Luck of the Irish Rules

Luck of the Irish is played like seven-card stud, with all fours wild. If the four of clubs is dealt to a player face up, that player also receives an extra face-down card, so they finish with eight cards. The best five-card high hand wins.

Players: 2 to 8
Type: Stud, with an optional buy
Wild cards: All fours
Pot: High only

Article 1Players, deck and wild cards

1.1

Luck of the Irish is a variant of seven-card stud contributed to pagat.com by Alan Frandsen. It is played with a standard 52-card deck by the usual number of players for seven-card stud.

1.2

All four fours are wild. A wild card may stand for any card its holder chooses.

1.3

Five of a kind is possible. By the usual convention it ranks above a straight flush. See hand rankings.

1.4

The object is to make the best five-card high hand from all the cards a player holds.

Article 2Antes, the deal and betting

2.1

Antes, betting limits and the order of betting are as in seven-card stud, or as the house sets them.

Street	Cards dealt	Betting
Third street	2 face down, 1 face up	First round
Fourth street	1 face up	Second round
Fifth street	1 face up	Third round
Sixth street	1 face up	Fourth round
Seventh street	1 face down	Final round

Article 3The four of clubs

3.1

The four of clubs is sometimes called double wild. Like every four, it is wild. In addition, a player who is dealt the four of clubs face up receives one extra card, dealt face down.

3.2

If the four of clubs is dealt face down, whether as a hole card or on seventh street, it is simply wild and earns no extra card.

3.3

The source does not fix exactly when the extra card is dealt. The dealer shall announce this before the deal.

3.4

Paying for the bonus card. Before the deal, the dealer may set a price for the extra card. A player dealt the four of clubs face up then chooses whether to pay that amount into the pot and take the extra card. A player who declines stays in the hand; they simply play without the extra card.

Article 4Showdown

4.1

After the final betting round, the remaining players show their hands. Each player makes the best five-card high hand from all of their cards, seven or eight, and the best hand wins the whole pot.

Example

An extra card makes a straight flush

A player's hole cards are 4♦K♠. Their face-up cards are 4♣9♥9♠K♥. Because the four of clubs came face up, they receive an extra face-down card, the J♠. Their seventh-street card is the 2♣.

The two fours are wild. The obvious hand is four kings (K-K plus two wild cards), but the spades give more. With the K♠9♠J♠ and the two wild cards used as the queen and ten of spades, the player has a king-high straight flush, K-Q-J-10-9, which beats four kings.

Article 5Strategy notes

With four wild cards and a possible eighth card, winning hands are usually four of a kind or better.
A player whose hand looks dead can be revived by a four, so folding early has a real cost in this game.
When the extra card has a price, judge it against the size of the pot and the hand you are drawing to. Declining does not force you to fold.

Article 6Frequently asked questions

What is wild in Luck of the Irish?

All four fours are wild. The four of clubs is also special: if it is dealt to you face up, you get an extra face-down card.

Do you get an extra card if the four of clubs is face down?

No. A face-down four of clubs is simply wild. Only a face-up four of clubs earns the extra card.

Do you have to pay for the extra card?

Only if the dealer set a price before the deal. You may decline the card without folding.

Final authority

Where any doubt remains in the application of this document, Rob is right.

Hand rankings, high to low: royal flush · straight flush · four of a kind · full house · flush · straight · three of a kind · two pair · one pair · high card. Suits never break ties.

Luck of the Irish Rules · OPR-688 · officialpokerrules.com/luck-of-the-irish/

OPR-688Uncontrolled when printed