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Paris Poker

Introduction

 

Paris Poker is a poker variant that follows the standard raise or fold structure in games like Three Card Poker and Caribbean Stud Poker.  What sets it apart is the player and dealer switch any one card for a joker.  The game began a field trial at the Paris casino in Las Vegas on October 22, 2019.

Rules

  1. A single 52-card deck is used.
  2. Play begins with the player making an Ante wager and optional Player's Monster and Banker's Buster side bets.
  3. Player and dealer each receive five cards. Dealer cards are dealt face down.
  4. After examining his cards, the player must either Raise or Fold.
  5. If the player raises, then he must make a Play bet equal to the Ante bet.
  6. If the player folds, then he forfeits his Ante bet. Any side bets will still have action.
  7. The player must exchange any one card in his hand for a joker. There is a place on the layout to put the chosen discard. Only the joker shall be wild (as opposed to any specific rank being wild).
  8. The dealer shall do the same, discarding a card for a joker. The dealer will discard whichever card results in the highest poker hand after including a joker.
  9. The dealer needs at least a pair of aces, after the joker substitution, to qualify. If the dealer can't qualify then any Ante bets still standing shall pay paid 1 to 1 and the Play bet shall push.
  10. If the dealer can qualify and the player's hand beats the dealer's hand, then the Ante and Play shall pay 1 to 1.
  11. If the dealer can qualify and the player's hand loses to the dealer's hand, then the Ante and Play shall lose.
  12. If the dealer can qualify and the player's hand ties the dealer's hand, then the Ante and Play shall push.
  13. The Player's Monster side bet shall pay based on the player's hand only. The pay table is shown below.
  14. The Banker's Buster shall pay 3 to 1 if the dealer doesn't qualify. Otherwise, it shall lose.

Strategy

My basic strategy for Paris Poker is to raise with A-Q-10, before for joker substitution, or better. Otherwise, fold. The increase in house edge using this strategy, compared to optimal strategy, is 0.002%.

Ante & Play Analysis

The following table shows my analysis of the Ante and Play bets, assuming optimal strategy. The lower right cell shows a house edge of 3.44%. The player will raise 68.9% of the time, for an average final wager of 1.689 units. This makes the element of risk the ratio of the expected loss to total money bet 3.44%/1.689 = 2.03%. The standard of deviation is 1.62.

Ante Analysis

Event Pays Combinations Probability Return
Player wins 2 1,196,963,177,508 0.300243 0.600486
Dealer doesn't qualify 1 612,847,987,596 0.153725 0.153725
Push 0 4,421,831,136 0.001109 0.000000
Fold -1 1,200,890,164,320 0.301228 -0.301228
Dealer wins -2 971,522,942,880 0.243694 -0.487389
Total   3,986,646,103,440 1.000000 -0.034405

Player's Monster Analysis

The following table shows my analysis of the Player's Monster bet. The lower right cell shows a house edge of 4.21%.

Player's Monster Analysis

Event Pays Combinations Probability Return
Five aces 1000 48 0.000018 0.018469
Five of a kind 200 576 0.000222 0.044325
Royal flush 100 944 0.000363 0.036322
Straight flush 40 6,592 0.002536 0.101456
Four of a kind 7 58,656 0.022569 0.157983
Full house 3 123,552 0.047539 0.142617
Flush 2 109,152 0.041998 0.083997
Straight 1 334,608 0.128747 0.128747
Three of a kind -1 1,002,912 0.385890 -0.385890
Pair -1 961,920 0.370117 -0.370117
Total 0 2,598,960 1.000000 -0.042091

Dealer Doesn't Qualify Analysis

The following table shows my analysis of the Dealer Doesn't Qualify bet, with a win paying 3 to 1. The lower right cell shows a house edge of 12.24%.

Dealer Doesn't Qualify Analysis

Event Pays Combinations Probability Return
Dealer doesn't qualify 3 570,240 0.219411 0.658233
Dealer qualifies -1 2,028,720 0.780589 -0.780589
Total   2,598,960 1.000000 -0.122357

If the Banker's Buster paid 3.5 to 1, then the house edge would drop to 1.265%.

External Link

Discussion about Paris Poker in my forum at Wizard of Vegas.

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank Wizard of Vegas forum member gordonm888 for his contributions to the Paris Poker strategy.

Written by: Michael Shackleford