Woolworth's Jackpot Penalty MJTF Rules

This game was described by Craig Roy, as published on pagat.com. It builds on Woolworth by adding three layers: the jackpot penalty, the joker twist and the multiple-joker flip. His group plays all three together, as set out on this page.

The deck. A standard 52-card deck is used with extra jokers taken from other identical decks. The source recommends one joker per player, for example four jokers for four players, six for six and eight for eight, and no more than eight in all.

Wild cards. All 5s and 10s are wild. A joker is wild if it is the only kind of wild card in a hand (article 3).

The best five-card high hand wins, under the standard hand rankings. The source does not rank five of a kind. The usual practice is that it beats a straight flush; the dealer shall confirm this before the deal.

The deal and betting follow seven-card stud: two cards down and one up, three more up cards and a last card down, with a betting round after each stage.

Basic Woolworth's penalty. A player who is dealt a 5 face up must pay $5 to the pot to stay in, or fold. A player dealt a 10 face up must pay $10, or fold.

Jackpot penalty. The penalty doubles with each wild card turned face up during the deal:

2.3(a) the first wild card turned costs the normal penalty;

2.3(b) the second costs double;

2.3(c) the third costs four times the normal penalty;

2.3(d) the fourth costs eight times, and so on.

The multiplier applies to the normal penalty of the card turned, so a 10 always costs twice as much as a 5 at the same point in the deal.

The source appears to count wild cards turned across the whole table during the deal, so later wild cards cost more for everyone. The source sets no penalty for a joker dealt face up. The dealer shall confirm both points before the deal.

A joker is wild if it is the only wild card in the hand, that is, if the hand holds no 5s or 10s.

If a joker and any other wild card end up in the same hand, all the wild cards in that hand are killed and none of them is wild.

The source does not say how killed cards then count. The dealer shall announce this before the deal. A common reading is that killed 5s and 10s play at their natural rank and a killed joker has no value.

The kill rule is applied to the hands as they stand at the showdown, after any jokers have been flipped (article 4).

In the final betting round, each player may make no more than four raises. Each player marks their raises by placing a chip in front of them as they make each one.

After the final betting round and before the showdown, jokers may be flipped. The player to the left of the player whose bet was called goes first. Play continues clockwise, and the called player goes last.

On their turn a player may pass, or flip one of their jokers, face up or face down, to any other player of their choice. The joker leaves the giver's hand and joins the receiver's hand.

A flipped joker cannot be flipped again. Only jokers that were in a player's own hand from the deal may be flipped.

A flipped joker can help its receiver, if they hold no other wild cards, or ruin them, if it kills their 5s and 10s under 3.2.

Each layer can be played on its own. Groups may play plain Woolworth, Woolworth's with only the jackpot penalty, or a single-joker game in which the joker holder alone may flip it after the betting.

Craig Roy notes that the joker rules can be added to any stud game that uses wild cards, such as Baseball or seven-card stud with wild cards.

Buying a wild card early is cheaper, but you know less about your hand. Late wild cards can be very expensive.

Holding 5s or 10s makes you a target for a flipped joker. Holding a joker gives you a weapon at the end.

With only four raises in the final round, deciding when to call rather than raise matters, since the called player flips last.