Wojciech (card game)

Wojciech is a variation of the standard card game of poker. The game consists of fiver cards being dealt face down to each player and then 3 cards being placed face down by the dealer—these are the cards that will indicate which values in a players hand can be wild, and then one last card which will determine which of the wild cards are valid, called the suit card. Players have the option to check, bet or fold after each flip, i.e. betting may occur prior to the first wild card flip, the second wild card flip, the third wild card flip, and lastly after the suit card is flipped."

Objective

In Wojciech, like all variants of poker, individuals compete for an amount of money contributed by the players themselves (called the pot). Because the cards are dealt randomly and outside the control of the players, each player attempts to control the amount of money in the pot based on the hand the player holds.

The game is divided into a series of hands or deals; at the conclusion of each hand, the pot is typically awarded to one player (with the exception of splits, see below). A hand may end at the showdown, in which case the remaining players compare their hands and the highest hand is awarded the pot; that highest hand is usually held by only one player, but can be held by more in the case of a tie. The other possibility for the conclusion of a hand is when all but one player have folded and have thereby abandoned any claim to the pot, in which case the pot is awarded to the player who has not folded.

The objective of winning players is not winning every individual hand, but rather making mathematically correct decisions regarding when and how much to bet, raise, call or fold. By making such decisions, winning poker players maximize long-term winnings by maximizing their expected gain on each round of betting.

Rules

The descriptions below assume a familiarity with the general game play of poker, and with poker hands. For a general introduction to these topics, see poker, poker hands, poker probability, and poker jargon.

Play of the hand

Play begins with each player being dealt five cards face down, with the player to the dealer's left receiving the first card and the player in the dealers seat receiving the last card dealt. (As in most poker games, the deck is a standard 52-card deck containing no jokers.) These cards are the player's hole or pocket cards. These are the only cards each player will receive individually, and they will only (possibly) be revealed at the showdown. additionally the dealer will deal 3 cards face down in a row, and one card above this row also face down.

The hand begins with a "pre-wild" betting round, beginning with the player to the left of the dealer and continuing clockwise. A round of betting continues until every player has folded, put in all of their chips, or matched the amount put in by all other active players. See betting for a detailed account.

After the pre-wild betting round, assuming there remain at least two players taking part in the hand, the dealer flips the first card in the row of three. This card is the first of the 3 wilds. Any card of the same numerical rank in a players hand will be wild at the showdown if the suit card is of the same colored suit as the wild card flipped. The first wild card flip is followed by a second betting round. This, like the first and all subsequent betting rounds begin with the player to the dealer's left and continue clockwise.

After the second betting round ends, the second of the 3 wild cards is flipped face up. Again any card of the same numerical rank will be wild in a players hand at the showdown if the suit card is of the same colored suit as the wild card. there is then a third betting round, and the third wild card is flipped face up. At this point all player will know the best hand they could acheieve, should the wild cards they need stay valid. there is now a fourth betting round, and the suit card is flipped. Any wild cards that are not of the same color as the suit card are no longer valid and are removed from play. At this point there is one last round of betting and remaining players showdown.

The showdown

If a player bets and all other players fold, then the remaining player is awarded the pot and is not required to show his hole cards. If two or more players remain after the final betting round, a showdown occurs. On the showdown, each player plays the best poker hand they can make from the five pocket cards in their hand using any of the cards that match a still valid wild card as wild.

If the best hand is shared by more than one player, then the pot is split equally among them. It is common for players to have closely-valued, but not identically ranked hands. Nevertheless, one must be careful in determining the best hand; if the hand involves fewer than five cards, (such as two pair or three of a kind), then kickers are used to settle ties (see the second example below). Note that the card's numerical rank is of sole importance; suit values are irrelevant in Wojciech.

Examples

Sample showdown

Here's a sample showdown:

Each player plays the best 5-card hand they can make with the seven cards available. They have

In this case, Ted's four kings is the best hand, with Carol in 2nd and Bob last.

In the same example if the suit card was black.

In this case, Bobs's straight flush is the best hand, with Ted in 2nd and Carol last.

Sample hand

Here is a sample game involving three players. The players' individual hands will not be revealed until the showdown, to give a better sense of what happens during play:

Compulsory bets: All three players posts an ante of $1.

Pre-wild: Ted deals five pocket cards face down to each player, beginning with Bob and ending with himself. Bob must act first because he is the first player to the dealers left. He can check, fold or bet, he bets $1. Carol calls the $1. Ted, the dealer, then folds because he cannot check. The pot now contains $5, $1 from each player's ante, plus an additional $2 in bets.

Wild-1: Ted turns over a . Bob checks. Carol bets $1. Bob calls the bet. The pot is now $7.

Wild-2: Ted turns over a . Bob checks. Carol bets $3. Bob calls the bet. The pot is now $13.

Wild-3: Ted turns over a . Bob bets $5. Carol calls the bet. The pot is now $23.

Suit: Ted turns over a . Bob checks. Carol bets $5. Bob calls, but he isn't very happy AbOUT it. The pot is now $33.

Showdown: Bob shows his hand of , so the best five-card hand he can make is just his hand, 2 pair. Carol shows her cards of , making her final hand for a royal flush using 2 wild nines. Carol wins the showdown and the $33 pot.

Kickers and ties

Kickers are not used in Wojciech as frequently as in other poker games, but they are used in the event of different players' hands being close in value. A kickers is a card which is part of the five-card poker hand, but is not used in determining a hand's rank. For instance, in the hand A-A-A-K-Q, the king and queen are kickers.

Optional Rules

There is an optional rule that is sometimes used in a game of Wojciech concerning betting. When playing with this rul you have the option before betting starts after the suit card is flipped to pull out half of your stake in the game. when using this rule each play keeps their bets in front of them. After the suit card is flipped they declare that they are out and can take half of their bets back, the remaining half goes into the communal pot with the antes.

You can also play with the suit card as included in the wild cards, making at least 1 of the 4 cards wild, unlike the original where all three wild cards could be nullified.