Playing wildcard games is not the same as playing standard BK Thai card games. Holding a wildcard has a huge advantage over holding any other card. Unlike what most beginners think, there are several varieties of wildcards.
Unrestricted
Plenty of wildcard games allow for the unlimited or unrestricted use of wildcards. A wildcard can act as a substitute for any other card in both suit and rank. A great example game is Follow the Queen.
Restricted
Some wildcard games limit the use of wildcards. Examples are Draw Poker with the Joker and Cow Pie Stud with Joker. These allow players to use the Joker for two purposes only. One is to complete a straight, flush, or straight flush. And the other is to act as an Ace. This means that 5 Aces is the highest possible hand in these games and no other 5-of-a-Kind hands.
Shared
These wildcards appear in the shared or common cards of games with community cards. Examples of these games are Omaha and Hold’em Poker. You have to keep in mind that everyone has at least one wildcard when you see shared wildcards. The number of active players plus any other cards of the same rank is the total number of wildcards. If there are 4 active players then there are a total of 7 wildcards. In shared wildcards games, remember that you need extra wildcards on your own hand.
Player-specific
These wildcards are those held by an individual player and not shared with other players. These are common in Stud or Draw-style games. There are usually a designated number of player-specific wildcards used in these games. For example, there are 2 wildcards in One-Eyed Jacks Wild. A player should have one of those to use it. It is crucial to take note that it would be disadvantageous if you do not have a wildcard.
Directional
Directional wildcards depend on the direction, high or low, the player declares. These are often used in high-low split games. An example of this is Kings and Commoners. A deuce plays as a wildcard only for the high hand. A King only plays as a wildcard in the low hand.
The addition of wildcards increases your odds of getting a higher hand. You also need a higher hand to win when there are more wildcards available in a BK8 game. It is also vital to develop a sense of the usual or average winning hand in each game. Maintain the discipline to discard inferior hands to the usual winning hands.
