Talk:Bug (poker)

Opening comment
What value is the bug when it is used to complete a flush that already has an ace in it? Is it played as another ace for a double ace flush, as the highest card currently not in hand, or as a non-value suit just to complete the flush?


 * Highest card not in the hand. 2005 18:13, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

I know I covered this in my original text; there are some clubs that play the double-ace flush rule, but that's the exception to general practice. --LDC 20:17, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

I eliminated mention of five aces beating a royal. The two hands can't occur simultaneously in a standard Gardena-style draw game with a single bug, and in a home game with multiple bugs, I don't think there can be said to be any standard for what happens in this highly unusual situation. 76.193.52.153 09:49, 1 October 2007 (UTC)
 * It's strange to me that Robert's Rules of Poker supports five aces outranking the royal flush. I agree with Cactus Kev (http://suffe.cool/poker/wildcard.html) - a wild card must represent a valid card from the deck that is not duplicated in the player's hand. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Factorial (talk • contribs) 01:07, 15 February 2022 (UTC)

California Lowball
Can anyone explain the exact value of the bug in California Lowball with and without an ace in hand? 121.58.220.31 (talk) 23:50, 12 January 2014 (UTC)
 * As the article says, "In California lowball, the bug is the lowest unpaired card in a hand." The lowest possible card that is not also in the person's hand. 2005 (talk) 09:19, 13 January 2014 (UTC)
 * If the lowest card in a player's hand is 4, does the bug become a 3? 121.58.220.31 (talk) 10:06, 13 January 2014 (UTC)
 * No. If the lowest card in a hand is a 4, the joker becomes an ace, because it is the lowest possible card.  The joker is always an ace, unless the player already has an ace.  In that case the joker then it becomes a deuce, unless the player also has a deuce, then it becomes a 3, and so on.  In California lowball, the joker is simply the best possible card it can be in that particular hand.  There isn't anything complicated about it.  The joker becomes the lowest card that you do not have in your hand. 2005 (talk) 20:44, 13 January 2014 (UTC)

What to do with this article
At the very least a brief explanation of this should be at the glossary of poker terms. Currently there it just directs one to this main article on the headword. The main issue with sourcing this is that ideally the sources would have to be pre-2001, as likely later ones might well be derived from wikipedia. Sigh. -- Cimon Avaro&#59; on a pogostick. (talk) 14:51, 2 February 2021 (UTC)


 * Searching Google Books shows loads of sources from before 2001 https://www.google.com/search?q=bug+wildcard+poker&hl=en&source=lnt&tbs=cdr%3A1%2Ccd_min%3A%2Ccd_max%3A2000&tbm=bks -- Tim Starling (talk) 21:05, 2 February 2021 (UTC)