Deuces Wild Video Poker Pay Table — Full Pay, Not-So-Ugly Ducks, and Variants

The Deuces Wild video poker family includes multiple paytable variants, each with its own per-credit payout structure, RTP, and identification markers. Understanding the difference between Full Pay, Not So Ugly Ducks, Illinois Deuces, and short-pay schedules is the first step before applying strategy — the same hand can have a very different long-term value on a different paytable.

This page compares the common paytables, explains the key payout rows, and shows how to identify Full Pay from look-alike versions.

For the broader variant overview, start with the Deuces Wild video poker guide. For hand-by-hand decisions, see the strategy guide. For strategy specific to this variant, see the Full Pay strategy page.

Educational content only. Gambling rules, availability, and legal age vary by jurisdiction.

How to read a Deuces Wild paytable

Paytables in this game family share a common structure, with payouts that vary in the middle of the chart. The hand rankings, from highest to lowest, are: Natural Royal Flush, Four Deuces, Wild Royal Flush, Five of a Kind, Straight Flush, Four of a Kind, Full House, Flush, Straight, Three of a Kind. There is no pair payout — three of a kind is the floor.

Variant identification hinges on the middle rows: Five of a Kind, Straight Flush, Four of a Kind, Full House, and Flush. Each common variant adjusts one or more of these values, which collectively determine the resulting RTP.

The shorthand notation for these paytables uses the per-credit payouts for the variable rows. The top schedule is often written as “25-15-9-5-3-2” — corresponding to Wild Royal (25), Five of a Kind (15), Straight Flush (9), Four of a Kind (5), Full House (3), Flush (2). The same notation pattern adjusts across other variants.

Comparison of common paytables

All RTP values assume variant-specific optimal strategy and max-coin play (5 credits). Royal Flush max-coin payout is 4,000 credits (800× per credit) across all common variants; Natural Royal pays 250 per credit at fewer than 5 credits. The Straight (2 per credit) and Three of a Kind (1 per credit) payouts are consistent across variants. Full Pay and NSUD are named schedules; lower-return rows are shown by payout notation because naming conventions vary by software provider and market.

For a cross-variant view of theoretical return across video poker games, see the Video Poker RTP guide. To compare with the standard draw-poker benchmark, see the 9/6 Jacks or Better pay table guide.

Full Pay paytable detail

The critical identification row is the 4-of-a-Kind row: 5 per credit on the top schedule, 4 per credit on NSUD and most short-pay variants. Because this hand occurs frequently in the game (driven by the four wild cards), that one-credit reduction matters: Full Pay returns 100.76%, while NSUD returns 99.73% — a gap of about 1.03 percentage points under variant-specific optimal strategy.

Not So Ugly Ducks (NSUD) paytable detail

NSUD offers higher payouts on Five of a Kind, Straight Flush, Full House, and Flush than the top schedule, but trades those gains for a reduced 4-of-a-Kind row payout. The net effect is a 99.73% return under NSUD-specific optimal strategy — one of the strongest commonly discussed short-pay Deuces Wild schedules, and a reasonable fallback when the top schedule is unavailable. NSUD is not a positive-expectation base game, but its 0.27% house edge is competitive with most modern video poker offerings.

Illinois Deuces (98.91% schedule)

The 98.91% schedule — commonly named “Illinois Deuces” — is a common short-pay Deuces Wild variant. Its paytable is identical to the top schedule except for three changes: the 4-of-a-Kind row drops from 5 to 4, Full House rises from 3 to 4, and Flush rises from 2 to 3.

The offsetting changes look minor row-by-row but produce a meaningful return drop, because the four-of-a-kind hand occurs more frequently than full houses in this game. The net result is 98.91% return — close to 9/6 Jacks or Better territory, with a house edge of about 1.09%.

This same paytable is also widely encountered in online offerings under various names (“Common Online”, “98.91 schedule”, or simply “Deuces Wild” without further qualification). The name varies by software provider; the payout structure does not.

Critical identification markers

To identify the paytable, check the middle rows first. The game name alone is not enough — multiple variants share the “Deuces Wild” label with very different RTP.

1. Four of a Kind: 5 per credit is the key Full Pay marker. 4 per credit means NSUD, Illinois Deuces, or another short-pay schedule
2. Five of a Kind: 15 appears in Full Pay and Illinois-style schedules; 16 points toward NSUD
3. Straight Flush: 9 indicates Full Pay or Illinois Deuces; 10 indicates NSUD; 8 or lower indicates a weaker short-pay schedule
4. Full House: 3 per credit is the top schedule; 4 per credit indicates NSUD, Illinois, or short-pay variants
5. Flush: 2 per credit indicates the top schedule; 3 per credit indicates NSUD, Illinois, or short-pay variants
6. Royal Flush max-coin: 4,000 credits at 5 credits bet — consistent across all common variants (confirms standard max-coin bonus is preserved)

The fastest test: the 4-of-a-Kind row = 5 AND Five of a Kind = 15 AND Straight Flush = 9 AND Full House = 3 AND Flush = 2. All five must match. If the 4-of-a-Kind row shows 4, the machine is not Full Pay.

For identification specifics and the strategy refinements that maximise the 100.76% theoretical return, see the Full Pay strategy page.

Online and software paytables

Online versions often use short-pay schedules rather than the 100.76% version. One common structure is the 98.91% Illinois-style schedule (Wild Royal 25, Five of a Kind 15, Straight Flush 9, Four of a Kind 4, Full House 4, Flush 3). It looks close to the top schedule, but the 4-of-a-Kind payout drops from 5 to 4, which materially reduces return.

A handful of regulated online operators offer better paytables, occasionally including the top schedule at lower bet limits. Always check the in-game paytable before depositing real money — the title “Deuces Wild” alone provides no guarantee of paytable structure.

Free-play or demo versions of a game may not match the paytable used in real-money play; verify both if you are evaluating an operator.

Common questions

How do I quickly tell if I’m playing Full Pay Deuces Wild?

Look at the 4-of-a-Kind row of the paytable. If it pays 5 per credit (25 credits at max-coin bet), the machine is a candidate.

Cross-check by confirming Straight Flush (9), Five of a Kind (15), Full House (3), and Flush (2). All five values matching confirms the top schedule. If the 4-of-a-Kind row shows 4, it is NSUD, Illinois Deuces, or a weaker short-pay variant — all with lower RTP.

What is the worst common paytable to avoid?

The 25-15-6-4-4-3-2 schedule returns approximately 97.64% — substantially below the better Deuces Wild variants. Even worse short-pay schedules exist (some below 95%); always confirm the full paytable before depositing.

The key signal: the 4-of-a-Kind row = 4 plus Straight Flush ≤ 8 generally indicates a sub-98% schedule. Walk away if both conditions hold.

Is NSUD a positive-expectation game?

No. NSUD returns 99.73% with optimal strategy — close to break-even but with a 0.27% house edge. Full Pay returns above 100%; some rare specialty schedules (such as Downtown Deuces or Deuces Deluxe) may also approach or exceed break-even, depending on the exact paytable. NSUD is a strong fallback schedule, but it is not a positive-EV game.