Asian Stud is new table game currently found only in the Seattle area
casinos. The owners of the game employed my services to analyze the
game. It is with their permission that I indicate the following results
of my analysis.
Rules
1.The game is played with a single deck of cards. The deck consists
of the standard 52 cards plus one joker.
2. All cards are valued as in baccarat: aces are 1 point, 2 through
9 have face value, and tens and face cards are worth 10. The joker
is also 1 point. For purposes of the bonus bet, which is explained
later, different rules apply.
3. Play begins with the players making an ante wager subject to
table limits.
4. The dealer shall deal each player and himself five cards. All
cards should be dealt face down. Players may examine their own cards
but sharing information should be discouraged.
5. After examining his cards the player has the option to either
raise or fold. If the player decides to raise then he must place
an additional wager equal to his original wager in a designated
area of the table. If the player decides to fold he must forfeit
both his cards and his original wager.
6. Each remaining player should then separate his five cards into
a three-card hand and a two-card hand.
7. To have a qualifying hand the player must have a total of 10,
20, or 30 points in the 3-card hand. If the player can not form
a qualifying 3-card hand then his 2-card hand shall not matter and
his only chance to win is if the dealer does not qualify.
8. If the 3-card hand qualifies then the value of the 2-card hand
shall be based on the total points of the two cards. The highest
possible 2-card hand is a point total of 10 or 20, and shall have
a value of 10. Otherwise the value of the 2-card hand is the terminal
digit in the total number of points (as in baccarat). For example
a 6 and 9 would have total point of 15, and a value of 5.
9. After the players have set their hands the dealer shall arrange
his cards into a 3-card hand and 2-card hand in the same manner
as the players. The dealer must try to qualify with a 10, 20, or
30 point total in the 3-card hand. If the dealer does qualify his
2-card hand shall be valued in the same manner as the player's 2-card
hand.
10. If the dealer's 3-card hand does not qualify then all players
who did not fold shall win even money on the ante, less a possible
5% commission, and the raise shall push.
11. If the player's 3-card hand does not qualify and the dealer's
does then the player shall lose both ante and raise.
12. If both the player's and dealer's 3-card hands qualify then
the value of the two-card hands shall determine the winner. If the
dealer's two-card hand outscores the player's then the player shall
lose both ante and raise. In the event of a tie both ante and raise
shall push. If the player's two-card hand outscores the dealer's
then the player shall win even money on the ante and the raise shall
pay according to the difference in the point values as follows:
1 - 3 points: 1 to 1
4 - 6 points: 2 to 1
7 - 9 points: 3 to 1
Winnings are also subject to a possible 5% commission, depending
on the specific house rules. For example if the player's two-card
hand has 7 points and the dealer's has 2 points then the player
outscores the dealer by 5 points and the raise shall pay 2 to 1,
less the 5% commission.
13. A side wager is also available based on the poker value of
the combined five-card hand. For purposes of the side wager all
cards are valued as in poker. The joker is partially wild and may
be used to complete a straight, flush, or straight flush, and is
otherwise counted as an ace. Note that this is the same usage as
in pai gow poker. The player does not have to pay the 5% commission
on side wager winnings. Casino management may choose from among
various pay tables for the side wager.
Strategy
Regardless of the whether the ante, raise, or both are subject to
the 5% commission the correct strategy in Asian Stud is to always
raise. Even with a non-qualifying hand the expected loss by raising
is about 0.99 units, which is less than the one unit loss by folding.
House Edge
The following table shows the house edge according to the house
rule on the commission.
| House Edge in Asian Stud |
| 5% Commosion payable on |
House Edge |
| Ante only |
0.99% |
| Raise only |
1.70% |
| Both ante and raise |
3.09% |
Statistics
The following table shows all possible outcomes, the probability of
each one, the payoff odds, and contribution to the total return. This
table is appropriate only for the version where the 5% commission
is payable on the ante and raise.
| Probabilities in Asian Stud |
| Outcome |
Probability |
Pays |
Return |
| Tie |
4.38% |
0 |
0% |
| Player Wins by 1 |
3.89% |
1.9 |
7.39% |
| Player Wins by 2 |
3.48% |
1.9 |
6.61% |
| Player Wins by 3 |
3.05% |
1.9 |
5.8% |
| Player Wins by 4 |
2.64% |
2.85 |
7.51% |
| Player Wins by 5 |
2.2% |
2.85 |
6.26% |
| Player Wins by 6 |
1.76% |
2.85 |
5.02% |
| Player Wins by 7 |
1.34% |
3.8 |
5.08% |
| Player Wins by 8 |
0.92% |
3.8 |
3.48% |
| Player Wins by 9 |
0.5% |
3.8 |
1.9% |
| Dealer Qualifies, Player Doesn't |
22.34% |
-2 |
-44.68% |
| Player Folds |
0% |
0 |
0% |
| Player Qualifies, Dealer Doesn't |
22.33% |
0.95 |
21.22% |
| Neither Qualifies |
11.42% |
0/95 |
10.85% |
| Dealer Beats Player |
19.77% |
-2 |
-39.53% |
| Total |
100% |
0 |
-3.09 |
|