deuces

1. 1
   noun

   Plural of deuce.

   The opening game alone went through seven deuces before she finally held serve.

   Deuces are wild this round, so every two can stand in for any card you need.

   Note

   The ordinary plural counts whatever a deuce can be: tied scores in a long tennis game, two-pip cards in a deck, throws of the dice that add up to two. A poker player holding two of those cards has a pair of twos, also called deuces, and the same spelling serves as a slang goodbye, which counts nothing at all.

2. 2
   interjectionslang

   Used as a casual goodbye, much like peace; it comes from the parting gesture of holding up two fingers.

   He grabbed his jacket, threw up two fingers and said, "Deuces," on his way out the door.

   If you can't show up on time, then deuces. I'll find somebody who will.

   Similarpeace, bye, later

   Note

   A sign-off from African-American Vernacular English, said on the way out and often paired with two raised fingers, the gesture behind the name. Its tone depends on the moment: among friends it is a cheerful see you, but aimed at someone you are finished with it becomes a curt dismissal. It belongs to casual speech, never to a formal goodbye.

3. 3
   nounslangcountableplural

   A pair of twos in a poker hand.

   She raised big with pocket deuces and got called by two players.

   Deuces won the pot when everyone else at the table missed the board.

   Similartwos

   Note

   Poker names a pair by the plural of its rank, so deuces sits beside kings and aces as the name of a hand, and it is the lowest pair there is, since two is the lowest rank. The word stays plural even though it names one hand. Pocket deuces means the pair is in a player's own face-down cards rather than shared on the board.

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