Mambo stud is a card game often played in some casinos. It uses rules similar to Texas Hold ‘Em poker, but with less cards. Mambo Stud is played by making three card hands, and is referred to as a widow game. This means that it uses a community card dealt face up to the centre of the table, which all players will use in making their winning hand.
The game may be played in groups of people, up to seventeen, but may also be played by a single person against a dealer, or an electronic console. The game has been around since 1998 and was invented by Mambo Gaming of New York, with the rules of the game held in patent by that company. The game is more popular in some areas then others, and is only available in some casinos, but has a strong fan base that has seen the game spread across the world.
How to Play
When the game starts all players are required to ante in, or make an initial bet which allows them to be part of the game. How much the ante is will vary from casino to casino, and on whether the table is high limits or low limits betting. After the ante has been paid, all players are dealt one card face up. A second card is then dealt, face down.
A round of betting will now be allowed, with the player having the highest value face up card starting. Players will, of course, make bet, call bets, and raise bets, based on the value they assume their cards to have. Players may also fold if they believe their hand to be of little value, as in standard poker. When the betting concludes the community card is then dealt in the centre of the table, face up. A second round of betting will now commence, with players again assessing the value of their hand. The players now declare their hands, and a winner is decided.
Winning Hands
In Mambo Stud there are two main differences between standard it and Texas Hold ‘Em Poker. The first is that the game does not abide by standard winning hand rules. The game uses a system of its own, which may confuse those who are familiar with standard poker. For example, a queen, king and ace of the same suit is the highest value hand in the game, known as the High Mambo. The next highest value is a straight flush, after which is three of a kind.
Like disparity in many iPad pokies, the second major difference of the game is that the player must declare their cards to be either a high or low hand. A winner of the high hand will get the majority of the pot, but a player with a good low hand may also get some of the winnings. A low hand may consist of ace, two, three, called a Low Mambo, or any value below that, with the lowest hand allowed being a six high. Hence, it is important for players to understand that the highest value hand is not needed to still make money off the game.