicked on the Deal button, they’ll then be given 5 cards which they can then opt to keep/hold on to for the Draw. Cards that weren’t held during the Deal phase will be replaced once the Draw button is clicked. Players will need to have at least a Three of a Kind to break even and a Straight to win 2x the amount they bet. In terms of betting options, players can choose to bet 1.25 coins ($/€.25) up to 25 coins (per deal. Players who are aiming for the Jackpot (4 Deuces and a Joker) though will need to make sure they bet the maximum amount of coins to receive the 10000 coins Jackpot prize.

Special Features

Even with just a Three of a Kind, players can still see their winnings increase thanks to Deuces and Joker’s Double Up special gamble feature. This will only activate once a player gets a winning hand after the Draw. What this does is that it allows players to gamble their winnings so that they can double them. They’ll be shown four cards that are face down and one card that’s facing up. The card that’s facing up is the dealer’s and they’ll need to choose one higher value card from the four that are facing down to win the game. If their chosen card is indeed of a higher value than the dealer’s then the players get to double their winnings. Additionally, they can double these Double Up winnings exponentially by using the Double Up feature again. However, it should be important to note that they’ll stand to lose all their winnings if they end up choosing a card with a value that’s lesser than that of the dealer’s.

Conclusion

Microgaming’s Deuces and Joker is a video poker variation that’s really easy to recommend. Although it’s not too complicated to understand, it’s also not that easy to win in either. It has the perfect balance of accessibility and challenge for both seasoned video poker players and beginners. Possibly the only issue players might get into is the drop-off in the amount of the prizes outside of the Jackpot (4 Deuces and a Joker) and the Natural Royal Flush. Then again, players can always jack up their winnings especially if they become good at the Double Up feature. As for being good, players might also want to check out poggstrategies.com for expert guides and strategies to become better at video poker.