NT Card Games

Acey-Deucey

Players: 2 or more

 

Initial Deal: Ante. Two cards are then dealt face-up to one player (typically in one pile in-front of the dealer).

Play: Each player is dealt their two cards then bets whether or not the third card will numerically fall in between the first two. Bets can range from nothing to the amount that is in the pot at the time.

If the third card falls in between the two other cards, the bettor takes the amount he bet out of the pot.

If the third card falls outside of the two other cards, the bettor must add what he bet to the pot.

If the third card matches the numerical value of one of the other two cards, the bettor must add to the pot double what they bet.

If two cards of the same value come up, e.g. 3,3 the bettor pays "Posts" (a predetermined amount into the pot, typically the ante or a nominal amount).

If an ace is dealt first, the player must declare that ace as either high (higher than a king) or low (below a two).
If an ace is dealt second, it is always high.
If ace-ace is dealt first, and the player declared it as low, and a second ace is dealt, then the player may bet (and can only lose if another ace is dealt).
If ace-ace is dealt first, and the player declared it as high, then the player must pay "Posts".
If there is only one card left in the deck, that card is shown and the player can chose to discard it and start with two new cards after the deck is shuffled or they can chose to keep it.
If there are only two cards left in the deck, the cards are dealt and if the player would like to bet, the first card after the shuffle is played. If they do not want to bet on the cards, the cards are reshuffled.  

Winner: Play continues until the pot is gone.

Standard Variations:

If two cards of the same value come up, e.g. 2,2, the bettor picks if the next card will be higher or lower and bets. If the next card is the same as the last two, i.e. a 2, the bettor must triple their bet. This is in lieu of "Posts".

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Box Cards

Players: 2 or more

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Initial Deal: Ante. Each player receives 4 cards down. 4 common cards are dealt down in a 2x2 form. They can look at their cards. Dealer picks 2 common cards in opposite corners and turns them up.

 

Play: Go around the table and each player declares if they are in or out. Once declared in or out, the other two cards are turned up. Once the cards are turned up, every player shows their hand.

 

Winner: The player with the best 3-card hand, using any combination of cards in their hand and common cards wins. Players can only use a max of 2 common cards in a row, up and down. Players can’t use 2 DIAGONAL cards!  Those players that declared themselves in but lost must match the pot. Rank of hands is as follows: high card, pair, straight, flush, straight-flush, 3 of a kind.

 

Standard Variations: Deck Every: best played when deck every. After players have shown their hands, 4 cards are dealt from the top of the deck. If a combination of the decks 4 cards beats the top-player’s hand, all players pay the pot.

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In the Box

Players: 2 or more

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Initial Deal: Ante (Example: $1) and declare the costs for each card to be flipped (Example: $1 ante, $1, $2, $2, $3). Each player receives 4 cards down. 5 common cards are dealt down in a 2x2 form with a split card in the center. They can look at their cards.

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Play: The first card is flipped at no additional cost (your ante is the cost). From there, go around the table and each player declares if they are in or out. If they are in, they pay the cost for the next card. Players can raise (max of 2 raises). Once everyone has declared in/out, the next card is flipped. Cards should be flipped diagonally with the last card being flipped is the split card. Once the cards are turned up, every player shows their hand.

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Winner: The player with the best 3-card hand, using any combination of cards in their hand and common cards wins. Players can only use a max of 2 common cards in a row, up and down, left and right. Players can’t use 2 DIAGONAL cards or the split card! Rank of hands is as follows: high card, pair, straight, flush, straight-flush, 3 of a kind.

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Standard Variations: 1) No split card. 2) The split card can be used as a 3rd card and can be slid up or down, left or right. 3) Two diagonal cards can be flipped at a time to reduce the cost of the game.

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Night at the Races

Players: 2 or more

 

Ante: Each player antes twice. One ante goes towards each individual hand; while the 2nd ante goes towards the Night at the Races. Night at the Races antes are accumulated as the game continues and hands are played.

 

Initial Deal: Deal each player 5 cards.

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Play: Played like standard 5-card draw poker, betting before and after the draw. If a player fails to call a bet, they are out of the game for the duration of play and are not eligible for the Night at the Races pot. After betting has concluded, the hands are revealed (the cards call themselves). The player with the best hand wins that Races’ pot and is awarded Night at the Races points based on the strength of their hand. The point system is as follows:

11 – Royal Flush

9 – Straight Flush

8 – Four of a kind

7 – Full House

6 – Flush

5 – Straight

3 – Three of a kind

2 – Two pair

1 – One pair

-1 – High Card  

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Winner: In addition to the individual horserace winners, the winner of the Night at the Races and the cumulative pot is the first player to reach 11 points.  

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Standard Variations: Each player antes before each race (hand). There is no betting or individual horseraces. The first player to reach 11 points wins the Night at the Races and the cumulative pot.

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Brady Bunch

Players: 2 or more

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Initial Deal: Ante. Each player receives 3 cards down. 9 common cards are dealt down in a 3x3 form with the center card (Alice) turned sideways. Players can look at their cards. Dealer flips the 4 corners face up.

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Play: Go around the table and each player can bet, call or check. After the betting round has concluded the 4 center cards are then flipped face up. Another round of betting occurs. After that betting round has concluded, the center split-card is then flipped and a final round of betting occurs.

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Winner: Players first declare their 5-card hand simultaneously, using any combination of cards in their hand and common cards either horizontally or vertically (not diagonal) wins 1/2 the pot. Then, the player with the best split card (2-7 is low; 8-A is high) within their hand wins the other 1/2 of the pot. Note: you must use the split card within your 5-card hand to play both which is why hands are declared simultaneously, avoiding players from playing a 5-card hand and losing then playing the split card. 

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Standard Variations: You must hog the hand to win. Cards are flipped one at a time at a designated cost per card or for two or four cards at a time.  

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Fifty-Two / Twenty-Five

Players: 3 or more

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Initial Deal: Like 7-card Stud, 2-down, 1-up.

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Play: After the initial deal, players bet (up to a set limit) or check. If a player bets and another player declines to call the bet, they are out of the game until a winner is declared. Play continues until all 7 cards are dealt. Once all 7 cards are dealt players pick up all their cards. Players then form a 2-card hand and a 5-card hand. Their 5-card hand must be higher than their 2-card hand. A last round of betting occurs. Once betting has completed, players reveal their hands.

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Winner: The player with the best 5-card and the player with the best 2-card hand split the pot. Ties result in a no winner and play continues.

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Standard Variation: Best played with the “hogger” rule! A winner is declared when one player has the highest 5-card and highest 2-card hands. This is called a “hogger”. If no one hogs the pot then everyone re-antes and play starts over. Players dropping out in previous hands are not dealt in again.

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Stud-Jack

Players: 3 or more

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Initial Deal: Like 7-card Stud, 2-down, 1-up.

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Play: This is straight 7 Card Stud except that your two cards down comprise a blackjack hand. You may pay to have the 7th card dealt up so as not to take a hit on your blackjack hand.

 

Winner: The high poker hand and the best blackjack hand split the pot. Ties result in a no winner and play continues.

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Standard Variations: Best played with the “hogger” rule where a player must win both in order to win.

 

Asian Guts

Players: 3 to 7 players

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Initial Deal: 2-cards down

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Play: The first trick is 2-card low-ball poker; players are dealt 2-cards face down; Aces are considered one in two card; only high card and pairs count (no flushes or straights); players determine if they are in or out by holding a coin in their hand; if more than one player is in, all players show their hand and the player with the LOWEST hand wins the equivalent value of the pot from each player; if only one player is in they do not show their hand and they win a trick and not the pot; everyone re-antes. 3 additional cards are now dealt to each player making 5 total; players determine if they are in or out by holding a coin in their hand; if more than one player is in, all players show their hand and the player with the HIGHEST hand wins the equivalent value of the pot from each player; if only one player is in they do not show their hand and they win a trick and not the pot; everyone re-antes. 2 additional cards are now dealt to each player making 7 total; players determine if they are in or out by holding a coin in their hand; if more than one player is in, all players show their hand and the player with the BEST 5 hand wins the equivalent value of the pot from each player; if only one player is in they do not show their hand and they win a trick and not the pot; everyone re-antes, the deal rotates, and the game start over with 2-card lowball.

 

Winner: The game ends when a player collects 3 tricks. That player gets the antes pot. If 2 or more players have the same best hand, they split the winnings from all the other players. 

Note: To determine the best/lowest 2 card hand, you start with the highest card and work to the lowest card. For example: 8-7 wins over 9-2; 2-Ace is the best hand. Variation on the 2-card hand is totaling the two cards value: 2-9 is 11. In this variation there are no pairs and the individual values do not matter (6-5 is the same as 9-2).

Also note: it’s a good idea to put a cap on the payout from losing players as the pot grows quickly

 

Seven Twenty-seven (7/27)

Players: 4-10

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Initial deal: One card down, one card up to each player

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Play: The object is to get as close to 7 or 27 as possible. As in Blackjack, Aces are worth 1 or 11 and numbers are worth their face value. Face cards, however, are worth half a point (.5). The player to the dealer's left is the lead player. Each round, each player starting with the lead has the opportunity to take one additional card. The lead then starts a round of betting. This continues until nobody takes an additional card. After a final betting round, players declare high/low/both and hold a showdown.

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Winner: Closest to 7 and closest to 27 split the pot. 5-A-A (because Aces are one or eleven, or in this case one and eleven) wins a share of both 7 and 27. If multiple players are equidistant from a target number (like 6 & 8), the player with the lowest count gets the pot share for that target number. If multiple players have the same count, then they each get an equal pot share for that target number. So, for example, if one player has 26 1/2 and two players have 7 and $20 is in the pot, then the 26 1/2 player get $10 and the 7 players each get $5.

 

Low Heart / High Hand

Players: 2 or more

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Initial Deal: Ante. Deal each player 5 cards.

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Play: Played like 5-card draw, betting before and after each draw.

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Winner: After the betting has concluded, of those players remaining, the player with the lowest heart and the player with the highest hand split the pot.

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Standard Variations: Best played with the "Hogger" rule where a single player must have both the lowest heart and highest hand in order to win. If a player drops out at any point during betting, and a "hogger" is not declared, they are out of the game, the deck is passed and play continues with the remaining players.

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Aunt Lou

Players: 3-10.

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Initial deal: 3 cards down to each player.

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Play: Ante. Top card of the deck is flipped over, and the suit of the flipped card becomes the trump suit for the hand. Each player secretly puts a chip in their fist if they want to stay in, or form an empty fist if they don’t (you can use a coin heads in, tails out; also, can just declare in/out by going around the table; no secrecy). Aunt Lou is a trick-taking game similar to Euchre. The lead player rotates each hand dealt of the game. The lead player plays a card from his hand. All others do so and must follow suit when they can. Deck plays last every hand. The highest card of the suit lead or the highest trump card played takes the trick. The winner of the trick leads next. Each trick is worth 1/3 the pot. Anyone who stayed in but didn’t take a trick must pay the pot. The game continues until the pot is gone. Re-ante every hand unless a player was forced to pay the pot.

 

Winner: Take of a trick.     

 

Uncle Eddie

Players: 2-10

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Initial deal: 4-cards down to each player.

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Play: Ante. Played like 2-or-none except there’s 4-cards dealt to the side with the 4th card flipped over. This card is wild for all players and is part of Uncle Eddies hand (thus, Uncle Eddie has a wild card every hand). Players declare in/out. Those in may take 2-or-none. Uncle Eddie can’t take 2. 

 

Winner: Players in must beat all other players AND Uncle Eddie.

 

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly – Version 1

Players: 3-7

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Initial deal: 5 cards down to each player, 2-rows of 4 down common-cards are dealt down on the table; and a 5th card is dealt at the end of the 2-rows.

 

Play: The top row is The Good, the bottom row is The Bad, and the 5th card is the ugly. The 1st Good card and 1st Bad card is turned up. Players holding a card(s) of the same rank must discard them. A round of betting ensues. This continues until all Good and Bad cards are shown. Then the final Ugly card is flipped. Players holding a card the rank of the Ugly are eliminated. A final betting round occurs.

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Winner: The high hand of the remaining players, using any combination of the player’s cards and the Good cards only, wins. Ties split the pot.

 

Low In the Hole

Players: 4-7.

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Initial deal: Same as 7 Card Stud.

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Play: Same as 7 Card Stud, except: Each player's lowest down card is wild for that player, along with all cards of the same rank.

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Winner: High Hand.

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Standard Variations: Adding wild cards.

 

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly – Version 2

Players: 3-7

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Initial deal: 2 cards down, 1 up to each player, three down on the table

 

Play: The same as 7 card stud with these modifications: After the fourth card is dealt, flip the first of the table cards. This is The Good, and is all cards of the same rank are wild (but The Good card itself is not shared). After the fifth card is dealt, flip the second table card. This is The Bad, and all cards of the same rank must be discarded. After the 6th card is dealt, flip the last table card. This is The Ugly, and anyone who has an up card of the same rank must fold.

 

Winner: High hand

 

Two or None

Players: 2-7.

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Initial deal: Ante. Each player receives 4 cards down. They can look at the cards.

 

Play: Go around the table and each player declares if they are in or out. Once declared in or out, go around the table and each player may either draw 2 cards from the deck or stay put with their 4 cards. Once every player has had a chance to draw new cards, they show their hands.

 

Winner: The player with the best 3-card hand wins. Those players that declared themselves in but lost match the pot. Rank of hands is as follows: high card, pair, straight, flush, straight-flush, 3 of a kind.

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Standard Variations: Forty-four: Two or none but 4’s are wild; Limit the Pot – Once the pot gets to $X it’s capped;

 

Wild-Fifty-Five

Players: 3-7

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Initial deal: 5 cards.

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Play: This game combines the elements of Guts and traditional poker. Fives are always wild. Players indicate whether they wish to remain in by holding a chip in their fist. Those players holding a chip receive two more cards and form their best five-card hand out of the seven they've received (remembering that fives are wild). If two or more players stay in, the player with the best hand takes the pot and the losers match it. If only one player remains in, he must beat the top eight cards off the deck or else match the pot himself. Otherwise he gets the pot and the game ends. Until only one player stays in and beats the deck, the game continues and the pot increases whenever more than two players stay in (or if one player stays but loses to the deck).

 

Bloody Sevens

Players: 4-10

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Initial deal: Two cards down.

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Play: Similar to Guts, deal 2 cards down to each player. Players in after declaring in/out get 3 cards up. 7s down are wild. Anyone with a 7 up immediately folds. High 3-card hand takes the pot, losers match (someone killed by a 7 does not match).

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Winner: Best 3-card hand.

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Standard Variations: Deal two cards down and players pay for each additional card. Players may raise a max of two times per round. After all 5 cards are dealt, the player with the best 3-card hand wins.

 

Little L

Players: 2-7.

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Initial deal: Ante. Each player receives 3 cards down. They can look at the cards. 3 community cards are dealt down in the shape of an “L”, with the post cards being flipped up.

 

Play: Go around the table and each player declares if they are in or out. Once declared in or out, go around the table and declare your hand. You may use the 3-cards in your hand, 1-card and the corner card and one of the post cards, or 2-cards from your hand and one of the community cards. You cannot use both post cards to form a hand.

 

Winner: The player with the best 3-card hand wins. Those players that declared themselves in but lost match the pot. Rank of hands is as follows: high card, pair, straight, flush, straight-flush, 3 of a kind. Cards call themselves.

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Standard Variations:

Little L with a Split: the corner card is turned sideways and is the split card. If the card is a 7 or lower the lowest down card of that suit in the players hand takes half the pot. If the card is a 8 or higher the highest down card of that suit in the players hand takes half the pot. If no one declared in has a card of that suit, the high-hand takes the whole pot.

Little L Monte: Same as the other Little L variations however players pay to see each card turned up. All players see the first card, a post card, by paying the ante. A predetermined amount is declared for each of the cards (Ex. $1, $2, $3) with the corner card costing the most. Once the corner card is shown, a round of betting begins.  Once the betting has stopped, the player with the highest hand wins. No one has to match the pot in this game.

 

Bean Marriage

Players: Varies

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Initial deal: 5 cards.

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Play: The BEAN is named after the inventor and the MARRIAGE is because of the commitment involved. There is no set number of players. DEAL 5 cards to each player. Each player then places one card face up in front of them followed by a round of betting. Deal two more cards to each player.(Giving each player six in his hand) Everyone then places another card up in front of them; followed by another round of betting. Deal each player a final two cards.(Giving each player seven in his hand). Everyone will then place another card face up on the table. Each player is trying to build either a high or a low hand face up on the table. Have a round of betting after each card is rolled. High hand and low hand split the pot. This game allows for a lot of bluffing and changing your mind. Always try to start low but leave yourself the option of going for a straight or flush if you have to switch. Lots of times players decide to go high or low on the last card. Please e-mail me if you have some other interesting variations. I will also share some of the other ones I know.

 

Church (aka Iron Cross)

Players: 3-9

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Initial deal: five cards down to each player, five cards down to the table arranged in a cross.

 

Play: As in Cincinatti, with the table cards revealed clockwise with the center card last; betting after each card is turned up. Players may only use cards from one arm of the cross to form their hands.

 

Winner: High 5-card hand wins

 

Standard Variations: High/low Center card is wild.

 

Guts

Players: 4-10

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Initial deal: One, two, or three cards down to each player.

 

Play: Each player determines whether or not they are holding (playing) their hand. Players who hold reveal their hands. The winner takes the pot and the losers have to match the pot. New hands are then dealt. The game continues until only one player holds, and thus the pot is emptied.

 

Winner: High hand. Straights and flushes do not count.

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Standard Variations:

Weenie rule: If nobody stays in, everyone reveals their hand and whoever has the best hand (and thus would have won) must match the pot.
Beat the deck: When only one player stays in, the top two cards from the deck are turned over. If these cards beat the player's hand, the player loses and must match the pot.
Limit Match: A limit is set on the amount players must pay if they lose. If the pot is more than this amount, players just pay the limit.
Drop: Instead of declaring with chips, dealer counts out "one-two-three-drop" while all players hold their cards above the table. On "drop" all players who are dropping out drop their cards. This is faster, but can lead to arguments if one player is slower to drop than the others.
Auction Guts: An additional "mystery hand" is dealt face-down. Before the showdown, players bid for the right to switch hands with the mystery hand. This continues until nobody wants to switch with the new mystery hand.
Beat the Deck Every: An additional "mystery hand" is dealt face-down. Players who stay in must beat this hand in addition to their opponents' hands.
Pass Your Guts: If nobody stays in, everyone passes 1-5 cards (decided beforehand) to the right, until someone stays in or the number of passes equals the number of cards in hand.
Progressive Guts: Start with 2 cards. If nobody stays in, everyone gets dealt another card. Repeat until someone stays in. Straights and flushes become legal at 5 cards.

33: 3’s are wild.

Baseball Guts: 3's and 9's are wild. If any player who stays in (or the deck hand) has a 4, they get an extra card.

Cohones: Same Guts, except: Low-ball or High-ball. Each player may draw from 1 to x (x is the number of cards dealt) cards as in draw poker. Each player pays a designated amount (usually the minimum bet) for each card drawn. After all players have had a chance to draw, the hand proceeds normally as if just dealt.

 

High Spade in the Hole

Players: 4-7

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Initial deal: Same as 7 Card Stud.

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Play: Same as 7 Card Stud.

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Winner: High hand and the high spade in the hole split the pot.

 

Standard Variations: Adding wild cards

 

Golf

Players: 3-7

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Initial deal: 4 cards face down (don't look).

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Play: You proceed to flip two cards over and keep two cards hidden. Rank of cards King=0, Ace=1, all other cards = face value (face cards 10 except king). The person with the lowest hand wins four kings = 0 you will win. After you flip two cards over you play from the deck. You may pick off the deck or discard pile. Choose card and replace lower numbers. When you think you can win you "knock" everyone gets one more chance except the knocker. You must knock to win the hand! If the knocker has low hand he wins pot, otherwise he matches the pot. *Remember you can’t look at your two down cards but can replace them with cards you draw risking giving the person next to you a good card. If deck runs out re-ante and begin again. 4 and 5 are good hands.

 

Boo Ray

Players: 4-10

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Initial deal: 5 cards down to each player.

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Play: Top card of the deck is flipped over, and the suit of the flipped card becomes the trump suit for the hand. Players secretly put a chip in their fist if they want to stay in, or form an empty fist if they don't. Players open their fists simultaneously. Players who stayed in may then exchange cards (as many as can be allowed by the remaining deck size and number of players who stayed in). Boo Ray is a trick-taking game. The lead player (which rotates each hand, starting with the player to the dealer's left) leads by playing a card from his hand. All other players do the same in turn. If they can, players must play a card of the same suit as the card which began the trick. If a player has no cards of that suit, he may play any card. The highest card of the led suit takes the trick, unless a card of the trump suit is played in which case the highest trump card wins the trick. The winner of the trick begins the next trick. Whoever takes the most tricks wins the pot. Anyone who stayed in but took no tricks must pay the Boo Ray amount ($1.00, $2.00, or whatever you agree on at the start of the game) to the pot. If tricks are split 2-2-1, nobody takes the pot. The game continues, with new hands dealt to all players, until the pot is gone.

 

Winner: Taker of the most tricks

 

55 or 55 w/a Twist

Players: 3-9

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Initial deal: five cards down to each player, five cards down to the table.

 

Play: One of the table cards is flipped up, followed by a round of betting. Repeat until all five cards have been flipped (players keep their own cards face down). A showdown follows the last round of betting, with each player making the best hand possible using their own cards and the five on the table.

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Winner: High hand

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Standard Variations: 1) High/low. Whoever has the highest card of the same suit as a specified table card (usually the 3rd or 5th card and is called the split card) gets half the pot. If you use the 3rd card, expect someone to raise the maximum every time during the last 3 betting rounds. 2) Next-up. Played like option 1, but instead, the split card is the next highest card of the same suit.

 

Numbers

Players: 4-8

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Initial deal: five cards to each player and seven down cards on the table

 

Play: A card on the table is turned over. Anyone holding cards of the same rank must discard them. There follows a round of betting (each round uses a rotating lead, beginning with the player to the dealer's left). After each round another card is flipped over and like cards discarded. If a card of the same rank as a previously flipped card is turned over, a new card is flipped from the top of the deck until an un-discarded rank is revealed. Thus, seven different ranks will always be discarded. If anyone loses all his cards, they instantly win the pot. Otherwise, after all cards have been turned up and the last betting round concludes, players declare high, low or both and have a showdown. Aces are worth 1 or 15, face cards are worth 10, and all other cards are worth their face value.

 

Winner: Highest and lowest totals split the pot.

 

Screw Your Neighbor

Players: 4-8 (more possible, but it would be a LONG game)

 

Initial deal: 1 card down to each player.

 

Play: This game has no ante. Instead, each player places three of the highest-ranking chips in front of him. The lead begins to the left of the dealer and rotates with each hand. Each player in turn may opt to keep his current card or exchange it with the player to his left. If someone tries to take your card and you have a King, you must stop him from doing so by revealing your King. The last player may keep his card or exchange it for the top one from the deck. When all players have chosen to stand or exchange, everyone reveals their cards and the lowest card (Aces are low) tosses a chip into the pot. If multiple players tie for the lowest card, then they all pay one of their chips to the pot. When a player runs out of chips, they are out of the game.

 

Winner: The last player remaining gets the pot. When it is down to 2 or more players and all players have the same card and one remaining chip, then a push ensues and the next round is played. If all players have the same card and multiple remaining chips, then payment to the pot is accomplished as normal. If one or more players have only one remaining chip and another player has more than one remaining chip, then the single-chip player(s) are out and the multi-chip player(s) are still in the game.

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Z’s

Players: 3-9

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Initial deal: five cards down to each player, four cards down to the table arranged in a Z:

 

Play: The game begins with a betting round, the lead of which rotates each round. After each betting round, flip one of the table cards in the order indicated above (card 1 in the first round, card 2 in the second, etc.). After the last card is flipped there is one more round of betting, and then players form a hand from three of their own cards and any two orthogonally adjacent table cards (1&3, 3&4, 4&2), which they reveal in the showdown.

 

Winner: High and low hands split, but the low must be 8-high or better (lower) or else the high hand gets the whole pot.

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Stud Poker

Players: 3-10

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Initial deal: In 5-card stud, each player is initially dealt one card down and one card up. All other cards are dealt up until a total of five cards have been dealt to each player. In 7-card stud, each player is initially dealt two cards down and one card up. All other cards are dealt up until a total of six cards have been dealt to each player. The seventh card is dealt down to each player.

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Play: Betting begins after the deal. After each round of betting, each player is dealt their next card until each remaining player has the required number of cards. A betting round occurs after all players are dealt the next card. A showdown occurs after the last round of betting.

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Winner: High hand wins.

 

Standard Variations: Adding wild cards.

 

Lame Brain Pete

Players: 3-20

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Initial deal: 3 cards down to each player, five cards down to the table

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Play: A round of betting is held after the deal, then one of the table cards is turned up. It is wild, along with all cards of the same rank. Another round of betting follows. Repeat until all four table cards are up. Each time a table card is flipped, if it is the lowest showing table card it (and all cards of the same rank) become wild, replacing the previous wild cards.

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Winner: High hand

 

Psycho

Players: 3-6 (tricky with 6-may not have enough cards)

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Initial deal: 5 down to each player.

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Play: Immediately after the draw, players show 3 cards. After a round of betting, players receive one card up. Bet. Receive a last card down. Bet, then showdown. Each player may use all seven of their cards to make a winning 5-card hand.

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Winner: High and low hands split.

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Philadelphia

Players: 4-7

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Initial deal: Same as 7 Card Stud.

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Play: Same as 7 Card Stud.

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Winner: High hand and the low (or high) heart in the hole split the pot.

 

Standard Variations: Adding wild cards.

 

Spit in the Ocean

Players: 3-12

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Initial deal: 4 cards down to each player, one card is dealt up in the middle.

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Play: Each player receives only 4 cards. The card in the middle is shared by all players and, along with all other cards of the same rank, is wild.

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Winner: High hand

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Tic Tac Toe

Players: 3+

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Initial deal: 2 cards down to each player, nine cards up to the table arranged in a 3x3 grid.

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Play: All players place three blue chips in front of them (henceforth called "posts"). Betting starts to the dealer's left. At the showdown, players announce their best hand using their two cards plus any vertical, diagonal, or horizontal row of three cards from the table. Note that you must announce your hand-- if you miss a better one, too bad. High hand takes the pot, and all other players must toss one of their posts (if any still remain) into a separate pot. All cards are then discarded and a new hand dealt (without shuffling the deck if enough cards remain) to all players who still have posts. Play continues in this manner until only one player has posts left. That player collects the post pot and the game ends.

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Winner: High hand gets the pot; last player with posts gets the posts.

 

Out At Home

Players: 3-11

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Initial deal: Ante. 3 cards down to each player, Four cards down to the table in Baseball Diamond formation.

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Play: Cards are flipped from the table one at a time starting with 'First Base' and ending at 'Home Plate' with a betting round after the deal and after each flip. If the last table card flipped is a face card, then the hand is dead, the remaining players (those that did not fold) re-ante, and a new hand is dealt. 3's and 9's are wild as in baseball. A four flipped on the table gets each remaining player an extra card. Wild cards may require an extra payment to the pot to make them wild and to sweeten the pot.

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Winner: High hand.

 

Texas Hold'em

Players: 3-10

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Initial deal: 2 cards down to each player, five cards down to the table.

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Play: A round of betting is held after the deal, then three of the table cards are turned up. Another round of betting follows. One more table card is flipped, followed by another round of betting. The last card is flipped, a final round if betting ensues, and finally a showdown in which players make their best hands using their 2 and the table's 5.

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Winner: High hand

 

Texas League

Players: 3-10

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Initial deal: Same as Texas Hold 'Em.

 

Play: Same as Texas Hold 'Em except, as in Baseball, 3's & 9's are wild (players pay low stake for each common wild card). A common 4 gets each player an extra card.

 

Winner: High Hand.

 

Standard Variations: Extra Inning: A sixth common card is dealt. This adds an additional round of betting.

 

Baseball

Players: 3-7

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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. (Option of making the player pay 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.)

 

Winner: High hand

 

Standard Variations:

Rainouts - If the Queen of Spades is dealt face up, the hand is terminated and re-dealt-but only for players who are still in.
Blind Baseball - The 'Blind' part is that you cannot look at any of your hole cards until the showdown.

Baltimore - High hand and the low spade in the hole split the pot.

Follow the Queen - Play the same as 7-card stud, with the following variations: All queens are wild. Additionally, when a queen is dealt up, the next card dealt up (and all cards of the same rank) is also wild. If another queen is dealt up, the next up card replaces the previous wild as a new wild card (but queens remain wild). If a queen is the last card dealt up, only queens are wild.

Pay for queens - The Queens are not wild just the following card;

Roll Your Own - Three cards down to each player. Players roll one of their two 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 seven cards: three down, four up. Showdown after the final round of betting. High or low hole card in each player's hand is wild for that player (and all other cards of the same rank in that player's hand). High hand wins the pot; or High/Low Split.

Sequence – 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 3’s are wild instead. And so on, with each successively higher number replacing the previous wild card rank if it appears face up.

 

Midnight Baseball (No Peek)

Players: 3-7

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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 and starts rolling cards until his revealed hand beats the highest revealed hand on the table. 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. The next player then tries to beat the high hand in the same manner, with a betting round 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

 

Standard Variations: The next player begins rolling immediately.
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.

 

Second Hand High

Players: 3-7

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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.

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Winner: Second highest hand or the only remaining hand if all but one player folds.

 

Standard 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 hand

 

Kenosha Cheese Porn

Players: 3-8

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Initial deal: 2 cards face down.

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Play: Players alternate between receiving cards and betting until someone feels they have the best hand. After the ante, each player is dealt two cards, face down, which they look at. There is a round of betting. Then each player is dealt another card face down to look at. There is another round of betting. This continues until one player feels his/her hand can beat everybody else's at the table. After the bet, the player calls "Cheese Porn!" and contributes to the pot (we usually say $1 in a $.25-$1game). There is a final bet and then everyone who hasn't folded shows their hand. The highest 5 card hand wins the pot. The only requirement in calling "Cheese Porn" is that you must have a pair of Jacks or better. Notice that everyone could have as few as 2 cards or even 10 or more cards. If the dealer runs out of cards, highest hand from the previous bet wins.

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Standard Variations:

Open Hand Version - Each player starts with two cards down and one card up. There is a bet. Then the dealer gives everyone another up card and another round of betting is completed. This continues until "Cheese Porn" is called. The caller contributes to the pot. Afterwards, one card is dealt to the remaining players face down, but NOT to the caller. There is a final bet and then the highest five card hand wins.

 

Dianna's Game

Players: 3-11

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Initial deal: 2 cards down to each player, 3 cards down to the table.

 

Play: Cards are flipped from the table one at a time with a betting round after the deal and after each flip. The last table card flipped is wild along with all cards in play that match it in rank.

 

Winner: High hand.

 

Omaha Hold'Em

Players: 3-10

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Initial deal: 4 cards down to each player and five cards down to the table.

 

Play: Identical to Texas Hold 'Em except that the final hands must include exactly 2 of the player's four cards and exactly 3 of the table's five cards.

 

Winner: High Hand.

 

Standard Variations:

High-Low Split 8 - High and low hands split the pot, but the low hand must be 8-low (no card in the low hand can be higher than an eight) or lower or the high gets it all. The cards speak for themselves. It is possible for a player to win both high and low, with, for instance, A-2-3-4-5. That player has both a straight and a perfect low hand. Generally speaking, for all low-ball games, straights and flushes do not count in determining the low hand.

Wild Kingdom – Like in Baseball, 3's and 9's are wild. Community wild cards require an additional ante per player. Common 4's get each player an extra card.

 

Bush League 

Players: 3-10

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Initial deal: Same as Omaha Hold'Em except that the shared cards are dealt in a cross formation.

 

Play: Shared cards are exposed one-at-a-time with betting prior to each exposure and after the last exposure. As in Baseball, 3's and 9's are wild. A four exposed gets everyone an extra card. Players may be required to pay the minimum bet for each exposed wild card.

 

Winner: High Hand.

 

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Unfamiliar with these games…

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Buddha's Folly

Players: 4-10

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Initial deal: 5 cards down to each player

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Play: The lead rotates each hand, starting with the player to the dealer's left. The dealer turns the top card of the deck face up. The lead player has the option of taking that card or passing it to the next player clockwise. If the card is taken, the player taking it must replace it with a different card from his hand, passing that card clockwise. This continues until a card makes it all the way around without anyone taking it. Play then continues as in Guts.

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Winner: Highest hand.

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Standard Variations: Weenie rule: See Guts. Limit match: See Guts.

 

Indian

Players: 3-up

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Initial deal: one card down to each player

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Play: Do not look at your card! Each player carefully places the card face out on their forehead, taking care not to see the suit and/or rank of their card. Each player can freely view the cards of their opposing players. A betting round ensues as does a showdown.

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Winner: High hand

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Standard Variations: High/low hands split. Low hand wins. Deal 2-5 cards to each player.

 

Tennessee Guts

Players: 4-10

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Initial deal: Same as Guts.

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Play: Same as Guts, except: Ante. Deal 1 card to each player. Play as in regular drop guts except that in addition to cards ranked from Duece through Ace, suits are ranked from high to low as follows: Spades, Hearts, Diamonds, Clubs. Therefore, an Ace of Spades beats an Ace of Diamonds. Each player who held their card but did not win pays the agreed upon amount to the pot. The winner of the hand places their winning card in front of them face up as a counter of the number of hands they have won. A player wins the pot after winning three hands.

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Winner: Same as Guts.

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Standard Variations: Same as Guts.

 

Elevator

Players: 4-11

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Initial deal: Four cards to each player and seven down on the table, arranged in two columns of three (the shafts) with one in between (the elevator).

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Play: Table cards are turned up one at a time, followed by betting rounds. The player will use the four cards in his hand along with three on the table to create a seven card hand. The player must use the elevator and one card from each shaft, and the three cards must be in a line, though the elevator can be in any of the three possible positions. So the middle card can be thought of to be on any "floor". The order of determining which card to flip is such that the elevator is turned over last and no two shaft cards which can be used in the same hand be turned up until necessary. After all seven cards have been turned up, there is a final betting round and then each player must declare whether they are going high, low or both. If going for both, both hands must be made up of the four cards in their hand and the same set of three from the table.

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Winner: High and low 5-card hands split

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Standard Variations: The elevator card is wild; The elevator card is a split card.

 

Liar's Poker

Players: 3-10

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Play: Each player puts two quarters in front of him. Everyone is then dealt two down cards. The first person calls a poker hand. After that, a person must call a hand which beats the previous hand or call the hand. If a person calls the hand, then everyone’s cards are pooled to determine if the hand exists. If it does, the person who called the game loses one of his quarters and starts the next game, with only one card dealt to him (if he only had one quarter, he is out and play begins with the next person in order). Deck is reshuffled after each round. Game ends when only one person has a quarter left.

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Winner: singleton, pair, two pair, three-of-a-kind, straight, flush, full house, four-of-a-kind, straight flush

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Standard Variations: Throwing up an extra card for the hand after each player. Adding a card for reversals.

 

Cool Hand Luke

Players: 3-10

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Initial deal: Same as Texas Hold 'Em.

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Play: Same as Texas Hold 'Em except that the lowest shared card is wild for all players.

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Winner: High Hand.

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Crazy Pineapple

Players: 3-10

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Initial deal: Same as Texas Hold 'Em except that 3 cards are dealt down to each player instead of 2.

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Play: Same as Texas Hold 'Em except that each player each player must discard one card after the flop.

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Winner: High Hand.

 

Dirty Schultz

Players: 3-7

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Initial deal: two cards down and one up to each player

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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.

 

Winner: High hand

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Thirteen Thirty-three (13/33)

Players: 4-10.

 

Initial deal: One card down, one card up to each player.

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Play: The object is to get as close to 13 or 33 as possible. As in Blackjack, Aces are worth 1 or 11 and numbers are worth their face value. Face cards, however, are worth half a point (.5). The player to the dealer's left is the lead player. Each round, each player starting with the lead has the opportunity to take one additional card. The lead then starts a round of betting. This continues until nobody takes an additional card. After a final betting round, players declare high/low/both and hold a showdown.

 

Winner: Closest to 13 and closest to 33 split the pot. A-A-A (because Aces are one or eleven, or in this case one and eleven) wins a share of both 13 and 33. If multiple players are equidistant from a target number (like 12 & 14), the player with the lowest count gets the pot share for that target number. If multiple players have the same count, then they each get an equal pot share for that target number. So, for example, if one player has 32 1/2 and two players have 13 and $20 is in the pot, then the 32 1/2 player get $10 and the 13 players each get $5.

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Six Kick

Players: 3-8

 

Initial deal: As in 7-card stud. except with only six (6) cards total.

 

Play: Same as 7-card stud except that after the sixth card is dealt and the bets are made, each player in turn may pay to have a card in their hand replaced. An up card is replaced by an up card and a down card is replaced by a down card. The cost of getting an up card is one times the minimum bet. The cost of getting a down card is two times the minimum bet. A betting round is held after each kick (draw). There are two kicks total, then the final bet and showdown.

 

Winner: High-Low split.

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Two Twenty-two (2/22)

Players: 4-10.

 

Initial deal: One card down, one card up to each player.

 

Play: The object is to get as close to 2 or 22 as possible. As in Blackjack, Aces are worth 1 or 11 and numbers are worth their face value. Face cards, however, are worth half a point (.5). The player to the dealer's left is the lead player. Each round, each player starting with the lead has the opportunity to take one additional card. The lead then starts a round of betting. This continues until nobody takes an additional card. After a final betting round, players declare high/low/both and hold a showdown.

 

Winner: Players closest to 2 and closest to 22 split the pot. A-A (because Aces are one or eleven, or in this case one and eleven) wins a share of both 2 and 22. If multiple players are equidistant from a target number (like 21 & 23), the player with the lowest count gets the pot share for that target number. If multiple players have the same count, then they each get an equal pot share for that target number. So, for example, if one player has 21 1/2 and two players have 2 and $20 is in the pot, then the 21 1/2 player get $10 and the 2 players each get $5.

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Killer King

Players: 3-7

 

Initial deal: two cards down and one up to each player

 

Play: Play the same as 7-card stud, with the following variations: All queens are wild. Additionally, when a queen is dealt up, the next card dealt up (and all cards of the same rank) is also wild. If another queen is dealt up, the next up card replaces the previous wild as a new wild card (but queens remain wild). If a queen is the last card dealt up, only queens are wild. The King of Diamonds, which is holding an axe, kills the hand for everyone or just for the player turning it.

 

Winner: High hand

 

Standard Variations: Pay for queens. Queens are not wild. If last card up is a queen, only queens are wild (or nothing is wild)

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Harem

Players: 3-7

 

Initial deal: As in 7-card stud.

 

Play: Same as 7-card stud except that jacks and kings are wild. A queen in a hand nullifies any wild jacks and kings in that player's hand. Three queens in a player's hand is a harem and that player wins automatically.

 

Winner: High hand. Standard Variations: No peek.

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Henway

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

 

Standard Variations: Add wild cards.

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La Puta (loosely translated, 'The Whore')

Players: 3-7

 

Initial deal: 7 cards face down (don't look).

 

Play: It is a mixture of Mexican Sweat and Follow the Queen (the name, La Puta, was derived from the mixture ... 'Follow the sweaty Mexican queen', hence, 'La Puta'. We all agreed that the full title was a bit much). Anyway, deal seven cards face down and don't look at them. Flip a card to beat. Play as in Mexican Sweat except that any card that follows a Queen is wild as in and with any possible suitable variants of Follow the Queen. The most interesting aspect of this variant is that people stay in to the bitter end just to see if one of their cards will be made wild by the turning of a Queen. We play that if a Queen turns last, then Queens are wild.

 

Standard Variations: Howard's Poker: Queens are always wild.

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Grocery Shopping (The Price is Right)

Players: 3-7

 

Initial deal: two cards down to every player and two up cards in a row on the table next to the deck.

 

Play: Beginning with the player to the dealer's left and rotating around the table, each player has the opportunity to purchase a card. The leftmost up card costs a nickel, the second up card costs a dime, and the top down card from the deck costs 15 cents (feel free to adjust the amounts to suit your group-- some play nickel-dime-quarter, for example). Up cards stay up, down cards stay down. If the nickel up card is bought, the dime up card slides down and becomes the new nickel card. If the nickel or dime card is bought, the topmost card of the deck is dealt up to become the new dime card. This continues until everyone has 7 cards. A showdown occurs after one round of betting.

 

Winner: High and low hands split

 

Standard Variations:

Option - 3 up cards plus the deck, for purchase options of 5, 10, 15, and 25 cents.
Abyssinia - No cards are dealt initially. One card is turned face up on each side of the deck. Each player in turn has must 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 (or 7) cards. Costs are assigned by card rank (2-5 = 25 cents, 6-K = 10 cents, A = 50 cents). Cards from the deck are dealt up so the cost can be paid. Players may hold cards purchased.
Grocery Store Dots - 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. 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. "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. Highest 5-card hand and the 7-card hand with the most dots split the pot.