Jokerπs Wild

By Josh Zach

The first action people normally take when opening a deck of cards to play a game is discard the jokers. For years I had no idea why the jokers were even in the deck. Iπm sure they served some type of purpose, but not the games Iπd played. Later in my education of cards I was introduced to possibly one of the most intriguing five card poker games that will allow the joker to enter the deck. The game is five card draw.

Of course, five card draw can be played without the joker as well, but once I learned what a joker can do in a game of five card draw I wouldnπt play it any other way.

First off, to better understand the significance of an additional card in the deck, Iπll cite a rather bold statistic. A normal 52 card deck will produce just over 2.59 million possible five card hands. A 53 card deck (52 cards plus a joker) produces 2.87 million hands. Most people wouldnπt expect a single additional card to drastically change a game, but as youπll discover, the joker is wild.

A joker cannot be played in draw poker as just any random wild card to improve your hand; the joker has specific ground rules. The rules of a joker in five card draw are as follows: it may be used as an ace, it may be used to complete any part of a straight, and it may be used to complete any part of a flush (or straight flush).

Five card draw tournament tables are set up for eight players, so the following examples (and statistics) will be referencing to a table with eight players. For instance, chances are better than likely that in an eight person game, the joker will be dealt before any player draws a card. More specifically, the odds are better than 75% that a joker will be dealt before the draw. With that in mind, a player should pay careful attention to just what type of hand they will attempt to draw towards. If youπre looking at a hand that needs a minimum of two cards to complete a flush or a straight, and the odds of the joker in the deck are minimal, the odds are better than 2 to 1 against you to complete the hand. In most instances, a private game (friends getting together for a regular Saturday night game) wouldnπt have eight to a table, so the chances that the joker will be dealt before the draw will marginally decrease.

Draw poker is played by everyone being dealt five cards. A round of betting commences based on the strength of your cards. Minimum antes are generally established. For instance, if Y is the betting limit for preliminary raise before the draw, the first player to bet is required (but not limited to) at least the value of Y. Once the players come in to the pot (or fold) then players will discard the rag cards from their hands and draw fresh from the deck. A player may discard and draw up to three cards per hand.

The minimum opening bet once everyone draws from the deck should be double that of Y. As typical for poker, raises are a part of the game. Most good card players wonπt just limp in for the minimum bet. They will raise the bet, and they will raise it substantially. If you donπt think your hand will stand up to rake the pot, and you donπt want to waste your chips, you should probably fold. Simply speaking, if youπre drawing to a straight or flush draw, and you miss it, you should get out. Someone is probably in the pot with at least two kings, or even more likely two aces (because the joker can pose as an ace).

The presence of a joker will open up the game and possibly nudge you in the direction of playing at a hand that you would normally throw away. For instance, you may hold two low ranking cards to a flush or straight (any part of them), a joker, and two rags. If the joker wasnπt in play, Iπd normally throw this hand away. Thereπs nearly nothing that can help it, especially if youπre planning on drawing three cards and hoping to complete your hand. However, with the two cards to a straight and/or flush, the joker can fill a hole, and now youπd only be drawing at two cards to complete the hand.

Unfortunately the joker doesnπt offer much help if youπre drawing to a full house. Unless, that is, if youπre full house is made up partly of aces. Only then could a joker complete a full house. In all seriousness, draw poker is a game of aces. If you have been dealt two aces before the draw (natural or with a joker), your chances are even money that your hand is the best one in play.