Most of these games are not generally considered poker games
-- in fact, the only things most of these games share with
poker are the cards and betting. They are, however, fun and
tend to round out a good home poker game.
Blackjack value means that cards having the following
values:
Aces: 1 or 11
Kings, Queens, Jacks: 10
All other cards: pip (face) value
A hand's value is the sum of the values of the cards it contains.
The board is a group of cards in the middle
of the table that are shared by all players.
Maximum Number of Players: 15
Wild Cards: None
High-Low SplitThe Game:
Cards have blackjack values.
The object of the game is to be closest to 3 (low) or
33 (high) or get rid of all of your cards. If there's a tie
between hands of different values, then the lower one wins
(e.g. a 2 beats a 4 for low).
Deal 3 cards to each player, then put 4 cards face-down and
the deck on the board.
Bet, then flip the first card, any players who have a card that
matches this card must discard it now (e.g. if a King is
flipped over, then all players who have Kings in their hands
must discard them).
Bet, then flip the next card on the board. If it matches any
other card on the board, slide all of the cards down,
replacing the last with a fresh one from the deck, and flip
over the card now in that position (if it matches, slide
them down again... and consider shuffling better next time).
Any player who has a card that has the same rank as the card
flipped over must discard it now.
Bet, flip the next card on the board. If it matches any other
card on the board, follow the "sliding" instructions above.
Any player who has a card that has the same rank as the card
flipped over must discard it now.
Bet, flip the next card on the board. If it matches any other
card on the board, follow the "sliding" instructions above.
Any player who has a card that has the same rank as the card
flipped over must discard it now.
Bet, flip the card on top of the deck. If it matches any other
card on the board, flip over a fresh card. Any player who has
a card that has the same rank as the card flipped over must
discard it now. In the end, there should be 5 unique discard
piles on the board.
Bet, declare, show, and split.
If at any time a player has no cards, then he wins the
entire pot automatically when he discards his last one.
If more than one player discards all of their cards, then
they split the pot.
Variants:
Jew Rules 333:
If more than one player discards all of their cards, then
the first one to the pot wins it all.
This is fine for less than 5 people -- sober people.
Maximum Number of Players: 10
Wild Cards: None
High-Low SplitThe Game:
Kings, Queens, and Jacks are worth half (1/2, 0.5) a point,
all other cards have blackjack values.
The object of the game is to be closest to 7 (low) or
27 (high). If there's a tie between hands of different values,
then the lower one wins (e.g. 6.5 beats a 7.5 and a 26 beats
a 28).
Players are dealt 1 down and 1 up.
Bet, then the dealer offers each player, starting with the
player on the left, an additional card. If a player declines
a card 3 times in a row, then they are locked and cannot
take a card later.
Continue betting then offering cards until a round in which
no player takes a card.
Bet, declare, and show. High and low split the pot. Remember,
lower values beat higher values that are equidistant from the
target value.
Variants:
Price Is Right 727:
All hands less than the target beat those greater than the
target (e.g. a 1 beats a 7.5 for low and a 7 beats a 27.5 for
high).
This can be fun and really opens the door for
pigging -- as seen
in the last example: a 7 beating a 27.5.Strict Price Is Right 727:
Players who have more than 7 cannot win low and players who
have more than 27 cannot win high or low.
727 With Options:
Players who decline a card 3 times become locked, not 3 times
in a row. Also, players may discard one card from their hand
for $1.00 instead of taking a card, this does not count as
declining a card, and players may only do this once. If there
is a tie, then the player with the most cards wins (e.g. a
6.5 with 3 cards beats a 6.5 with 2 cards, but a 6.5 still
beats a 7.5 no matter how many cards each player has).
Consider combining with
Price Is Right 727 or
Strict Price Is Right 727.
7 And 1/2, 27 And 1/2:
Same as 727, but the targets are 7 1/2 and 27 1/2.
828:
Same as 727, but the targets are 8 and 28.
Chilcoot's 727:
Deal 2 down and one up. The player to the dealer's
left is the first lead player, with the lead rotating
each round. Each round, the lead player may take one
additional card. After everyone has had the option of
taking a card that round, the lead then starts a round
of betting. This continues until a round where no one
takes an additional card. Declare. Bet. Showdown.
Moore's 727:
No ante; instead, at the beginning of the game, each
player puts $0.75 in front of them in three piles of $0.25
each. Each time a player declines a card, a $0.25 stack is
put in the pot. Players become locked when they have put
in all of their stacks. If a player folds, then they must
put in their remaining stacks. Price Is Right rules apply
(see above).
222:
Dealt and played like 727, but Tens are also worth half
(1/2, 0.5) a point, and in order to be eligible for either
high or low, a player's hand must be between 2 and 22
inclusive; i.e. a player with 1.5 or less or a player with
22.5 or more cannot win the pot.
While I have not done the calculations, I am pretty sure
that this changes the maximum number of players to 8. Your
results may vary.
333 (727 Style):
Same as 222, but 3 and 33 are the target numbers, and players
must have hands with values between 3 and 33, inclusive, to be
eligible.
While I have not done the calculations, I am pretty sure
that this changes the maximum number of players to 7. Your
results may vary.
Black 727:
Same as 727, but only black cards (clubs and spades) have
point values and red cards (hearts and diamonds) are worth 0.
This can be applied to any variant of 727.
While I have not done the calculations, I am pretty sure
that this changes the maximum number of players to 6. Your
results may vary.
Red 727:
Same as Black 727, but only red cards (hearts and diamonds)
have point values and black cards (clubs and spades) are worth 0.
While I have not done the calculations, I am pretty sure
that this changes the maximum number of players to 6. Your
results may vary.
Maximum Number of Players: 7
Wild Cards: None
High-Low SplitThe Game:
Black cards (clubs and spades) have blackjack values and red
cards (hearts and diamonds) are worth 0.
The high hand is the one with the most points, and the low hand
is the one closest to 0.
The game is dealt and played like
High-Low Split Seven Stud, except
all 7 cards are used in calculating points.
Variants:
Colored Poker With A Twist:
Twisting: means that players can trade one of their
cards for a new card from the deck for a price. After the
last betting round, the dealer asks each player, starting on
his left, if they'd like to twist. If the player says yes,
then he discards one card and the dealer replaces it with
a fresh one from the deck, (i.e. if the player twists a
down-card, then he should receive a down-card, and if he
twists an up-card, then he should get an up-card). There's
another betting round, declare, then show.
Twisting changes the maximum number of players to 6.
Some things to do with twisting:
Twisting should never be free, make players pay for
their cards. Usually twisting costs $0.50.
Make down-cards more expensive to twist away than
up-cards.
Make players pay more if they want their twist to be
down, otherwise they get it up regardless of the card
they twisted away.
Colored Anaconda:
Use Colored Poker hands, but deal and play like
Anaconda.
Consider using all 7 cards.
Maximum Number of Players: 51
Wild Cards: None
The Game:
Cards 2 through Queen have their regular poker values,
Aces are low only and Kings are special.
The object of the game is to NOT have the highest card more
than 3 times.
Instead of anteing, each player puts 3 stacks of $0.75 in
chips in front of themselves.
Deal 1 card down to each player.
If someone is dealt a King, then he has to show it, all other
players then show their cards, and the player with the highest
card (not counting Kings) must put one of his stacks of chips
into the pot.
If no one is dealt a King, then, starting with the player
to the dealer's left, each player may keep his card or trade
cards with the player to his left. Players asked to trade must
trade. The dealer gets to keep his card or cut the deck for a
new card. After the dealer makes his choice, players then show
their cards, and the player with the highest card (not
counting Kings) must put one of his stacks of chips into the
pot. It is possible that the dealer cuts to a King.
If there's a tie, then both players put in a stack.
If a player puts in his last stack of chips, then he's out
of the game and is not dealt to.
The game continues until only one player is left. That player
then wins the pot.
The deal rotates to the left.
If the last players tie and have to put in their last
stack of chips, then the game is over and the pot stays for
the next game.
Variants:
There's no good reason why the 3 stacks of chips have to be
$0.75 each -- the dealer can make them any amount, just
expect groans if it's too low or too high.
Play from the same deck until all 4 Kings have come up or
until there aren't enough cards in the deck to deal another
hand before switching decks.
Chase The Ace:
Instead of high card losing, low card loses. Players don't
have to reveal a King unless the player to their right tries
to trade, at which point, the player with the King should flip
it over (while saying "Fuck you!" to the guy to his right),
gets to keep his King, and the other player gets stuck with
the card he was trying to trade away. The dealer has a choice
of keeping his card or using the top card on the deck.
Maximum Number of Players: None
Wild Cards: None
The Game:
Each player antes -- usually larger than the standard ante.
An ante of $0.50 or more is good, but it depends on the number
of players.
2 cards are dealt up to the player to the dealer's left.
The player bets on whether or not he thinks the next card
dealt will be between these 2 cards. The bet may be up to
half of what is currently in the pot. The minimum bet is
either $0.05 or the minimum bet at the table, whichever is
higher.
The dealer deals the next card up, if it is between the other
2 cards, then the player wins his bet from the pot. If it is
equal to or higher than the high card or equal to or lower than
the low card, the player puts his bet into the pot. These
cards are then buried.
The dealer then deals cards to the next player in the same
manner.
Once the game has gone once around the table, players may bet
up to pot.
If at any time, the dealer runs out of cards, the buried cards
are shuffled and used.
Aces can be either high or low. If the first card dealt is an
Ace, then the player must choose whether it's high or low
before the second card is dealt. If the second card is an Ace,
then the player must choose whether it's high or low before
making his bet.
Variants:
Make the minimum bet nothing.
Only players who have bet and won 1/2 the pot are allowed to
bet pot.
If a player's third card is equal to either of the other 2
cards, then he has to pay double his bet.
Instead of allowing the player to choose the values of Aces:
if an Ace is the first card it is low, and if an Ace is the
second card it is high.
Maximum Number of Players: 7
Wild Cards: None
The Game:
Object: Have the highest red total or the highest black total.
All cards have blackjack values. If a player is going for red,
then any black cards in his hand subtract their value from the
player's total. Like wise, if a player is going for black, then
any red in his hand subtract their value from the player's
total.
Each player is dealt 7 cards down.
Each player passes 3 cards to the left, then 2 cards to the
right, and finally, 1 card to the left.
Each player then discards 2 cards.
Players put their cards face-down in front of them in a stack,
such that their top card is the first card that they want
exposed. Players may not re-order their cards later.
The dealer says, "1-2-3-flip," and all players flip their top
card.
Bet, then flip. Continue betting and flipping until the top
4 cards have been exposed.
Bet, declare and show. Highest red and highest black split the
pot.
Maximum Number of Players: 4
Wild Cards: None
The Game:
Each player puts an equal amount of chips, usually $1.00,
into the pot.
Deal 13 cards to each player.
Each player makes 3 poker hands, a bottom, a middle, and a
top. The bottom hand is made with 3 cards, and the other 2
hands are made of 5 cards. The order of hands for the
bottom hand, from highest to lowest, is:
Three-of-a-kind
Pair
High card
Additionally, the middle hand must be able to beat the bottom
hand, and the top hand must be able to beat the middle hand.
All players reveal their bottom hand, the highest hand wins
1/4 of the pot.
All players then reveal their middle hand, the highest hand
wins 1/2 of the pot.
All players then reveal their top hand, the highest hand
wins the last 1/4 of the pot.
Variants:
Polish Poker:
Same as Russian, but low only. This means that the
bottom hand, the 3 card hand, must be the highest, and
the top hand must be the lowest.