Asian Stud

Introduction

As of 2002, Asian Stud is an innovative table game that's primarily available in casinos around Seattle. The creators of this game hired me to conduct a thorough analysis, and with their consent, I'm sharing the findings of my examination.

1. The game uses a single deck comprised of the standard 52 cards plus an additional joker.
2. Card values are assigned similarly to baccarat: aces count as 1 point, cards from 2 to 9 hold their face values, while tens and face cards are valued at 10. The joker is treated as 1 point too. Different rules come into play for bonus bets, which will be detailed later.
3. Gameplay commences with players placing an ante bet, adhering to the established table limits.
4. Each participant and the dealer will be dealt five cards, all facedown. Players are allowed to view their own cards, but must avoid sharing information with others.
5. After looking at their cards, players can choose to either raise or fold. If a player opts to raise, they must place an additional wager that matches their initial bet in a specified part of the table. Should a player decide to fold, they lose both their cards and initial wager.
6. Each player still in the game should organize their five cards into a three-card hand and a two-card hand.
7. To have a valid hand, the three-card hand must total 10, 20, or 30 points. If a player fails to create a qualifying three-card hand, their two-card hand becomes irrelevant and their only opportunity to win hinges on whether the dealer qualifies.
8. When the three-card hand qualifies, the value of the two-card hand depends on the overall points of those two cards. The best possible two-card hand has a total of either 10 or 20 points, resulting in a value of 10. If this is not the case, the worth of the two-card hand corresponds to the last digit of the total points (similar to baccarat). For instance, a combination of 6 and 9 yields a total of 15 points, giving a value of 5.
9. Once players have finalized their hands, the dealer arranges their cards into a three-card and two-card hand in the same fashion as the players. The dealer must aim to qualify with a total of 10, 20, or 30 points in their three-card hand. If they qualify, the two-card hand is evaluated similarly to the player's hand.
10. If the dealer's three-card hand does not reach qualification, all players who did not fold will receive even money on their ante, minus a potential 5% commission, while the raises will remain in a standoff.
11. Should a player's three-card hand fail to qualify while the dealer's does, the player will forfeit both the ante and the raise.
12. When both player and dealer have qualifying three-card hands, the outcomes depend on the values of their two-card hands. If the dealer's hand surpasses the player's, the player loses both the ante and the raise. In case of a tie, both bets will maintain their original status. Conversely, if the player's two-card hand exceeds the dealer's, they will win even money on the ante, with the raise paying based on the differential in points as follows:

    1 - 3 points: 1 to 1
    4 - 6 points: 2 to 1
    7 - 9 points: 3 to 1

    Winnings are subject to a potential 5% commission, contingent on house rules. For example, if the player's two-card hand totals 7 points and the dealer's totals 2 points, the player surpasses the dealer by 5 points, resulting in a raise payout of 2 to 1 after deducting the 5% commission.

13. An optional side bet is available that assesses the poker value of the five-card combination. For this side wager, card valuations follow standard poker rules. The joker can partially function as a wild card, assisting in the formation of straights, flushes, or straight flushes, while otherwise being counted as an ace. This use mimics that of pai gow poker. Notably, there is no 5% commission applied on winnings from the side bet, and casino management can select from various pay tables for this wager.

Regardless of whether the ante, raise, or both incur a 5% commission, the optimal strategy in Asian Stud is to always raise . Even with a hand that doesn't qualify, the anticipated loss by raising is approximately 0.99 units, which is an improvement over the guaranteed one unit loss incurred by folding.

The subsequent table presents the house edge as dictated by the specific house rules concerning the commission.

The upcoming table illustrates all potential outcomes, their associated probabilities, the odds for payouts, and their contributions to the overall return. This information is exclusively applicable to the version in which a 5% commission is applicable on both the ante and the raise.

The return table to follow demonstrates how the house edge for the side wager was derived. It contains the various ways to form each hand, the probability, the odds for payouts, and their contributions to the return. There are alternate pay tables available, but to my knowledge, this is the only one actively in use.

In the lower right cell, you'll find the house edge calculated to be 14.42%.

Written by: Michael Shackleford