Wild Hands
As hard as it is to imagine, there might come a time when you want to take a break from the rules and rhythms of Texas Holdem. Sure, you can play a few hands of traditional stud or draw poker to mix things up, but why not go crazy and play some non-traditional hands. For instance, adding one or more wild cards to a game creates the opportunity for all sorts of winning combinations. The best loved of these is probably the all-consuming five of a kind. Nothing will drive a player insane faster than having his straight flush beaten by five deuces! If you add the jokers to your deck, they can serve as wild cards, or you can try to achieve a Flash, which is a joker plus a card of each suit. Or, adjust your ranking of hands to include a Kangaroo Straight, which is a straight that skips every other card (6-8-10-Q-A, for example), or a Wrap-Around Straight (Q-K-A-2-3). Instead of a Flush, play for a Russ, which is any five cards of the same color. There is also a Bobtail, which is a four card straight flush, and the basic Blaze, which is a hand full of just face cards.
