GCA "Wild Card Games, Theory"
Newgca
Many people dismiss wild card games as being pure luck, when the exact opposite
is the truth. Wild card games are among the most skillful poker games a person
can play, however most people aren't bright enough to figure this out.
In days of old they used to play many types of wild card games, baseball, low
card in the hole is wild with a roll your own version. They even had a type of
Omaha game called Cincinnati where the low card on the board was wild. Games
like this made it very easy for those with card sense to beat the live ones,
while all of the time most were thinking these games were all luck.
Many game started out long ago with one joker in it, called the BUG. The bug
wasn't wild, but was used to make Aces, straights and flushes. It was also a
filler for lowball games.
The bug was such a powerful card that a person who waited to play it could be a
winner even if he possessed limited poker skills. Soon the bug became an action
killer as there was only one.
To eliminate this problem, other games were introduced, allowing for several or
many wild cards in a game. To a real player, these games used to shine above
the others because the mentality of most people isn't capable of figuring out
the edge or the possibilities the hands possessed.
Baseball, a very good game was shortly dished, mainly because of the extra
cards the 4's brought. In baseball, 2's and 9's are wild and if you get a four,
your get another card.
Most of these games were played in a stud format which was definitely the best
way to play. A game that became a favorite to many was low card in the hole
wild, roll your own. This game enabled everyone to start off with a wild card
or cards and by doing this, supposedly equaled the joker part of the game up.
Again this was another way of beating the suckers with a cinch game.
In wild card games, 5 Aces are the best hand, followed by the next highest 5 of
a kind. Next comes the Royal and straight flushes followed by 4 of a kind.
These games are very skillful when played right and allow people to make the
nuts easier and also enable you to see the possibility of the hand you are
playing against. Turning the right cards over also takes a great deal of skill,
for the last card you usually have an option of getting up or down. The fact it
can be dealt up, can show a person capable of digesting the information, what
possible hand the others could have.
This is a reason you tried to get the last card down, some times taking a
chance you didn't hit the one or two cards that could kill your hand.
Most games were played straight high in a pot limit version and possibilities
of the hand values eluded most people. A simple question to those reading this
post. The game is 7 stud, low card in the hole is wild. You have not received
your river card yet. Your board shows a four card rainbow, with no pairs. At
this point, what is the best possible hand you can be holding, as far as value
of the hand? Think for a second before answering.
If you answered 4 of a kind, your answer is right. The ways you can achieve
this hand on 6th street is by having 2 pair for one instance or a set of trips
for another. The best possible holding you could have here is having an A, J,
10, 2 showing on board. The best holding you could have in the hole would be
22. A hand like this is a great hand, You already have 4 Aces as the bare
minimum of a winning hand is usually 4 of a kind, something that really screws
the works of many players up.
This hand also gives you the potential of drawing your last card down. An
analysis of this hand would reveal many straight or Royal flushes are easily
made with this hand, let alone 5 of a kind. Catching any card that fits into
the 3 you have on board makes a Royal of straight flush for you. Besides if you
pair up, you makes five of a kind.
The Ace on board allows you to make a possible cinch of 5 Aces, by catching
another 2 or an Ace. The fact your other cards are all high also allows you
many possibilities of making a Royal of a straight flush, enabling you to beat
others who may make one also.
Read the board and you will realize the Ace lets you catch any K,Q,J,10 of that
suit to make a Royal. The J shows you even more straight flush possibilities.
Here you can catch a K,Q,9,8,7 of the suit to give you a very high straight
flush. With the 10, it's also the same. You have the K,Q, 9,8,7,6 of the suit
allowing you another straight flush.
I know some of you will mention I forgot to state the Ace of a suit as well as
a J and a 10. Look at the board and you realize these make you five of a kind.
Five of a kind can only be made two ways, though through many combinations. The
first way is having 4 of a kind and the second is having a full house. Playing
this game, the usual good player would go to make a straight flush and play
accordingly.
Two pair or trips make 4 of a kind, the suckers hand. People got swept into
this many years ago and because so many of them lost with 4 of a kind all the
time, these games were denounced as stupid games, meant to be played by idiots.
The real truth is many idiots played 4 of a kind like it was a cinch,
disregarding and not able to read the boards of others. These were the true
cinch games, the ones that also had the most skill. Though I'm sure many minds
could grasp these concepts very quickly today, back in those days there were
few.
Games like this ruled many private games as well as other games, all designed
to separate those who couldn't reason out of their money the easiest way, with
as little gambling as possible.
Russ Georgiev
Peter Lizak
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Peter Lizak
pli...@math.uwaterloo.ca
Scientific Computing Lab, University of Waterloo
Newgca
Many people dismiss wild card games as being pure luck, when the exact opposite
is the truth. Wild card games are among the most skillful poker games a person
can play, however most people aren't bright enough to figure this out.
In days of old they used to play many types of wild card games, baseball, low
card in the hole is wild with a roll your own version. They even had a type of
Omaha game called Cincinnati where the low card on the board was wild. Games
like this made it very easy for those with card sense to beat the live ones,
while all of the time most were thinking these games were all luck.
Many game started out long ago with one joker in it, called the BUG. The bug
wasn't wild, but was used to make Aces, straights and flushes. It was also a
filler for lowball games.
The bug was such a powerful card that a person who waited to play it could be a
winner even if he possessed limited poker skills. Soon the bug became an action
killer as there was only one.
To eliminate this problem, other games were introduced, allowing for several or
many wild cards in a game. To a real player, these games used to shine above
the others because the mentality of most people isn't capable of figuring out
the edge or the possibilities the hands possessed.
Baseball, a very good game was shortly dished, mainly because of the extra
cards the 4's brought. In baseball, 2's and 9's are wild and if you get a four,
your get another card.
Most of these games were played in a stud format which was definitely the best
way to play these games. A game that became a favorite to many was low card in
the hole wild, roll your own. This game enabled everyone to start off with a
wild card or cards and by doing this, supposedly equaled the joker part of the
game up. Again this was another way of beating the suckers with a cinch game.
In wild card games, 5 Aces are the best hand, followed by the next highest 5 of
a kind. Next comes the Royal and straight flushes followed by 4 of a kind.
These games are very skillful when played right and allow people to make the
nuts easier and also enable you to see the possibility of the hand you are
playing against. Turning the right cards over also takes a great deal of skill,
for the last card you usually have an option of getting up or down. The fact it
can be dealt up, will show a person capable of digesting the information, what
possible hand the other could have.
This is a reason you tried to get the last card down, some times taking a
chance you didn't hit the one or two cards that could kill your hand.
Most games were played straight high in a pot limit version and possibilities
of the hand values eluded most people. A simple question to those reading this
post. The game is 7 stud, low card in the hole is wild. You have not received
your river card yet. Your board shows a four card rainbow, with no pairs. At
this point, what is the best possible hand you can be holding, as far as value
of the hand? Think for a second before answering.
If you answered 4 of a kind, your answer is right. The ways you can achieve
this hand on 6th street is by having 2 pair for one instance or a set of trips
for another. The best possible holding you could have here is having an A, J,
10, 2 showing on board. The best holding you could have in the hole would be
22. A hand like this is a great hand, You already have 4 Aces as the bare
minimum of a winning hand is usually 4 of a kind, something that really screws
the works of many players up.
This hand also gives you the potential of drawing your last card down. An
analysis of this hand would reveal many straight or Royal flushes are easily
made with this hand, let alone 5 of a kind. Catching any card that fits into
the 3 you have on board makes a Royal of straight flush for you. Besides if you
pair up, you makes five of a kind.
The Ace on board allows you to make a possible cinch of 5 Aces, by catching
another 2 or an Ace. The fact your other cards are all high also allows you
many possibilities of making a Royal of a straight flush, enabling you to beat
others who may make one also.
Read the board and you will realize the Ace lets you catch any KQJ,10 of that
Robert Ladd
Could you wait at least a week before a repost and avoid doing it in the
same thread. :-)
Figured I'd preempt the "repost police".
Robert Ladd
"Newgca" <new...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20030603012637...@mb-m14.aol.com...
phreaux
Wild cards add to the variance, thus giving appearance of adding a
"luck" factor.
However, the EV of the skilled player goes up the wilder the game is,
thus making it a game of skill.
I recently exchanged emails with a friend on this subject and we
concluded that low card in the hole, roll your own was the ideal game
for a shark to kill the fish in a home game. It relies heavily on
skill, but gives the appearance that you are just the luckiest guy in
the world. (on the other hand, if you knock a game dead in, say
holdem, it quickly becomes obvious that you are truly better than the
fish)
Newgca
Thank you very much.
>I recently exchanged emails with a friend on this subject and we
>concluded that low card in the hole, roll your own was the ideal game
>for a shark to kill the fish in a home game.
This is a BOSS game.
>It relies heavily on
>skill, but gives the appearance that you are just the luckiest guy in
>the world. (on the other hand, if you knock a game dead in, say
>holdem, it quickly becomes obvious that you are truly better than the
>fish)
Thank you once again.
Russ Georgiev
wamplerr
instance, in 3 card poker, you're more likely to be dealt a flush than a
straight. So in 7 card showdown, given that you're lowest card is wild,
does it mess anything up as far as the traditional hand rankings? And
is the fact that 5 of a kind beats a straight flush arbitrary, or is it
based on the combinations? Obivously, it is not based entirely on
combinations, because if you're playing dealer's choice, and you have
one wild game and then another wild game, there may different math
underlying the games, but you're still going to say 5 of a kind beats a
straight flush for both games.
_________________________________________________________________
Posted using RGP ACCESS at http://www.LiveActionPoker.com
Newgca
>straight flush for both games.
>
I have some startling news for you. In the modern world of poker, 5 of a kind
was considered the best hand. For decades Cal. had the bug or joker in their
games and 5 Aces was the best hand.
Gary Carson
>Has anyone analyzed what wild cards do to the hand rankings?
Yes.
> For
>instance, in 3 card poker, you're more likely to be dealt a flush
than a
>straight. So in 7 card showdown, given that you're lowest card is
wild,
>does it mess anything up as far as the traditional hand rankings?
I guess that depends on whay you mean by "mess up"
Check google on this one.
Andrei
> Baseball, a very good game was shortly dished, mainly because of
> the extra cards the 4's brought. In baseball, 2's and 9's are
> wild and if you get a four, your get another card.
Baseball is easily the most popular home game I play in. We play it pot
limit which means you better have a real good understanding on what
constitutes a good hand, because it all goes bye bye if you are wrong.
BTW, I was taught that Baseball uses 9s and 3s for wild. The logic being
that 9 is the number of innings and 3 for strikes. Baseball things. The 4
being a "homerun" thus the extra card. Never played it with a 2 beng wild.
Also, Baseball is great because in most stud of flop games, 9 is one of
the worst cards to have. Yet, in Baseball, 9s become very powerful, which
throws off a lot of people not insync with the game.
Finally, my favorite version of Baseball is this:
9s are wild and free. When you get a 4, you pay double the blind to get an
extra card. (You can decline if you want, not getting the extra card.) If
you get a 3 in the up portion of your board, you have to pay the size of
the pot to make it wild *AND* stay in the hand. (Thus, the connection to
the 3 strikes and you're out part of baseball.) If you won't pay the for
the 3, you are automatically folded.
This variation can be BRUTAL, but very profitable and very fun... so only
play it with people who can take it.
Andrei
_________________________________________________________________
Posted using RecPoker.com - http://www.recpoker.com
Newgca
>that 9 is the number of innings and 3 for strikes. Baseball things. The 4
>being a "homerun" thus the extra card. Never played it with a 2 beng wild.
I sit corrected. You are right. Many games I played in the players couldn't
remember that it was the 3 wild since the 2's were always wild in other games.
So we just switched them around.
However you are correct in the true game being 3's and 9's wild and for the
reasons stated.
Russ Georgiev
Newgca
>
It means not giving an instruction booklet stating you must plug in an
electrical appliance in order for it to work.
Newgca
>straight flush for both games.
>
There is a reason cards come with jokers in the box.