Wild Card Stud Poker
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About
At the request of several Players, I added Wild Card Stud Poker to Riverboat Gambler. There was not a lot of information about this game online, but Jim, one of the Players who requested it, sent me a YouTube video that helped me to understand the game. It is apparently hosted in at least one casino in Florida, so I intend on making a road trip to check it out and ensure that I got things accurately.
If you are familiar with the game and notice any issues, please reach out to me and let me know!
In this game, deuces and a single joker are completely wild and the game is played "heads up" against the Dealer. At first glance, the game appears to be similar to another favorite: DJ Wild Poker.
Where the games differ is that Wild Card Stud does not offer the optional "Two Way Bad Beat" Bonus, the Dealer must qualify with at least One Pair (if the Dealer fails to qualify, the Player's Ante wager is refunded and the hand is called), and the Player makes a decision to wager up to 2x the original Ante when deciding to play his hand against the Dealer's. In DJ Wild, the continuation wager is automatically twice the Ante.
Lastly, Wild Card Stud may be perceived as more generous on the Bonus pay table when it comes to hands that use wild cards. In DJ Wild, there are different payouts for non-natural hands. This, however, is offset by how the final Call/Raise wager is paid in Wild Card Stud: all winning hands that use a wild card are only paid 1:1 for that wager while natural hands receive a premium for winning.
I hope you like it! If you have any suggestions or requests for other games, please feel to reach out to me. Riverboat Gambler continues to evolve because of Player support!
~Danny
How To Play
Objective of the Game
The objective of this poker game is to have a higher hand than does the Dealer. Wild Card Stud Poker is played with a standard 52 card deck, plus one Joker. The four deuces and lone joker are used as fully wild cards that may be substituted for any card and are allowed to change suit in order to make flushes.
Starting the Game
To begin the game, the Player will place equal Ante and Blind wagers and, optionally, a wager for the Bonus. Tapping on either the Ante or Blind buttons will increase those wagers by the default amounts ($5, $10, $25, $50, $100) that is defined in Preferences. Likewise, tapping on the Bonus Wager button will increase that optional wager.
A maximum of $500 is allowed for the Ante & Blind, a maximum of $100 is allowed for the Bonus wager. Holding down on any wager button for a brief moment will clear the wager. Once all wagers have been placed, pressing the Deal button will start the round by dealing five cards to both the Player and the Dealer.
Completing the Hand
Once the Player has received his cards, he must decide to remain in the hand or to Fold. If the player opts to Fold the hand, the wagers for Ante and Blind are forfeited. The optional Bonus wager will be paid for qualifying hands at the odds that are described in the Payout Table that can be found in these directions and by tapping the logo on the game board.
If the Player believes that his hand is strong enough to compete against the Dealer for the highest hand, he must wager 1x or 2x the original Ante amount by tapping the "Call/Raise" button. If the Player only wants to wager 1x the Ante amount, after placing the wager, simply tap the "Play" button to end the hand. If double the Ante is wagered the hand will automatically end after the second wager is placed. Then, the two hands will be called and a winner will be determined.
Wild Card Stud requires the Dealer to have a hand that ranks at least as high as One Pair. If the Dealer "Fails to Qualify" the Player's Ante wager is refunded before the hands are compared and a winner is declared.
If the Player has the higher (winning) hand, the Ante wager will be paid even money (1 to 1). The Blind wager pays according to the Pay Table for hands ranked as a Straight or higher. Other winning hands Push the Blind wager. The Call/Raise wager is also paid 1:1 on a winning hand, but includes a premium for "natural" hands (hands that do not use a wild card) if those hands rank as Three of a Kind or higher. Please reference the Pay Table for more details.
Bonus
The Bonus wager is an optional bet that could earn the Player odds of up to 2,000 to 1. This wager is paid for all hands that are ranked as Three of a Kind or higher in accordance with the odds that are defined in the Payout Table. All other hands lose and the amount that was wagered on this bonus bet is forfeited.
Achievements
The poker hand achievements for this game must be made without wild cards in order to win an achievement.
Quick Replay
After the hand completes, if the Player presses the Deal button, the same Ante, Blind, Bonus wagers will be placed and new cards will be dealt. If the Player does not want to repeat the last set of wagers, play will resume after new wagers have been made and the Deal button is pressed.
Pay Table
Ante* | |
| Winning Hand | 1 to 1 |
Blind Wager* | |
| 5 Wild Cards | 2000 to 1 |
| Royal Flush | 100 to 1 |
| Five of a Kind | 40 to 1 |
| Straight Flush | 25 to 1 |
| Four of a Kind | 5 to 1 |
| Full House | 4 to 1 |
| Flush | 3 to 1 |
| Straight | 2 to 1 |
| All Other Wins | Push |
Call/Raise Wager | |
| Royal Flush* | 1000 to 1 |
| Straight Flush* | 200 to 1 |
| Four of a Kind* | 60 to 1 |
| Full House* | 30 to 1 |
| Flush* | 25 to 1 |
| Straight* | 20 to 1 |
| Three of a Kind* | 6 to 1 |
| Any Other Win | 1 to 1 |
Bonus | ||
| Five Wild Cards | 2000 to 1 | |
| Royal Flush | 90 to 1 | |
| Five of a Kind | 70 to 1 | |
| Straight Flush | 25 to 1 | |
| Four of a Kind | 6 to 1 | |
| Full House | 5 to 1 | |
| Flush | 4 to 1 | |
| Straight | 3 to 1 | |
| Three of a Kind | 1 to 1 | |
| Maximum Payout: $50,000 | ||