Joker Poker

The Term "Mexican Poker"

It is unclear where the term "Mexican poker" came from. The game is not believed to be strictly Mexican in origin. The game that is a variation of five card stud poker is widely considered to be the original Mexican poker. Another game involving at least four decks of cards and a series of ten hands is also referred to as Mexican poker. That is viewed as more of a parlor game than a real poker game. The term Mexican poker has also come to refer to a drinking game and the very dangerous practice of people sitting at a card table in a rodeo ring waiting for a bull to gore them. For the purpose of this article, we will stick to the rules of the original Mexican poker game.

Five Aces, The Best Hand In Mexican Poker

Preparing a Deck of Cards for Mexican Poker

Mexican poker is played with a 41 card deck instead of the standard 52 card deck. Go through a deck of cards and remove all the 8's, 9's and 10's. You will be taking out 12 cards in all. Next, add a joker to the deck to bring the total number of cards to 41. This deck can deal to up to eight Mexican poker hands.

Removing the 8's, 9's, 10's and Adding the Joker

The Mexican Poker Joker

The joker is the most valuable card in the Mexican poker deck. It is considered higher than an ace for betting purposes. The joker pairs any card. It also fills an empty spot in any straight, flush, full house or straight flush. It can even the the fifth card in a five of a kind. If you are dealt the joker face down, keep it face down. Revealing a joker to the table will likely scare everyone else out of the hand.

The Most Powerful Card in Mexican Poker

Mexican Poker Play

Mexican poker is dealt in a similar way as five card stud poker. All players remaining in the hand until the last round will have one card face down and four cards face up. The difference is that Mexican poker is a self rolling game. This means the player decides which cards will be face up and which one stays face down. This happens in one of three ways:

1. Simultaneous Choice - Players are dealt all cards face down. Each round the players look at them and choose one to turn over. This is done simultaneously so that no player can adjust their choice based on what another player does. Players can choose to roll over the card they were just dealt or the one they previously had face down. This allows them to keep their best card hidden throughout the hand or turn all their good cards up to bluff that they have a better hand than they actually do.

2. Choice In Turn - Players are dealt all cards face down. They are allowed to look at them and choose which card to turn over each round. This is done in turns around the table starting with the player who bet first the previous round. Other players can then adjust their decisions based on the cards they see rolled over. This gives a significant advantage to players who reveal their cards later.
   

3. Blind Choice - Players must decide before the cards are dealt whether they want them face up or face down. If they want their card face up, they leave their hole card the way it is and are dealt another card face up. If they want their card face down, they must turn their hole card over before getting another card face down. This makes it harder to keep your best card hidden since you don't know what card you will be dealt.

Ante Up

An ante is collected from players before cards are dealt and placed in the pot. This is to ensure that there is money to play for. Each player contributes an equal amount or there is a rotating big blind and a small blind with a set amount. The ante in Mexican poker tends to be higher than in other poker games since folding is quite common.

First Round

In the first round the dealer gives each player one card face down starting with the player to his left moving clockwise. Each player is then given another card in the same order. For simultaneous choice and choice in turn games this card is face down. Players then choose which of their two cards they will roll over. The flipped card can be strong if the player wants to represent strength or weaker if the player wants to hide their strength. In blind choice games the second card is dealt face up. The player with the highest card starts the betting. The joker is higher than an ace. If there is a tie for the highest card, the player with the first high card left of the dealer bets first. Mexican poker usually requires the player with the highest face up hand to make a mandatory bet. Some games permit the player with the highest face up hand to check (not bet) or fold. Betting rotates clockwise to the left. Players can check if the player before them checked. If there is a standing bet they must either call (match the bet), raise (increase the bet) or fold (give up their hand and return their cards to the dealer). If there is a raise at the table, the other players have an opportunity to call, fold or raise again. Once all bets have been called, the play moves on to the second round.

Second Round

In the second round, the players who did not fold in the first round get another card. In simultaneous choice and choice in turn games this card is face down. Players then choose which of their two cards they will roll over. In blind choice games, each player must decide whether they want the card face up or face down. If they want it face up they do nothing. If they want it face down they must turn their hole card over before getting the new card face down. The player with the best two card hand facing up starts the round of betting. A pair of aces is the best hand with two cards. An ace and the joker is higher than a natural pair of aces. Straights and flushes do not count in two card hands.

Third Round

The third round is handled the same way as the second round. The remaining players get another card that is dealt either face up or face down depending on the rules of the Mexican poker game. The best three card hand facing up starts the betting. A set of aces is the highest three card hand. Straights and flushes do not count in three card hands.

Final Round

The final round gives the remaining players a fifth and final card. Once the last card is rolled over, there will be four cards face up and one card face down. The best four card hand facing up starts the betting. Four aces is the highest four card hand. Straights and flushes do not count in four card hands. Once the bets are settled, the remaining players turn over their cards. The highest ranking hand according to the Mexican poker rules wins the pot.

A Mexican Poker Straight

Mexican Poker Hands

The winning hands in Mexican poker are in a slightly different order than in regular poker. This is because the 12 fewer cards and the additional joker in the Mexican poker deck make flushes harder to get and full houses easier. Here is the order of winning hands in Mexican poker:

1. Five of a kind (four of a kind with the joker)
   
2. Straight Flush
3. Four of a Kind
4. Flush
5. Full House
6. Straight (Since there are no 8's, 9's or 10's in a Mexican poker deck, the 7 and the jack come after each other. For example, a straight can be 5, 6, 7, J, Q)
   
7. Three of a Kind
8. Two Pair
9. Pair
   
10. High Card (This hand can only win if no remaining hand has a joker in it since a joker can pair any card.)
    

Keeping Your Best Card Hidden

Mexican Poker Strategy

There are many opportunities to bluff in Mexican poker. This is because the game moves very fast and changes quickly in unpredictable ways. Having a choice about which cards to reveal opens up all sorts of options. You can choose to hide your best card to have a strong calling hand or hide junk to bluff that you are stronger than you actually are. The smaller deck makes flushes more valuable than full houses. The joker can change a losing hand into a winning one in an instant. Representing with your betting that you have the joker as your hole card can force much of your competition out of the hand. Likewise, slow playing a joker in the hole can allow you to launch a nasty surprise when you are called.

Showing the Joker to Bluff a Straight Flush

By Kent Ninomiya