Online Poker » Dealers Choice Games » 5 Card Stud with Wild Card

Some poker players prefer to play 5 Card Stud with a hole card wild rule in order to make it easier for every person at the table to be on an even playing field. While you won't find a wild hole card in a 5 Card Stud game at a casino, it is a popular ruling amongst private games. Because this is a dealer's choice game, playing 5 Card Stud with a hole card wild can be a different experience depending on where you play and who you play with.

5 Card Stud - Hole Card Wild Rules

You will first need at least a basic understanding of how to play 5 Card Stud before you can move on to games with the hold card wild. In 5 Card Stud, players are given one card face down and four cards face up. The object of the game is to have the best five card hand. The one card that is given face down is known as the hole card, so when playing 5 Card Stud with the hole card wild rule, this will be a very valuable card.

In a typical game of 5 Card Stud with hole card wild, you will instead be dealt two hole cards to start with. After looking at both cards, you will be given the opportunity to choose which card you would like to play face up and which one you would like to use as your hole card. The hole card will then be considered wild. In most versions of the game, any cards you have in your hand that are the same value of your hole card are also considered wild.

According to most house rules for 5 Card Stud with hole card wild, players are allowed to select which card they want to make wild in every round. All cards will be dealt face down and then players will have the opportunity to choose which card they want to expose and which card they want to make the wild hole card.

5 Card Stud - Hole Card Wild Strategy

The strategy for 5 Card Stud will change slightly when the hole card wild rule is in place. Typically, bigger hands will be needed to win the game as 5 of a kind is a possible factor. Although having the extra wild card to play with can give you an advantage, it is also an advantage for your opponents, so be sure to watch how they are playing. You can easily discover what an opponents entire hand is if he frequently changes his wild card.

Most of the strategy for 5 Card Stud hole card wild poker is in choosing which card to make your wild card. In this type of game, straights and flushes are not as strong, so keep that in mind when selecting a strategy. Depending on the situation, you may choose to make your hole card your weakest one or you may choose to make it a card that you have in your hand multiple times to add more wild cards to your hand.