Popular new poker game debuts in Colorado

Poker rooms can be intimidating. I usually peak inside at the players around the tables and then keep on walking to the blackjack pit and video poker machines. Sometimes, I’m tempted to make a splashy entrance, shout my hellos, give everyone a high five — you know, just to break the ice. But there never appear to be many willing high-five partners. Some players seem more likely to give me “closed fives.”

All of that could change now. An exciting new game has been rolled out at Fortune Valley Hotel & Casino in Central City. Wild Six Card Draw Poker is open to all comers at Fortune Valley during its two-month field test by the Colorado Gaming Commission. So far, the feedback has been all positive.

“People are saying that it’s a great game, to please keep it, and that it provides a lot of action,” said Fortune Valley table games manager Lori Steele, who has been trying to bring the game to Colorado for over a year.

Wild Six Card Draw Poker is the brainchild of Canadian inventor Mike Timpano and Nevada-based partner Stanley Ko, and it’s currently undergoing tests in other states, also. The main difference between Wild Six Card Draw Poker and other poker games is that you play against the dealer, not your fellow players. Here’s how the game works:

— A 52-card deck is used with an additional two wild-card jokers

— You are dealt five cards

— You have a choice to pitch your worst card if you like

— If you pitch the card, you’re given a replacement sixth card

This is how the game plays — no raises to stay in the game, no qualifiers, no pressure. There are three wagers involved, a “Poker Bet” and two optional bets called “Queens or Better” and “Draw Bonus.” The Poker Bet is just your hand against the dealer’s straight up. Even if you think you’ve got a terrible hand you don’t have to fold, you’re still in the game and will be paid if the dealer’s hand is worse. And that sixth card often goes a long way toward making a bad hand respectable.

The Queens or Better Bet is made before you’re dealt your five cards. You must have queens or better in the original five cards to win this bet. If you don’t have the queens or better, you can still get your sixth card to compete against the dealer in the Poker Bet.

The Draw Bonus Bet references your final hand. If you have two pair or better you automatically win. This final hand consists of your original five cards and your sixth replacement card, which “boomerangs” back to your hand.
You can easily see how there are more ways to win at Wild Six Card Poker than other poker games. “Your hit frequency is 30 percent of the time on Queens or Better, about 48.5 percent of the time in your Poker Bet and about 29 percent on your Draw Bonus Bet,” said Timpano. “The game really provides a lot of entertainment value and a lot of play time.” The game is located in the blackjack pit at Fortune Valley, and currently, the casino is allowing a minimum of $3 on the side bets and $5 on the Poker Bet.

Timpano said the energy of Wild Six Card Poker is unique because players are not competing against themselves. “I’ve seen people bring their whole family to play with them. It’s a great game for locals, because there is more camaraderie than at your typical poker table. Everyone cheers together against the dealer.”

No word yet on whether there is a lot of high-fiving going on, but this is one poker game a beginner like me will have the courage to play.

~ By Sam DeLeo