Daredevil Poker

Introduction

Daredevil Poker is a poker-variant in which both player and dealer get seven cards, the higher hand wins. The player may choose how many cards to play against the dealer, the fewer the cards, the more he stands to win.

As of this writing in October, 2022, the game can be played at the Hialeah Park casino in Florida. It is marketed by Galaxy Gaming, who promoted it at the 2022 Global Gaming Expo.

Rules

1. A single 52-card deck is used.
2. Play begins with the player making equal wagers on the Ante and Odds.
3. At this time, the player may also make the following optional side bets: Safety Net, Flush, Straight Flush and Prime 7.
4. Each player and the dealer receives seven cards.
5. The player will choose to play one to five cards against the dealer.
6. The dealer will expose his cards and make the best five-card poker hand out of his seven cards.
7. The player hand will be compared against the dealer hand.
8. The player hand may count as a straight or flush only if it consists of five cards.
9. If the player plays less than five cards, then any tie will go to the dealer, because the dealer can outkick the player. For example, if both have a K/Q two pair and the player plays those four cards only, then the dealer would win because his singleton would outkick the player who has no singleton to break the tie."
10. The dealer needs at least a king-high to open. Otherwise, the Ante bet will push regardless of the poker value of the player's hand.
11. Otherwise, the player hand is compared to the dealer hand, the one with the higher poker value wins. If the dealer wins, the Ante loses. If the player wins, the Ante pays according to how many cards were in the player hand and the following pay table. If there is a tie, the Ante pushes.
    • Player wins with one card — 10 to 1
    • Player wins with two cards — 3 to 1
    • Player wins with three cards — 2 to 1
    • Player wins with four cards — 6 to 5
    • Player wins with five cards — 1 to 1
12. The mandatory Odds bet pays according to all seven player cards, as follows:
    • Six-card royal flush — 5000 to 1
    • Five-card royal flush — 400 to 1
    • Five-card straight flush — 100 to 1
    • Four of a kind — 20 to 1
    • Full house — 5 to 1
    • Flush — 3 to 1
    • Straight — 2 to 1
13. The "Safety Net" side bet wins and pays 30 to 1 if the dealer does not achieve at least a king-high.
14. The "Flush" side bet pays according to the most cards of the same suit in the player's hand, as follows:
    • 7-card flush — 300 to 1
    • 6-card flush — 100 to 1
    • 5-card flush — 10 to 1
    • 4-card flush — 1 to 1
15. The "Straight Flush" side bet pays according to the longest straight flush in the player's hand, as follows:
    • 7-card straight flush — 8000 to 1
    • 6-card straight flush — 1000 to 1
    • 5-card straight flush — 100 to 1
    • 4-card straight flush — 60 to 1
    • 3-card straight flush — 7 to 1
16. The "Prime 7" side bet wins if the player hand has at least six cards of the same color, as follows:
    • 7 cards same color — 50 to 1
    • 6 cards same color — 4 to 1

Example

In the image below I bet $100 each on the Ante and Odds. I also bet $5 each on the Prime 7, Safety Net, and Bonus Jackpot. I chose to hold the pair of eights only.

The dealer then qualified with an ace high. My eights beat the dealer's ace. The $100 Ante bet paid 3 to 1 odds, or $300. All other bets lost.

You can play the demo where I got these screenshots for free at Galaxy Gaming.

Strategy

The following is the strategy developed by Charles Mousseau, the original mathematician of Daredevil Poker, which he says is "close approximation" to optimal strategy.

• With a two pair or four of a kind, play four cards.
• With a five-card straight or better, play five cards.
• With a pair, play two cards.
• With a three of a kind, play three cards.
• With ace high, play one card.
• With king-high or less, play five cards.

Analysis

The two required wagers are the Ante and Odds. According to Charles Mousseau, the original mathematician for Daredevil Poker, the player advantage on the Ante bet is 41.87%. As the following table shows, the house advantage on the Odds bet is 45.24%. With equal bets on both wagers, the player can expect a net loss of 3.37% of the Ante bet. In other words, the house edge is 3.37%, based on the Ante bet only. If the house edge is based on both mandated initial bets, it is 1.685%.

Following is my analysis of the mandatory Odds bet. The lower right cell shows a house edge of 45.24%.

The following is my analysis of the Safety Net side bet. The lower right cell shows a house edge of 8.18%.

Following is my analysis of the Flush side bet, which wins if the player has a flush of length at least 4. The lower right cell shows a house edge of 7.81%.

Following is my analysis of the Straight Flush side bet, which wins if the player has a straight flush of length at least 3. The lower right cell shows a house edge of 13.09%.

Following is my analysis of the Prime 7 side bet, which wins if the player has at least six cards of the same color. The lower right cell shows a house edge of 5.10%.

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank Ashford Kneitel, the game owner, for the math report from Charles Mousseau, which aided greatly in this analysis. The analysis in this page is all my own except for the Ante bet and strategy, which I attribute to Charles.

Written by: Michael Shackleford