Authors: Nikki Katz
The Book of Card Games: The Complete Rules to the Classics, Family Favorite and Forgotten Games (21 page)
You begin by picking up your cards and arranging them into three distinct hands—the back hand, middle hand, and front hand. The front hand has three cards and must be lower in value than the middle hand. The middle hand has five cards and must be lower in value than the back hand, which also contains five cards. Straights and flushes do not count in the front hand. You then arrange your three hands in front of you (face down) with the back hand closest to you, the middle hand in the middle, and the front hand farthest away.
| Players also have the option to surrender their hands if they feel they have really bad cards and pay a set amount to each opponent before turning over their cards and comparing it to their opponents’ hands. Whether to include this option, and the amount to pay, should be determined before play begins. |
When you have all chosen your hands and laid out your cards, you turn over your hands and compare them against each of the other players’ hands, one at a time. If there are four players, you will make three comparisons, one with each of the opponents. There are various ways to score the hand, and players should agree on the scoring system before play.
- 2–4 scoring:
The player with the higher back hand gets one point, the player with the higher middle hand gets one point, and the player with the higher front hand gets one point. Any bonus points (explained below) are added to the player’s total. The player with the higher total gets an additional point (overall point). The player with the higher total gets the difference in points between the two scores. - 1–4 scoring:
This scoring system is the same as the 2–4 scoring, except no overall point is added. - 1–6 scoring:
If a player wins two out of three hands against another player, she scores one point. If she outranks all three hands, she scores six points.
Bonuses are also given for high-ranking hands. A straight flush receives four bonus points, a four-of-a-kind receives three bonus points, a three-of-a-kind in the front hand receives two bonus points, and a full house in the middle hand receives one bonus point.
Five-card draw poker is one of two original games of poker. In a draw poker game, you discard cards in your hand and draw new ones in the hopes of building a better hand to win the pot. You’ll need at least one other player and a deck of fifty-two cards. You and your opponents start out a game of five-card draw by anteing into the pot.
A random dealer is selected and deals clockwise five cards, face down, one at a time to each player. The deal will continue to rotate in a clockwise direction after each hand is played.
The players pick up their cards and assess their hands. The player to the left of the dealer opens the betting round by betting, checking, or folding his hand. Play goes around the table until each player has called all bets or folded his cards. In the Jackpot version of draw poker, you must have a pair of jacks or better to open the betting. If nobody can open, the hands are thrown in and re-dealt. In Progressive Jackpot, if a hand is thrown in because nobody had a pair of jacks, you must have a pair of queens or better to open the betting in the next hand. If that hand is thrown in as well, you must have a pair of kings or better to open the betting in the third hand and a pair of aces or better to open betting in the fourth hand.
You now have the choice of discarding any cards in your hand, which will be replaced by the dealer from the deck. You do this in the hopes of creating a better hand with any of the cards you choose to keep. The player to the dealer’s left starts by laying any discarded cards, face down, on the table. The dealer then replaces those cards, face down, with enough cards to bring your hand back up to five. This continues around the table until each player has drawn any cards he wishes, and another round of betting occurs.
If at any time during the two betting rounds, there is only one person remaining (that is, if every other player folds), that player wins and takes the pot. If there are two or more players remaining after the final betting round, the players have reached the showdown and they must reveal their hands. The player with the best poker hand wins and takes the pot.
Five-card stud is the other standard poker game. Five-card stud is the original stud game and was very popular until seven-card stud came along. Because this game does not have a discard-and-replace option, the winning hands are typically low in value. To play five-card stud, you need a deck of fifty-two cards and at least two players. The maximum number of players is ten unless you add another deck of cards. You should agree upon a minimum bet before starting the game.
Five-card stud opens with a random dealer being chosen. Each player antes, and the dealer deals clockwise one card face down to each player. He then deals another card face up (the “door” card) to each player. Deal will continue to rotate in a clockwise direction after each hand is played.
| Poker games are defined by their betting limits. Betting limits usually are either “spread limit” or “structured limit.” Spread limits are expressed as a range, such as $1–$5. This means that the minimum bet is $1, the maximum bet is $5, and players are free to bet or raise anything in between. In structured-limit games (such as $2/$4), bets and raises in early rounds are always at the lower limit and at the higher limit in later rounds; players decide whether to bet or raise, but the amount of the bet or raise is determined by the limit. |
The player with the highest door card opens the betting. If there is a tie for the high card, the player closest to the dealer’s left becomes the first bettor. The player with the highest door card must “bring it in” by betting an amount at least equal to the minimum bet. If you don’t want to bet, you can fold your hand, and play moves clockwise. Once a player bets, the remaining players must either fold, call the bet, or raise the bet.
After the round of betting is complete, the dealer deals a third card face up to each player—thus beginning “third street” because everyone has three cards. In this round of betting, and in following rounds, the player who holds the best hand in his open cards begins the betting. Following this second round of betting, fourth street and fifth street are played, with the dealer dealing another card face up, followed by rounds of betting.
It is the dealer’s responsibility, after dealing out each round of cards, to dictate the first bettor by looking at the open cards of each player and determining the best hand. He does this by saying “Pair of fives bets” or “Three-of-a-kind bets.” During fourth and fifth street, the dealer should also indicate any hands that might become straights or flushes. A potential straight or flush does not become the best hand showing to start the betting, but it does help you determine if you want to stay in the game or fold.
If at any time during the betting rounds there is only one person remaining (that is, every other player folds), that player wins and takes the pot. You are not required to show your hand if everybody folds to you. If there are two or more players remaining at the end of fifth street, the players have reached the showdown and they must reveal their hands. The player with the best hand wins and takes the pot.
Follow the Queen, often referred to simply as Queens, is a variation on traditional seven-card stud poker. Although the queens are not wild, they help determine wild cards when they are turned up. The objective of this game is to win money by having the best poker hand. You’ll need at least two players and a deck of fifty-two cards.
Follow the Queen opens with all players anteing into the game, and the dealer deals two cards, one at a time, face down, to each player. He then deals the third card (the door card) face up to each player. If a queen shows face up during any part of the deal, the dealer immediately flips the next card up to the center of the table. This becomes a wild card, along with the other three cards of the same rank, for all players. For example, if the dealer turns up an eight following the appearance of a queen, all eights become wild. The dealer continues to deal out the rest of the cards for that round.
Players evaluate their cards, and the one with the highest card showing on the table begins a round of betting. If he doesn’t want to make a bet, he folds, and play continues clockwise. When it’s your turn, you have the option of folding or matching the bet by paying into the pot. A fourth card is dealt up to all players.
Play and betting occurs around the table twice more, with the dealer dealing one up-card to each player before each round. If another queen is turned up on the table, the dealer must flip the next card up, and the first wild card is replaced with this new wild card! Just when you are set to win a game, you’re forced to re-evaluate with different cards. The dealer deals a last card face down, and a final round of betting occurs, followed by the remaining players revealing their hands. The highest five-card poker hand wins.
| There is one variation in which the queen is also a wild card, whether it’s dealt in the face-down or face-up cards. This increases the number of wild cards available to eight, making your hand a good one if you hold any of those cards! |
Football is a lesser-known, quick-and-easy variation of poker. Football is a stud game and requires two to six players and a standard deck of fifty-two cards. (You can add more players by adding more decks of cards.) Choose a minimum bet before starting the game. Each player antes that minimum bet before play begins.
Football kicks off with the dealer dealing, one at a time, two cards face down and one card face up to each player. The deal will move to the left with each hand played. The player with the highest card face up begins a round of betting. If two players each show the same high card, the one closest to the dealer’s left starts the round. He must check or make a bet, and the betting round continues to the left. Once everyone has acted, the dealer deals a second card face up to the players still in the game. Fours and sixes are wild, but if you are dealt a four face up, you must match the pot by placing an equal amount of money from your hand, or drop from the game. The player whose up-cards give him the highest hand (a pair or a high single card) leads a second round of betting. The dealer deals a third face-up card, followed by a round of betting, and deals a fourth face-up card, followed by another round of betting. If you are dealt a two face up during any of the four rounds, you are given an additional face down card that you can view and add to your hand. If you are dealt a two face-down, you don’t gain an additional card.
The dealer finally deals one last card face down to each player. The player showing the best hand on the table with her four up-cards begins a final round of betting. Once all players have acted, they turn over their cards in a showdown. The best five-card poker hand (formed out of seven—or more if you were dealt a two face up—cards) wins. If at any time during the game there is only one player remaining, he wins the pot, and a new hand is dealt.