Jampiece
High Hand
So this game is very popular at a couple card rooms in California and even seams to have a few tables at The Bicycle casino in LA and I believe it is also spread (Fixed Limit) at Fiesta Casino is Vegas. There are home game rules that vary from casino rules and that confuses a few of the old school Mexican American's that have come into where I deal at. It is often referred to as Mexican Poker, Poker Mexicano or Mex-Po. I've never heard anyone call it Mexican Stud.
So basically this is 5 card stud, roll your own, stripped deck + a single joker and modified ranking. 7 players max. It is commonly played no limit but can obviously be played fixed, pot, or spread limit.
Hand rankings are: 5-of-a-kind (quintilla) > straight flush > 4-of-a-kind > flush > full house > straight > 3-of-a-kind > 2 pair > pair > high card
8s 9s and Ts are removed from the deck. 7JQKA is the broadway
Joker is either wild or a bug depending on how it is dealt to the player. If it is delivered face up it is a bug. If it is delivered face down it is fully wild. If it is requested face down and exposed accidentally on delivery it will be considered fully wild.
Where I've dealt and played it is spread No-Limit and contrary to most stud games the (first) HIGH card on 2nd street is the bring-in. 3rd-5th streets are typical high card is first to act no bet required. A $1/$2 game has a $1 ante and $2 bring-in/min bet.
Order of play:
Antes
Deal everyone a card face-up in order. Deal everyone a second card face down. Betting round
Prior to receiving a 3rd card, player will give a thumbs up (or other signal) to receive their 3rd card face up OR they will table their hole card and receive the new card face down. Betting round.
Prior to receiving a 4th card, player will give a thumbs up to receive their 4th card face up OR they will table their hole card and receive the new card face down. Betting round.
Prior to receiving a 5th card, player will give a thumbs up to receive their 5th card face up OR they will table their hole card and receive the new card face down. Betting round.
NOTES:
Some house rules will kill a hand if the tabled/UP cards are turned over. It is common for cheaters and/or drunks to change their mind on which cards they exposed if they want to represent a straight or flush so it's easier to just make it known that your UP cards must stay on the felt and not be turned over at all.
A kill button can be used to indicate if the joker is wild (KILL) or a bug (NO KILL) and passed to whomever has the joker.
If you are dealt a joker face down and decide to show it it is STILL wild. It does not become a bug because a player decided to show it.
Many home games have a rule that if you receive the joker on 4th or 5th street it is fully wild regardless of delivery, but that is not how it is played in casinos and hurts the game IMO
The game is a lot of fun. There are enough betting rounds to really make you think. Enough variance to keep things interesting. The fact that you can rep a joker with bupkis underneath is very fun by taking all your cards up so everyone starts assuming you're hiding the joker. One of my favorite games. I think the math shows that flushes are just a fraction less probable than full house isn't reflected in gameplay because if you have a bug its very easy to chase especially with a suited Ace giving you a pair of aces while you chase. You will probably see more flushes than full houses, but chasing flushes is a very very very bad idea.
So basically this is 5 card stud, roll your own, stripped deck + a single joker and modified ranking. 7 players max. It is commonly played no limit but can obviously be played fixed, pot, or spread limit.
Hand rankings are: 5-of-a-kind (quintilla) > straight flush > 4-of-a-kind > flush > full house > straight > 3-of-a-kind > 2 pair > pair > high card
8s 9s and Ts are removed from the deck. 7JQKA is the broadway
Joker is either wild or a bug depending on how it is dealt to the player. If it is delivered face up it is a bug. If it is delivered face down it is fully wild. If it is requested face down and exposed accidentally on delivery it will be considered fully wild.
Where I've dealt and played it is spread No-Limit and contrary to most stud games the (first) HIGH card on 2nd street is the bring-in. 3rd-5th streets are typical high card is first to act no bet required. A $1/$2 game has a $1 ante and $2 bring-in/min bet.
Order of play:
Antes
Deal everyone a card face-up in order. Deal everyone a second card face down. Betting round
Prior to receiving a 3rd card, player will give a thumbs up (or other signal) to receive their 3rd card face up OR they will table their hole card and receive the new card face down. Betting round.
Prior to receiving a 4th card, player will give a thumbs up to receive their 4th card face up OR they will table their hole card and receive the new card face down. Betting round.
Prior to receiving a 5th card, player will give a thumbs up to receive their 5th card face up OR they will table their hole card and receive the new card face down. Betting round.
NOTES:
Some house rules will kill a hand if the tabled/UP cards are turned over. It is common for cheaters and/or drunks to change their mind on which cards they exposed if they want to represent a straight or flush so it's easier to just make it known that your UP cards must stay on the felt and not be turned over at all.
A kill button can be used to indicate if the joker is wild (KILL) or a bug (NO KILL) and passed to whomever has the joker.
If you are dealt a joker face down and decide to show it it is STILL wild. It does not become a bug because a player decided to show it.
Many home games have a rule that if you receive the joker on 4th or 5th street it is fully wild regardless of delivery, but that is not how it is played in casinos and hurts the game IMO
The game is a lot of fun. There are enough betting rounds to really make you think. Enough variance to keep things interesting. The fact that you can rep a joker with bupkis underneath is very fun by taking all your cards up so everyone starts assuming you're hiding the joker. One of my favorite games. I think the math shows that flushes are just a fraction less probable than full house isn't reflected in gameplay because if you have a bug its very easy to chase especially with a suited Ace giving you a pair of aces while you chase. You will probably see more flushes than full houses, but chasing flushes is a very very very bad idea.
