Three deuces with a pair of 9s — keep the five of a kind or draw two?
Break it. On 25/15/9/5 Deuces Wild three bare deuces are worth 15.0574 per coin against exactly 15.0000 for the pat five of a kind of 9s — but with a pair of 10s or higher the pat hand wins, 15.0000 to 14.9389.
The exact numbers — 2♣ 2♦ 2♥ 9♠ 9♣
EVs are exact — every possible draw enumerated, not simulated — at max bet on 25/15/9/5 Deuces Wild. Check it yourself: the analyzer runs the same solver in your browser.
See all 32 holds of this hand ranked →Why
Five of a kind pays 15, and three deuces drawing two are worth about 15 on their own: whatever two cards come, three deuces are at least four of a kind (5); a pair is five of a kind again; two suited cards inside a run are a straight flush (9) or, if both are 10 or higher, a wild royal (25); and the fourth deuce is 200. Which side of 15 the draw lands on depends on the pair you throw away, because those two cards leave the deck. Discard two 9s and the draw is worth 15.0574 — a hair more than standing pat. Discard two 10s and you have removed two royal cards from the deck, thinning exactly the 25-coin wild royals that make the draw worth taking: the same draw solves to 14.9389, so with 10s, jacks, queens, kings or aces you keep the pat hand. The margin is tiny either way, which is exactly why the chart spells out the rank where the answer flips rather than leaving it to feel.
Chart line #3 of 33 — 'Five of a kind with a pair of 10s or higher — hold all five (a pair of 9s or lower: break it, hold the deuces)' — and line #4, 'Three deuces only — draw two'. See the full solver-optimized strategy chart, or drill hands with exact-EV feedback until plays like this are automatic.