About Asian Stud Poker Game – Guide & Strategy

Asian Stud is a relatively new game that is mostly played in casinos around the Seattle area of the United States. This game has over the years endeared itself to the hearts of many casino lovers because of the intriguing feeling that it brings. Some of the things that make this game awesome are the set of rules that must be strictly adhered to while playing and we have tried to bring them in as granular a manner as we deem possible. Now sit back and enjoy!

 

Asian Stud Game Rules

Asian studs are played with a single deck of cards which constitute the traditional 52 cards and a joker. The value of each card is just as they are calculated in the game of baccarat where the aces are a point, cards from 2 to 9 have their face value the ten face cards have 10 points while like the aces the joker also has a single point. However, with regards to the bonuses, a different set of rules apply.

Once the players make wagers referred to as ante wager depending on the table limits, the game is declared open, the dealer then deals five cards to all the players including himself while ensuring that all cards are dealt face down. The rules allow players to examine their cards but frowns on sharing information about what cards they have. After card examination by the players, they may decide to either raise or fold. If the player chooses to raise then an additional wager must be added to the initial deposit while if he folds, he loses all his cards and the initial wager.

The remaining Asian studs players will then separate cards of the player who decides to raise or fold into a two-card hand and a three-card hand. Now, where it gets very interesting is that for a player to have a qualifying hand, he needs to have a total of 10, 20 or 30 points in the three-card hand. However, if he doesn’t attain the required figure to get a qualifying hand, then his two-card hand is irrelevant and the only way he could get a win is if the dealer does not qualify.

If the player has enough on his three-card hand to qualify, then the value of the 2-card hand will be determined based on the summation of the points on the two cards. In Asian studs, the highest figure that can be attained in a 2-card hand is a total of either 10 or 20 even though the value shall remain 10 regardless of the point total. However, sometimes the value of the 2-card hand is the terminal in the total number of points as is the case with baccarat. A good instance is a summation of cards having 6 & 9 recorded as a total point score of 15 and the value of 5.

The Asian studs dealer will have to wait until all players have set their hands before he arranges his 3-card hand in a similar fashion to that of the players. The dealer also tries to qualify with a 10, 20, or 30 point total in the 3-card hand. If the dealer is able to qualify then his 2-card hand will then be valued just as the player’s 2-card hand but if his 3-card hand doesn’t qualify, then all players that didn’t fold will win even amount of money on the ante with less than a possible 5% commission while those that raised will push.

If by chance the player’s 3-card hand does not qualify but the dealer qualifies, then the player loses both ante and raise, if both the player and the dealer’s 3-card hands qualify then the value of the two-card hands will be used to decide the winner. However, if the dealer’s two-card hand is more than the player’s score then the player loses both ante and raise and where there is a tie, both the ante and raise shall push. More so, if the player’s two card hand outscores the dealer’s then  the player gets money on the ante and the raise will be dependent on the difference in the point values such as 1-3 points: 1 to 1, 4-6 points: 2 to 1, 7-9 points: 3 to 1.

Importantly, Asian studs players must know that winnings will be less by 5% which is a commission based on certain house rules. A good example is if a player has 2-card hand with 7 points and the dealer has 2 points then the player gets 5 more points, the raise will pay on a ration 2 to 1 with a 5 % commission.

You can also make a side wager which is available based on the poker value of the total score of the 5-card hand. For the purposes of the side wager, the score of the cards are valued just as they are in poker. The joker as usual is somewhat wild and can be used as a straight, flush, or straight flush and can also be counted as ace. This is same way how the “pai gow” poker is scored. However, the player is not charged 5% on the side wager earnings which is a huge advantage over the previous one. Also note the casino reserves to choose the side poker table from any of the pay tables.

Asian Stud Game Strategy

Despite the fact that the ante, raise or even both are subject to the 5% commission, our recommended strategy is to always raise in the Asian Stud. There will be times when you will have non-qualifying hand, the loss expected is less than 0.99 units which is still lesser than the 1 unit you loss by folding.

Play Asian Stud Poker game at the following online casinos