 HOW TO PLAY POKER
HOW TO WIN POKER
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Poker Variations! |
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There are many different forms of poker, some you may never have heard of but some may ring a bell or may even be your favourite! • Chinese Poker (also referred to as Russian Poker) A 52-card deck is used and 13 cards are dealt to 4 players each. Each player arranges the 13 cards into their 3 best poker hands known as the "Front", "Middle", and "Back". The "Front" is a 3-card hand. Both "Middle" and "Back" are 5-card hands and must outrank the "Front" (3-card hand). If you're playing with a surrender option, after the cards have been dealt (and the players have arranged their cards into these 3 hands), then each player elects to either play or surrender. If they surrender, they forfeit 2 chips (or points) to each of the other players. If they play, each player's 3 hands are compared to the other players' hands. Each hand you win picks up 1 chip and the overall winner picks up an extra chip. You can rotate the order of accepting surrenders for each game. For some interesting reads on the popularity of Chinese poker, you can visit this thread on the RGP group (from 2000). In particular, Michael O'Malley discusses one of his favorite all-time poker stories in which Denny Axel beats Men "The Master" Nguyen in a game of Chinese poker and how the best players compose their hands carefully based on what they know of their opponents (and their opponents' cards). • Chowaha Invented by Mike Chow, the best rules for this Hold'em variant belong to Scot Wolfington's site. Popular at BARGE, Chowaha is also the favorite game of Spencer Sun, the 2000 TOC Champion. • Razz Played as 7-Card Stud except the lowest hand wins the showdown. • Lowball Played as Draw Poker (5-Card Draw) except the lowest hand wins. The best hand is 5-4-3-2-A. Squeege of Homepoker.com sets the record straight on some technical issues in lowball (such as "Is the Ace low?"). Called "California Lowball" if you play with a 53-card deck (as opposed to the standard 52-card deck) and the Joker plays as the lowest card not already present in the player's hand. • Guts 2 cards are dealt to each player, after which, each player can opt out. Of the remaining players who are in, the pot goes to highest hand and the rest of the players who claimed "in" must put into the pot what the winner took out. Highest hand is a pair of Aces, etc. (Only pairs and high cards count.) Game ends when only one player goes "in" and collects the pot. Homepoker details a bunch of Guts variations. Our favorite variation is at PokerMike's and involves 3 cards dealt, with one card passed to the player on your left (and composing the best hand out of the remaining 3 cards). • Indian Poker One card is dealt to each player face down. Each player then holds the card face up on their forehead (without looking at their own card) and bets on their card according to what they see of the other players' cards. Betting goes on for as long as desired with the highest card winning. While this is played for laughs, others find value in reading a player's ability to bluff and what their betting reveals of their style. • 3-5-7 3 cards are dealt to each player who must decide to pass or stay in, starting with the player to the left of the dealer. For this first round, 3's are wild and three-of-a-kind is the best hand (next best: pair, followed by a high card). All those "in" show their cards only to each other and the winner takes the pot with the losers matching the pot. If only one player is in or there is a tie, that player (and those involved in a tie) gain a "leg" (chip). Two more cards are dealt (to everyone) and now 5's are wild. Again, players pass or are in, same as above with the highest 5-card hand winning the pot. Last round: two more cards are dealt to everyone and now 7's are wild. Same play with the highest 5-card hand winning the pot. 3 legs (chips) will also win the pot. Maximum numbers of players is seven. • Anaconda Each player is dealt 7 cards and must discard and pass 3 of those to the player on their left. They then discard and pass 2 cards to the player on their left. Followed once more by discarding and passing 1 card to the player on their left. Next, they discard 2 cards into the center (as true discards). Each player then orders the remaining five cards in a stack in whatever order they would like their cards to be revealed as follows. Each players exposes their top card. Bet. Next card in the stack is revealed. Bet. And so forth until the final hand is revealed. High & low split the pot (the highest and lowest 5-card hands). • Follow the Queen Played as 7-Card Stud except that Queens are wild. If a Queen is dealt on a face up card, then the next card dealt up is also wild (and called a "trailer"). Other than Queens, there is only ever one other wild card in play. Thus, if another Queen is dealt on a face up card, the next card is wild and becomes the newest trailer (replacing the old one). Highest 5-card hand wins. •Texas Hold'em Two cards are dealt face down to each player and five community cards are dealt face up in the center of the table. Each player makes their best possible hand from 5 cards on the board (community cards) or in the pocket (two hole cards dealt to them). •Omaha Hi/Lo (Omaha 8 or better) The pot gets split between the best high hand and the best low hand. You must have an 8 or better to qualify for low and you must use 2 hole (pocket) cards and 3 up cards to make your hand. Different card combinations can be used for the high end and the low end. •Omaha This game is a variation of Hold'em that is played with four down cards. Players are each dealt four cards face down and five community cards are dealt face up in the center of the table. Any combination of two pocket cards and 3 board cards must be used to make your best poker hand. You are restricted to using exactly 2 hole (pocket) cards to make your hand. •Seven Card Stud Each player is dealt two cards face down and a third card face up. Bet. Three rounds of one card face up are dealt with betting after each round. One round of the final and seventh card face down is dealt. Bet. In the showdown, each players makes their best poker hand out of any combination of the seven cards dealt to them. •Five Card Stud Each player gets one concealed card and four exposed cards. •Seven Card Stud (Hi/Lo) Same basic game as Seven Card Stud. The pot gets split between the best high hand and the best low hand. You must have an 8 or better to qualify for low. •Draw Poker A form of poker in which each player receives five cards and then has the option of discarding one or more of them and receiving new cards in their place. •Crazy Pineapple This game is essentially the same as Texas Hold'em but players are dealt three pocket cards up front. After the betting round on the flop each player must discard one card. •Tournament Poker (No Limit/Pot Limit) Almost all popular poker games are available in tournaments worldwide. For a great breakdown of available tournaments, visit PokerPages, one of our top-10 poker resources online.
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