NAME: 52 Pickup
TYPE: Stud
NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 3 to 7
INITIAL DEAL: 2 down, 1 up to all players.
PLAY: As in 7-card Stud until the very end. After the final betting round of standard 7-Card Stud, all players divide their seven cards into a 5-card and a 2-card hand. Then there is a final round of betting, after which the best 5-card and the best 2-card hand split the pot. Note -- all players must select their 5- and 2-card hands so that their 5-card hand beats their 2-card hand.
WINNER: High 5 card and 2 card hands split pot.
VARIATIONS:
Wild cards.
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NAME: Abyssinia(similar to: Wall Street; Price is Right; Nickel, Dime, Quarter; Linoleum)
TYPE: Stud
PLAYERS: 3-10
INITIAL DEAL: None
PLAY: One card is turned face up on each side of the deck. Each player in turn has the option to buy one of the up cards or the top card from the deck, each at preset prices. After each round of purchasing comes a round of betting. Play continues until each player has 5 cards. Costs are assigned by card rank (Ex. 2-5 & 10-K = 25 cents; 6-9 = 10 cents; A = 50 cents). Cards from the deck are dealt up so the cost can be paid.
WINNER: High and low hands split.
VARIATIONS: None.
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NAME: Anaconda (a.k.a.-Pass the Trash)
TYPE: Stud
NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 4-7
INITIAL DEAL: Seven down cards to each player.
PLAY: Rotating bet starting after the deal. Each player passes three cards to the player on their left after the first round. After the next betting round, everyone passes two cards to the player on their left. After another betting round, players pass one card to their left. Each player then chooses five cards to keep and discards the remaining two. Play continues with a rolling showdown. Cards speak for themselves.
WINNER: High hand
VARIATIONS:
Republican Anaconda- Cards are passed to the right.
The cards are passed to the left then the right or skip players (Ex. 3-left, 2-right, 1-left or 3-left, 2-two-to-the-left, 1-three-to-the-left).
Pass 2 cards to the left and 1 card to the right at the same time.
Screwy Louie- In this stripped down version, players merely pass two cards to the left. Played high only.
The player keeps all seven cards at the end and chooses which to turn up. This allows the player to change from hi to lo depending on what is being played.
Love Thy Neighbor- High hand and the player to high hand's left (who is still in) splits the pot. No low half.
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NAME: Auction (similar to: Bid Poker)
TYPE: Stud
NUMBER OF PLAYERS: Up to seven.
INITIAL DEAL: Two cards down to each player.
PLAY: Dealer exposes a number of cards equal to the number of players face up in the middle of the table. The players take chips below the table and put a certain amount of chips in one fist as a bid. At the dealer's signal, the players simultaneously expose their fists containing chips above the table. The player that exposes the highest value of chips selects an up card and adds it to his hand, leaving it face up in front of him. The person who bid second highest chooses next, and so forth. If more than one person bid the same amount, the player showing the best poker hand selects first. If that doesn't resolve the tie, the person nearest the dealer's left selects. All bids are added to the pot. Player with high card showing begins a betting round. Dealer exposes more cards in the center to match the number of remaining players. Players bid on those cards as above and then bet, beginning with player with highest hand showing. Continue until all players have 5 up cards, with the dealer continuing to deal a number of cards equal to the number of remaining players. Bet. Declare. Bet. Showdown.
WINNER: High and low hands split.
VARIATIONS:
Choose Your Own- Center cards are not bid for. Instead, they are given free to the players based on how low their exposed hands are, with ties going to player closest to dealer's left. First up card is simply dealt to each player. High hand wins.
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NAME: Baseball
TYPE: Stud
NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 3-7
INITIAL DEAL: Two down and one up to each player.
PLAY: As with 7 card stud, with these exceptions: threes and nines are wild. If a four is dealt face up, the recipient immediately receives another card down.
WINNER: High hand
VARIATIONS:
Rainouts- If the Queen of Spades is dealt face up, the hand is terminated and redealt-- but only for players who are still in.
Rainouts as above, but after 3 of them you build a dome over the stadium, preventing further rainouts.
Paying for wild cards. Usually, the required payment is to match the pot. Possibilities include:
Face-up threes, nines, or both require the recipient to pay for them to be wild, otherwise they're just face value.
Face-up threes, nines, or both require the recipient to pay for them or fold.
Pay for face down wilds as well as face up ones.
Paying for the additional card when a four comes face up.
Allowing someone with a face-down four to flip it face up and receive an additional card.
Football- Instead of threes and nines, threes and sixes are wild (field goals and touchdowns). Also, instead of fours, players dealt an up two(safety) get an additional card. Optional: Jacks dealt up (referees) are a penalty accessed against you. Pay the pot a fixed amount.
(The way I typically play is: Nines are free, as are down threes. Up threes require you to match the pot (or pay the predetermined limit) or fold. The additional card from a four is free, and you can turn a down four up to get an extra card down.)
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NAME: Best Flush
TYPE: Stud
NUMBER OF PLAYERS: Up to 10
INITIAL DEAL: One down, one up to each player.
PLAY: Bet. Deal one up to each player. Bet. Continue alternating up cards and bets until each player has five cards. Bet. Showdown.
WINNER: High hand based on the following:
Only flushes or straight flushes may win.
If no one has a straight flush (highly likely), best flush wins.
If no one has a flush (pretty likely), best four card flush, three card flush, or two card flush wins.
In case of tie, winner is based on rank of cards comprising flush.
VARIATIONS: None.
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NAME: Bid Poker (similar: to Auction)
TYPE: Stud
NUMBER OF PLAYERS: Up to eight.
INITIAL DEAL: Five down to each player.
PLAY: Dealer deals a card face up in the center of the table. The player to the left of the dealer bids a mandatory small preset amount for the card. Bidding then proceeds to the left, with each player either topping the previous high bid or passing. A player that passes cannot bid on that card later, but can bid on subsequent cards. When everyone has passed except the one high bidder, that player puts his bid in the pot and places the card in front of the player face up and begins a betting round. The dealer then turns the next card in the deck face up in the center. The player to the left of whoever began the previous bidding round starts the bidding for the new card. Bet. Continue as above alternating bids for up cards and bets until every player remaining has started the bidding once. Declare. Bet. Showdown. Note that a player can buy more than one card.
WINNER: High and low hands split the pot.
VARIATIONS: None
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NAME: The Bitch
TYPE: Stud
NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 3-7
PLAY: As in 7 card stud. If the Queen of Spades is dealt up, it kills the game and cards are collected and redealt. If the Queen of Spades is in the hole then it splits the pot with the high hand.
WINNER: High hand and holder of the Queen of Spades down split the pot.
VARIATIONS:
Queen of Spades in the hole is wild instead. No split the pot.
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NAME: Black Mariah
TYPE: Stud
NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 3-7
INITIAL DEAL: Two down, one up to each player.
PLAY: As in seven card stud. To take the pot the winning player must have both the high hand and the highest spade in the hole. If one player has the high hand and another has the high spade down then there are no winners. Re-ante and redeal.
WINNER: High hand and highest spade down for one player.
VARIATIONS:
Wild cards.
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NAME: Chicago
TYPE: Stud
NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 4-7
INITIAL DEAL: two cards down and one up to each player
PLAY: As with 7 card stud, but whoever has the highest Spade in the hole (face down) gets half the pot.
WINNER: High hand and high spade in the hole split.
VARIATIONS:
Adding wild cards.
Washington Park- Each player's lowest down card is wild for that player, along with all cards of the same rank.
Low Chicago (a.k.a. Baltimore)- Low spade in the hole gets half the pot instead of high spade.
Back to Top NAME: Control
TYPE: Stud
NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 3-7
INITIAL DEAL: Two down, one up.
PLAY: As in 7 card stud. Just before the last card to players is dealt, the player with the highest hand showing decides whether the game will be completed. If he says yes, the game continues. If his says no, the game is redealt.
WINNER: High hand.
VARIATIONS:
Wild cards.
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NAME: Cowpie Poker
TYPE: Stud
PLAYERS: 3-7
INITIAL DEAL: Two cards down and one up to each player.
PLAY: Deal and bet as in 7-card stud. After the betting round following the final down card, all remaining players split their hands into a 5-card hand and a 2-card hand. The 2-card hand must contain at least one down card. The 5-card hand must be a better hand than the 2-card hand. Following the split there is one more betting round.
WINNER: Highest 5-card hand and highest 2-card hand split the pot.
VARIATIONS: None.
Back to Top NAME: Dakota (similar to: Rickey De Laet)
TYPE: Stud
PLAYERS: 3-7
INITIAL DEAL: 3 cards down to each player
PLAY: After the deal, players simultaneously turn one card up. After each round of betting, players receive a new down card and must turn one down card up. Before a player receives the seventh card, the player has the option to purchase the right to roll his own last card. If he declines the option, his seventh card is dealt down and it stays down. If he buys the Option (at a cost of the maximum allowed bet), the player turns a down card up as normal. After a final betting round players declare hi/low/both and reveal their hands. Each player's lowest down card (and all other cards in their hand of the same rank) is wild if the player went high. Nothing is wild for low hands.
WINNER: High and low hands split
VARIATIONS: None.
Back to Top NAME: Dirty Schultz (a.k.a.- Change the Diaper)
TYPE: Stud
NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 3-7
INITIAL DEAL: two cards down and one up to each player
PLAY: As in 7 card stud, with the following variations: whenever a natural pair is dealt up to a player, the next card dealt up (and all cards of the same rank) becomes wild. If another pair is dealt up, the next up card replaces the previous wild as a new wild. If the second card of a pair is the last up card, nothing is wild. Each player's seventh card is dealt up.
WINNER: High hand
VARIATIONS:
A player may pay a set amount and have their seventh card dealt down, thereby decreasing the chance that the wild card marker will change.
Back to Top NAME: Do Ya
TYPE: Stud
NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 3 to 8
INITIAL DEAL: 1 down to each player.
PLAY: Players' hole card and all like it are wild in their hand. After players receive a down card, all players get three options, offered one at a time, to exchange their down card. Dealer starts with the player to his left. If the player exercises the option he mucks his original down card into the discards for a choice of one of the next three cards from the deck. If he passes on the first two cards he must take the third card. Player receives no more options to exchange. The next player is offered the card(s) the previous player didn't want. He too can muck his original down card and can take one of the card(s) the previous player didn't choose or receive additional cards until his third down card is dealt. After all players hold pat on a down card, the rest of the discards are ducked and there is a round of betting. Dealer continues play as in Five Card Stud.
WINNER: High hand.
VARIATIONS:
Start deal with one card up, then deal one down followed by a round of betting. Option to exchange starts with the high card showing. On the first option the players' original down cards are not mucked but offered to the next player for his first exchange. (This adds the element that if the player wanting to exchange holds a card or receives a card that matches his opponent's up card he may not want to exchange the card and give his opponent a pair of wild cards.)
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NAME: Double Mariah
TYPE: Stud
NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 3-7
INITIAL DEAL: Two jokers added to deck. Seven cards down to players.
PLAY: Players split their cards into two hands, a five card high hand and a two card high hand. The five card high hand must be equal to or better than the two card hand. The split hands will be played separately. The jokers can only be used as an additional Ace or to complete any straights or flushes in the player's hand. Play starts with the five card hand. All players turn up one of the five cards. Round of betting beginning with the player with the highest exposed card. Play as in 5-card stud. After showdown, play resumes with the two card hand. Expose one card, round of betting. Showdown.
WINNER: Winner of pot must have both the highest five card hand and two card hand. If one player wins the 5 card hand and another wins the two card hand there is no winner. Cards are collected and redealt. If there is a "push", two players who tie their high hands, there is no winner. Redeal.
VARIATIONS:
Additional wildcards.
Separate pots- Upon the start of the game each player antes a sizeable amount to a side pot. Game continues as normal but bets for the five card and two card hands are collected by the winners of the respective high hands. If no one wins both hands everyone re-antes to the side pot. The player who has both high hands for a round will then win the side pot also and end the game. (Best if the jokers are the only wild cards allowed.)
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NAME: English Stud
TYPE: Stud
NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 3-7
INITIAL DEAL: 2 down, one up to each player.
PLAY: This game starts out similar to 7 card stud. However, after the fifth card is dealt and the betting is done, there are two chances to exchange a card. Starting with the player to the dealer's left, he has the choice of discarding one down or up card, or to stand pat. If he discards a card, his new card is dealt the same way (Discard a down card, get a down card. Discard an up card, get an up card). Players should still have two down and three up (five total). After the first exchange, there's a round of betting. The second exchange is the same as the first, then a final round of betting and showdown.
WINNER: High hand.
VARIATIONS:
Total of 6 or 7 cards dealt where the two exchanges occur prior to dealing the last card. (See note below)
Pay to exchange.
NOTE: With 5 players, this game can be played with 7 cards. With 6 players, it can be played with 7 cards with the understanding that you may need to reshuffle the discards for dealing the 7th card. Similar problem with 7 players and 6 cards. With 5 cards to a player you can play 8 players with the understanding that some players may be unable to exchange cards in the second exchange unless you reshuffle the discards. If this is done it is highly recommended that you also require players to pay for the right to exchange-- this increases the chance that some players will not exchange, giving all players the opportunity to make the choice.
Back to Top NAME: Five Card Baseball
TYPE: Stud
NUMBER OF PLAYERS: Up to 10.
INITIAL DEAL: One down, one up to each player.
PLAY: Bet. Deal one up to each player. Bet. Continue alternating up cards and bets until each player has five cards. Nines and threes are wild. Player dealt an up three must immediately match the pot (perhaps limited to a set amount) or fold. If a player is dealt face up four, the player immediately receives another up card. If that up card is also a four, the player immediately receives another up card. When all players have received their fifth card, bet. Showdown.
WINNER: High hand.
VARIATIONS:
Pay for all wild cards
Pay for the extra card.
Back to Top NAME: Five Card Stud
TYPE: Stud
NUMBER OF PLAYERS: Up to 10
INITIAL DEAL: One down, one up to each player.
PLAY: Bet. Deal one up to each player. Bet. Continue alternating up cards and bets
until each player has five cards. Bet. Showdown.
WINNER: High hand.
VARIATIONS:
Lowball stud.
Lowball High-Low Split Fifth card dealt down
Pistol Stud- Add a bet between down card and first up card.
Adding wild cards.
Canadian Stud- Adds the follow rank of hands (This adds more hands to shoot for, making 5 card stud more interesting):
4-card straight beats a pair
4-card flush beats a 4-card straight
2 pair beats a 4-card flush.
Back to Top NAME: Five Card Stud with a Bug
TYPE: Stud
NUMBER OF PLAYERS: Up to 10
INITIAL DEAL: One down, one up to each player. The two Jokers added.
PLAY: As in Five card stud but Jokers are wild with the following limitations: Jokers can only be used as an Ace or to fill a straight or a flush.
WINNER: High Hand
VARIATIONS:
7 Card Stud with a Bug. Up to 7 players.
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NAME: Follow the Queen
TYPE: Stud
NUMBER OF PLAYERS: Up to 7
INITIAL DEAL: Two down and one up to each player.
PLAY: Seven card stud, but when a queen is dealt up, the next card dealt up and all cards of the same rank are also wild. If another queen is dealt up, the next card dealt up replaces the previous wild as the new wild card. If a queen is the last up card dealt, then nothing is wild.
WINNER: High hand.
VARIATIONS:
Pay for wild cards.
Follow the Queen AND Queens- Queens are also wild. If a Queen is the last up card dealt then only Queens are wild.
All cards after a queen are wild (no cancellations-- not recommended for the squeamish).
Black Mariah- If the Queen of Spades is dealt face-up, the hand immediately ends. All players re-ante. Re-deal.
Peasant's Revolt- (Addition to the Black Mariah rule) Allows only three re- deals. If the Queen of Spades appears for a fourth time then play continues as normal.
Back to Top NAME: Football (Similar to Baseball)
TYPE: Stud
NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 3-7
INITIAL DEAL: Two down and one up to each player.
PLAY: As with 7 card stud, with threes and sixes being wild (field goals and touchdowns). If a two is dealt face up (2 point option), the recipient immediately receives another card down.
WINNER: High hand
VARIATIONS:
Jacks dealt up (referees) are a penalty accessed against you. Pay the pot a fixed amount.
Optional Penalty- Rather than pay a fee for receiving a Jack a player loses his lowest up card. Note: Player cannot be left with less than five cards for showdown.
Paying for wild cards. Usually, the required payment is to match the pot. Possibilities include:
Face-up threes, sixes, or both require the recipient to pay for them to be wild, otherwise they're just face value.
Face-up threes, sixes, or both require the recipient to pay for them or fold.
Pay for face down wilds as well as face up ones (rare, not recommended play to enforce this rule).
Paying for the additional card when a two comes face up.
Allowing someone with a face-down two to flip it face up and receive an additional card.
NAME: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
TYPE: Stud
NUMBER OF PLAYERS: Up to 7
INITIAL DEAL: Two cards down, one up to each player, three down in the center of the table.
PLAY: Deal like seven card stud. After the fourth card is dealt to each player, dealer flips the first of the three table cards. This is The Good, and is all cards of the same rank are designated wild (but The Good card itself is not shared). After the fifth card is dealt, dealer flips the second table card. This is The Bad, and all cards of the same rank up or down must be discarded. After the sixth card is dealt, dealer flips the last table card. This is The Ugly, and anyone who has an up card of the same rank must fold.
WINNER: High hand.
VARIATIONS:
High-Low Split.
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NAME: Grocery Store Dots (Similar to: Wall St. but with twist)
TYPE: Stud; Counting
PLAYERS: 3-7
INITIAL DEAL: Two cards down and one up to each player, plus three up cards to the table (the grocery store) with the left-hand card marked with a chip.
PLAY: Deal and bet as in 7-card stud, with the following exception: before being dealt each up card, each player has the choice instead to buy his card from the grocery store. First card (the marked one) costs one betting unit, the second costs 2, and the third costs 3. If the player chooses not to buy, then he is dealt an up card normally. Prior to each potential purchase, the store is restocked as necessary from the deck. Note that this means that, if the dealer buys a card, the store shows only two cards during the ensuing betting round-- it is not restocked until the next dealing round. The remaining store stock is discarded after all players have four up cards. Seventh card is dealt down.
RANK OF HANDS: Standard poker and DOT count. "DOTS" consist of the pips in the center column of each number card: threes have 3 dots; twos, eights, and tens have 2 dots; aces, fives, sevens, and nines have 1 dot; fours, sixes, and face cards have no dots.
WINNER: Highest 5-card poker hand and 7-card hand with the most DOTS split the pot.
VARIATIONS: None.
Back to Top NAME: Have a Heart
TYPE: Stud
NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 3-7
INITIAL DEAL: 2 down, 1 up to each player.
PLAY: As in 7 card stud, but whenever a player is dealt a heart face up, he takes a card (either up or down) from another player. The player whose card is taken does not draw a replacement.
WINNER: High hand.
VARIATIONS:
Trade a Heart- You must trade one of your own cards (up for up, down for down) with the card you take.
Back to Top NAME: Henway
TYPE: Stud
PLAYERS: 3-5
INITIAL DEAL: 10 cards down to each player
PLAY: Players split their cards into two 5-card hands, laying each hand down in their desired order. Each rotating betting round is preceded by all players turning over the top cards from both of their hands.
WINNER: High and low hands split
VARIATIONS:
Add wild cards.
Back to Top NAME: Howdy Doody
TYPE: Stud
NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 4-7
INITIAL DEAL: seven down cards to each player
PLAY: As with Anaconda, but with these exceptions: this game is high/low and has wild cards. Threes are wild if and only if the hand they are in is used to try to win the high pot. Kings are wild if and only if the hand they are in is used to try for the low pot. No betting until the showdown.
WINNER: High and low hands split
VARIATIONS:
See passing options in Anaconda.
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NAME: Jacks n' Fives
TYPE: Stud
NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 3-7
INITIAL DEAL: Two down, one up.
PLAY: Play as in Seven Card Stud. Red Fives and Red Jacks are wild cards. Black Fives and Black Jacks in the hole can put a player in the running to split half the pot. with the following exceptions in ranks:
RANK OF HOLE SPLIT CARDS:
Pair of black Jacks in the hole beats a pair of black Fives and wins half the pot.
Pair of black Fives beats a single black Jack.
Single black Jack with a black Five beats a single black Jack.
Single black Jack.
Single black five.
If two players tie with matching hole cards (Black Jacks, black Fives, or both in separate hands) the game is declared a draw with no winners and game is redealt. High hand does not win half the pot. If there are no black Jacks or Fives in the hole of any player then high hand takes whole pot.
WINNER: High hand and high split card holder split pot.
VARIATIONS: None.
Back to Top NAME: Jack the Shifter
TYPE: Stud
PLAYERS: 3-7
INITIAL DEAL: Two cards down and one card up to each player
PLAY: Normal seven card stud until a Jack is turned face-up. The player with the Jack may then name any 7 card stud game, and the rest of the hand is played out as that game. If another Jack is turned up, the owner of that Jack may name a different stud game, and so forth. The game named must be an accepted, named game within your poker circle-- no calling "6's wild" when you've got a pair of sixes (unless, of course, your group routinely plays a sixes wild game). A face-down Jack may be turned up at any time, at which point that player names a game. To prevent timing conflicts, before the final round of betting the dealer should ask each player, in turn, if they wish to reveal a jack, starting with the player with the best hand showing and proceeding clockwise. Any player who declines to show a Jack when asked at this time forfeits the ability to do so for the rest of the hand.
WINNER: High hand, unless changed by the game called.
VARIATIONS: N/A
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NAME: Juneau (Seven High-Low No Peek Declare)
TYPE: Stud
NUMBER OF PLAYERS: Up to 7
INITIAL DEAL: Seven cards face down to each player.
PLAY: Do not look at your cards! This game is similar to Midnight Baseball, but without all the special cards, and is played high-low. The player to the dealer's left is the first lead player. The lead player exposes one card and starts the betting. The next player starts rolling cards until that player's revealed hand beats the highest revealed hand on the table (initially, the lead player's single up card) or until the rolling player has exposed six of player's seven cards. Bet, beginning with player with highest poker hand exposed. Continue in turn with each player rolling until player has the high hand or has exposed six cards, with a round of betting whenever someone stops rolling cards. When no one can defeat the high hand without rolling a seventh card, bet. Now all players may look at hole card(s). Note that player with high exposed hand may have more than one hole card to peek at. Declare. Bet. Showdown.
WINNER: High and low split.
VARIATIONS: None.
Back to Top NAME: Kings (similar to: Polish; Want it? Want it? Got it!)
TYPE: Stud
NUMBER OF PLAYERS: Up to 7
INITIAL DEAL: Two down, one up to each player.
PLAY: In form, this game is seven card stud high-low with kings wild. Player may push the first up card dealt to player in a given round to the player on his or her left by paying a small fee to the pot. Pushing player must accept next card, which is dealt when someone down the line accepts the pushed card or the pushed card is discarded by its final recipient. Player who receives a card pushed from the right also has the option of passing the card to the left for a small fee. If last player to receive a card for that round pushes the card, the card is discarded. A player that has a face up king at the showdown may only win the high half of the pot and must declare high. Another round of up cards is dealt, beginning with the player with the best low hand showing and following around to the right. Bet. Repeat through sixth cards. Bet. Seventh card is dealt face down. Bet. Declare. Bet. Showdown.
WINNER: High and low hands split
VARIATIONS:
Serial Regicide (Super Kings)- Same as above, but players get two chances to push a card each round. First card pushed costs a little (in our game $0.25), second pushed card costs a lot (in our game $1.00). Player must accept third card received in round.
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NAME: Limbo
TYPE: Stud
PLAYERS: Up to seven.
INITIAL DEAL: Six face down to each player (no peak) and seven face up in the center. Dealer arranges the seven in the middle into the best high hand and discards the remaining two cards.
PLAY: Player to dealer's left exposes a card. Bet. Next player exposes cards until player has best poker hand among players, but if player's exposed hand is superior to the center hand, player must fold. Bet. Next player exposes the same way, followed by a bet. Continue until just one player remains.
WINNER: Player that makes the highest hand without exceeding hand in center.
VARIATIONS: None
Back to Top NAME: Linoleum (similar to: Wall St.; Abyssinia)
TYPE: Stud
NUMBER OF PLAYERS: Up to 7
INITIAL DEAL: Two cards down to each player. Dealer then exposes top deck card and places it face up next to the deck. Dealer then exposes next deck card and places it on top of the deck.
PLAY: Roughly similar to seven card stud. Beginning with the player to the dealer's left and rotating around the table, each player has the opportunity to purchase a card. The card next to the deck is free, the card on top of the deck costs one unit, and the unexposed card from the deck costs two units. If player buys the card next to the deck, dealer replaces it with the exposed card on top of the deck, exposes a new card from the deck, and place it on top of the deck. If player buys the card on top of the deck, dealer replaces it by exposing the top unexposed card from the deck and placing it on top of the deck. Player places purchased card face up in front of player. Continue to left until all players have an up card. Bet. Again beginning with player to dealer's right, players buy a second up card as described above. Bet. Continue until all players have four up cards. Bet. Dealer gives each player a seventh card down from the unexposed cards at the top of the deck. Bet. Declare. Bet. Showdown.
WINNER: High and Low hands split pot.
VARIATIONS:
All sorts of changes may be made to the price of cards.
After first round of up cards, subsequent up card rounds begin with player with best low hand showing.
Price is Right (a.k.a. Nickel, Dime, Quarter)- Up card next to the deck costs one betting unit (or a nickel), up card on top of the deck costs two units (or a dime), unexposed card from deck costs 3 units (or a quarter). Up cards stay up. Down cards from the deck stay down.
Back to Top NAME: Lowball Shuck
TYPE: Stud
NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 3-8
INITIAL DEAL: 2 down, 1 up to all players.
PLAY: As in Five Card Stud. Card ranks follow Lowball rules. Best showing Low hand leads the betting. After all players receive all cards, players have an option to "shuck" or exchange any one card for a fee (usually the minimum bet amount). Player with lowest showing hand begins with option to exchange first. Option rotates from his left. After exchange a final round of betting.
WINNER: Low Hand
VARIATIONS:
Wild Cards.
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NAME: Lucky Nine
TYPE: Stud
NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 3-7
INITIAL DEAL: 2 down, 1 up to all players.
PLAY: As in Seven Card stud. Nines and any cards adding or multiplying up to nine are wild. For example, if you have a 3,3,4,5 & an Ace, then you have five of a kind in Aces ( 3 x 3 = 9 and 4+5 = 9). You can even multiply the second equation by the Ace ( [4+5] x 1 = 9) making all 5 cards wild. Only cards that can be added or multiplied (no subtraction or division) to each other to equal the value of 9 are wild. Second example: If you have a 7,7, 2, King, Ace, then you have a four of a kind in Kings ([7+2] x 1 = 9). Only the three cards in your equation are wild, the second seven does not become wild by association with the other 7.
WINNER: High Hand
VARIATIONS: none
Back to Top NAME: Mexican Stud (similar to: Dakota; Roll Your Own)
TYPE: Stud
NUMBER OF PLAYERS: up to 10
INITIAL DEAL: Two cards down to each player
PLAY: Players roll one of their two down cards and then there is a betting round. Players are dealt another card down and roll one of their remaining two down cards, followed by a betting round. This continues until all players have five cards: one down, four up. Showdown after the final round of betting.
WINNER: High hand
VARIATIONS:
High and low hand split pot.
Rickey De Laet- Hole card and all like it for that player are wild.
Shifting Sands- First exposed card and all like it for that player are wild.
Seven card Mexican Stud- Deal three cards to start, continue until everyone has seven cards, with the seventh card dealt up. (Up to 7 players)
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NAME: Mexican Sweat (similar to: Juneau)
TYPE: Stud
PLAYERS: 3-7
INITIAL DEAL: seven cards face down to each player and one up card on the table.
PLAY: Do not look at your cards! This game is similar to Midnight Baseball, but without all the special cards. The player to the dealer's left is the lead player. The lead player starts rolling cards until his revealed hand beats the highest revealed hand on the table (initially, the single up card). As soon as his revealed hand becomes the best hand, he stops rolling cards and begins a round of betting. If he rolls all his cards and does not beat what is on the table, he is out and a betting round begins with the high hand. Either way, the next player becomes the new lead player and the process repeats, with a round of betting whenever someone stops rolling cards. If at any time the lead player rolls a card of the same rank as the card dealt up from the deck at the initial deal, he must immediately fold and a betting round begins with the high hand. The game continues until all the cards have been turned up or there is only one person left in the game.
WINNER: High hand
VARIATIONS:
If a player rolls all his cards without beating the high hand, there is no betting round-- the next player begins rolling immediately.
If a player folds because he matches the initial up card, there is no betting round.
Back to Top NAME: Midnight Baseball (a.k.a.-No Peeky Baseball)
TYPE: Stud
NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 3-7
INITIAL DEAL: seven cards face down to each player and one up card on the table. PLAY: Do not look at your cards! This game is similar to baseball, except you can't look at your cards until they're flipped up. The player to the dealer's left is the lead player. The lead player starts rolling cards until his revealed hand beats the highest revealed hand on the table (initially, the single up card). He must obey any payment rules which apply as he flips cards (paying for wild cards, fours, etc). As soon as his revealed hand becomes the new best hand, he stops rolling cards and begins a round of betting. If he rolls all his cards and does not beat what is on the table, he is out and a betting round begins with the high hand. Either way, the next player then tries to beat the high hand in the same manner, with a betting round ensuing whenever someone stops rolling cards. The game continues until all the cards have been turned up or there is only one person left in the game.
WINNER: High hand
VARIATIONS:
If a player rolls all his cards without beating the high hand, there is no betting round-- the next player begins rolling immediately.
Draft Pick- Players can look at their cards and lay down the cards of their choice until their exposed hand beats what's on the table. Makes this game more strategic.
Beat the Deck- Dealer places one up card in front of the deck. Opening player must beat the single card to start the play.
Balk- If a player rolls his cards and beats the previous high hand but continues to roll more of his cards when it isn't necessary must pay a penalty.
Back to Top NAME: Pick a Partner
TYPE: Stud
NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 4, 6, 8, or 10
INITIAL DEAL: 5 down to each player
PLAY: Everyone rolls a card. Highest card showing picks one of the other hands as a partner. The next highest un-partnered hand chooses a partner, and so forth until everyone is paired up. Each partnership combines their remaining 8 down cards and chooses 3 of them to combine with their two up cards. After pairing up a round of betting begins with the highest combined hand showing. Teams bet together, sharing the raises and calls equally (if they bet 50¢, a quarter from each). After betting all teams roll one of the 3 cards and a round of betting follows. Roll second card, bet, showdown. The winning team splits the pot. If one member of a team folds, the other can continue playing and, if he wins, he wins the entire pot.
WINNER: High hand.
VARIATIONS:
Add wild cards
Back to Top NAME: Murder
TYPE: Stud
PLAYERS: 4-10
INITIAL DEAL: One card down and one up to each player.
PLAY: 2 card High-Low split game. Aces are Low in this gam., A pair of Kings are the highest rank, Ace-Deuce is the best low. Pair of sevens is "Murder"and takes the whole pot. After the initial deal a round of betting followed by two more opportunities to exchange an up or down card with a round of betting following each exchange.
WINNER: High and Low split the pot if no one has a pair of sevens.
VARIATIONS: None.
Back to Top NAME: Polish (similar to Kings; Want it? Want it? Got it!)
TYPE: Stud
NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 4-10
INITIAL DEAL: One down card to each player
PLAY: The dealer deals an up card to the player to his left. The player has the option of either keeping that card or passing it on. If he passes it on, he gets dealt the next card up and the next player is given the same option. If he keeps it, the next player is dealt the next card up. This continues until all players have five cards. There is a betting round each time the deal makes it around. Everyone then declares high, low or both. The hole card is wild for high.
WINNER: High and low hands split.
VARIATIONS:
You can have the extra card thrown away after each round.
Round of up cards starts with the lowest hand showing.
Back to Top NAME: Roll Your Own (similar to: Dakota; Mexican Stud;)
TYPE: Stud
NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 3-7
INITIAL DEAL: three down cards to each player
PLAY: Each player decides which card he wants to turn up, then all the players turn up their cards at one time, followed by a betting round. Repeat until four cards are face up. The last card is dealt down, but no rolling, and there is a final betting round, followed by the showdown.
WINNER: High hand.
VARIATIONS:
Add wild cards.
Low card in the hole wild.
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NAME: Rollercoaster
TYPE: Stud
NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 3 to 10
INITIAL DEAL: 1 card down to all players.
PLAY: Players are dealt one card at a time, betting after each card followed by a showdown. Hands are alternately competing for high or low hand after each deal of a down card. After the ante, each player is dealt one card face down, which they can look at. For this first hand, players are competing for the highest card. With a chip in their hand to indicate they are competing or not, everyone puts their closed fist on the table and opens them at the same time. Players who did not compete risk nothing and gain nothing. Players who did compete swap their cards among themselves to determine who wins the pot - the players who did not participate in the round do not get to see the competing players' cards. The player with the highest hand takes the pot. The competing players who lost have to match the pot. If there is a tie or no one stayed in, the pot carries over to the next round. If only one person stayed in that player takes the pot and all others must ante for next round. For the second round the dealer deals a second card face down to each player, which everyone adds to their hands. This time players are competing for the lowest hand (just like in Low Ball). Again each player simultaneously indicates if they are competing by secretly placing a chip in their hand to indicate they are staying. Competing players again swap hands to determine the winner with the lowest hand taking the pot. Losing players match the pot - noncompeting players do nothing. Each subsequent card calls a new round of betting, showdown and alternating high/low hands. On the fifth and final card down, there is a showdown (with everyone automatically competing). The highest hand takes the pot and the game is over.
WINNER: High hand for 1, 3, and 5 cards; Low hand for 2 & 4 cards.
VARIATIONS:
Ante every time. Before each card, every player antes. This insures that there is always money in the pot and can allow the pot to increase more quickly. Punishment. If only one player stays in, everyone else matches the pot. If no one stays, everyone matches the pot. This encourages more people to compete.
Back to Top NAME: Second Hand High
TYPE: Stud
NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 3-7
INITIAL DEAL: Two cards down and one up to each player
PLAY: Deal and bet as in 7-card stud. Cards speak for themselves to form the best poker hand available within those 7 cards.
WINNER: Second highest hand, or the only remaining hand if all but one player fold.
VARIATIONS:
Play in any standard poker format (draw, 5-card stud, etc)
Play with wild cards
Second-low in a lowball format
Split pot between the highest and second highest hands
Back to Top NAME: Sequence
TYPE: Stud
NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 3-7
INITIAL DEAL: 2 down, 1 up to each player
PLAY: As in 7 card stud, but: if a 2 turns face up, all twos become wild. If after that a 3 turns up, all threes are wild instead. And so on, with each successively higher number replacing the previous wild card rank if it appears face up.
WINNER: High hand
VARIATIONS:
High/low
Back to Top NAME: Seven Card Stud
TYPE: Stud
NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 3 to 7
INITIAL DEAL: 2 down, 1 up to each player
PLAY: Betting begins after the deal. After each round of betting, each player is dealt
one card face up except for the last card, which is dealt face down. Showdown occurs
after the last round.
WINNER: High hand
VARIATIONS:
Lowball.
High-Low Split.
Seventh card dealt up.
Pistol Stud- Add a bet between down cards and first up card.
Adding wild cards.
Second Hand High- Pot goes to player with the second highest hand, or to the only remaining player if everyone else folds.
Second Hand High-Low- Pot split between players with the second highest hand and the second lowest hand. Note that this adds a declare and another bet immediately before the showdown.
Seven Card Flip- Deal four down to each player. At dealer's signal, players simultaneously expose two cards face up. Bet. Continue as seven card stud with two up cards and a final down card. May be played high-low.
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NAME: Sevens Take All
TYPE: Stud
NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 3-7
INITIAL DEAL: Two down, one up.
PLAY: As in 7 card stud. If a player obtains a pair of seven's then they automatically win the pot. If no player has a pair of sevens then it's straight poker. If two players both have pairs of sevens, then they split the pot.
WINNER: Player with pair of sevens else high hand wins pot.
VARIATIONS: None.
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NAME: Sexual Connotations
TYPE: Stud
NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 3-7
INITIAL DEAL: Two down, one up.
PLAY: As in seven card stud. 69's (a six and a nine anywhere in your hand are wild). A Threesome consisting of two women (a pair of queens) and one man (a king or jack) anywhere in your hand are all wild. Two men up means you must match the pot.
WINNER: High hand
VARIATIONS: None
Back to Top NAME: Shite & Onions
TYPE: Stud
NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 3 to 7
PLAY: As in 7-Card Stud with two esoteric twists. If you got Shite, you're alright, unless you got Onions. Shite are 7's and Onions are 9's. 7's are wild unless you have any 9 (up or down, whether or not you use it in your 5-card hand; all seven cards must be revealed when hand is played), in which case 7's can only be 7's -- but 7's remain wild within their suit (can be used to fill a straight flush).
WINNER: High Hand
VARIATIONS:
Shite, Onions & Squits- Shite & Onions with another twist. If you got Shite, you're alright, unless you got Onions, in which case you got the Squits. Squits have a rank of 4 and are wild as to suit. That is: 7's are wild, but having a 9 in your 7-card hand gives 7's a numerical value of 4; 7's remain wild within their suit.
Back to Top NAME: Show Five
TYPE: Stud
NUMBER OF PLAYERS: Up to seven.
INITIAL DEAL: Seven face down to each player.
PLAY: Players choose five of their seven cards to compose their hands, arranges them in the order to be exposed, and places the cards down in front of them. At dealer's signal, each player simultaneously exposes a card. Bet, beginning with player with high hand showing. Expose. Bet. Continue until four cards are exposed. Bet. Declare. Bet. Showdown, which requires one final card to be exposed.
WINNER: High-Low split based on the five exposed cards.
VARIATIONS:
Wild cards.
Back to Top NAME: Ten (or Henway No Peek)
TYPE: Stud
NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 3-5
INITIAL DEAL: 10 cards down to each player
PLAY: Do not look at your cards! Each player flips a card and quickly, without looking at the other players' cards, places it face up to his left or to his right. Cards on the left form a hand going low, while cards on the right form a hand going high. There follows a round of betting. Repeat until all 10 cards are up. No hand can have more than 5 cards. Cards speak for themselves when the last one is flipped.
WINNER: High and low hands split
VARIATIONS:
Add wild cards.
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NAME: Three Card Substitution
TYPE: Stud
NUMBER OF PLAYERS: Up to 7
INITIAL DEAL: One down, one up to each player.
PLAY: Play as in five card stud, with a bet following the fifth card. Beginning with the player to the left of the player with the lowest card showing and proceeding to the left through each player, each player may substitute one card, up or down, for a fresh one from the dealer for a cost of one betting unit. Bet. Beginning with the player to the left of the player who now has the lowest poker hand showing and proceeding to the left, each may substitute one card, up or down, for a cost of two betting units. Bet. A similar round of substitutions for three betting units, followed by a bet. Declare. Bet. Showdown.
WINNER: High and low hands split the pot.
VARIATIONS: None.
Back to Top NAME: Wall St. (similar to: Linoleum; Abyssinia)
TYPE: Stud
NUMBER OF PLAYERS: Up to seven.
INITIAL DEAL: Two down to each player. Four up in the center in a line. A one-unit chip is placed on one card at the either end of the four in the line.
PLAY: The first player to the left of the dealer selects a card as follows:
Card from top of the deck is free.
Card with chip on it costs one unit, paid to the pot.
Next up card costs 2 units, paid to the pot.
Next up card costs 3 units, paid to the pot.
Last up card costs 4 units, paid to the pot.
If player selected an up card, dealer slides the more expensive exposed cards down one position and deals a new card into the 4 unit slot. Continue around the table until all players have an up card. Bet after each round of up cards, beginning with player with highest showing hand. Next card selection round begins with the first player to the left of player who began previous card selection round. Continue until all players have four up cards. The remaining Wall Street stock is then discarded. Deal one last card down to all players. Bet. Declare. Bet. Showdown.
WINNER: High and low hands split.
VARIATIONS: None.
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NAME: Want It? Want It? Got it! (a.k.a- Selection/Rejection; similar to: Kings; Polish)
TYPE: Stud
NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 3-7
INITIAL DEAL: Two cards down to each player
PLAY: Rotating lead player. At the start of each round, the dealer flips up the top card and offers it to the leader. The leader can either accept it or pass. If passed, the card is then offered to the next player, who can also accept it or pass. If passed, the next player must take the card. A new card is turned up and offered to the next player in turn. This continues, skipping players who already received a card in the current round, until everyone has taken a card. Betting ensues, and a new round begins. This continues until everyone has four up cards. After that round of betting, everyone gets a 7th card down. After a final round of betting, everyone declares high/low/both and a showdown occurs.
WINNER: High and low hands split
VARIATIONS:
Each person in turn can reject the first card dealt to them, but must take the next card.
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