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The card game of poker has many variations, most of which were created in the United States in the mid-1900s. The standard order of play applies to most of these games, but to fully specify a poker game requires details about which hand values are used, the number of betting rounds, and exactly what cards are dealt and what other actions are taken between rounds.

A trump is a playing card which is elevated above its usual rank in trick-taking games.Typically, an entire suit is nominated as a trump suit; these cards then outrank all cards of plain (non-trump) suits. Wahoo: The Marble Board Game. Masque Publishing. Masque Publishing. Masque Publishing.

Popular poker variants[edit]

The three most popular poker variants are spread in casinos and poker rooms worldwide and can be divided into the following groups:

• Draw poker: Games in which players are dealt a complete hand, hidden, and then improve it by replacing cards. The most common of these is five-card draw.
• Stud poker: Games in which each player receives a combination of face-up cards and face-down cards in multiple betting rounds. The most common of these are five-card stud and seven-card stud. These two variants are further played in other different formats.
• Community card poker: Games in which each player's incomplete hidden hand is combined with shared face-up cards. The most common of these are Texas hold 'em and Omaha hold 'em.

Here are more common rule variations:

1. Lowball: The lowest hand wins the pot. There are different rules about whether or not aces count as low, and the effects of straights and flushes. The most common variants are Razz and 2-7 Triple Draw
2. High-low split: the highest and lowest hands split the pot. Generally there is a qualifier for the low hand. For example, the low hand must have 5 cards with ranks of 8 or less. In most high-low games the usual rank of poker hands is observed, so that an unsuited broken straight (7-5-4-3-2) wins low (see Morehead, Official Rules of Card Games). In a variant, based on Lowball, where only the low hand wins, a straight or a flush does not matter for a low hand. So the best low hand is 5-4-3-2-A, suited or not.
3. Players can pass cards to each other. An example of this would be Anaconda.
4. Kill game: When a fixed limit game is played and a player wins two pots in a row, the stakes are doubled. In some split-pot games, a player winning both halves of the pot may also cause a kill. In some variants of Lowball, a player may choose to kill by placing a double bet after seeing his first two cards.
5. Wild cards are added. This can range from simply making deuces wild to the 7-card stud variant named baseball.
6. A twist round in which players can buy another card from the deck. If a player does not like the purchased card, the player can purchase another one by adding money to the pot. This is sometimes called a 'tittle.'
7. A stripped deck may be used. Poker was first played with only 20 cards. In the spirit of poker history, players will sometimes only play with a stripped deck. A popular poker game in Spain is played with cards 8-A. It is played similar to hold'em, except that one card is dealt at a time and a player must use both hole cards.
8. Roll your own is played in stud games, and allows the player to determine which of his or her cards are turned up and visible to the other players. In a game like Seven-card Stud, the 'roll' action only applies to the first 3 cards, all of which are dealt face down. Each player then determines which card to expose. Play then continues as with regular Seven-card Stud. But a game like Mexican stud applies the roll option throughout the game. Two cards are dealt face down, and the players roll one card up. The game continues just as in Five-card Stud, except the cards are dealt face down, and each player then decides which of the two down cards is exposed.^[1]

Mixed poker games[edit]

Poker can be played in a mixed game format, for example one half-hour of Texas hold 'em followed by one half-hour of Seven-card stud. There are many types of mixed poker games. The most notable mixed poker variation is H.O.R.S.E. poker. H.O.R.S.E. is a mix of Texas hold 'em, Omaha high-low, Razz, Seven-card stud and Seven-card stud Eight-or-better. Each game will usually be played for a fixed number of hands or time and then the players will move on to the next game.

Other mixed games include:

• H.O.S.E. – same as H.O.R.S.E., except without Razz.
• H.O.E. – same as H.O.R.S.E, except no Razz or Seven-card stud.
• H.O. – Texas hold 'em and Omaha high-low
• O.E. – Omaha high-low and Seven-card Stud Eight or better.
• H.A. – Pot limit Texas hold 'em and pot limit Omaha.
• Omaha High-low Mixed – Fixed limit Omaha and pot limit Omaha high-low
• Holdem Mixed – Fixed limit and no limit Texas hold 'em.
• Eight Game Mix – Fixed limit 2-7 Triple Draw, fixed limit Texas hold 'em, fixed limit Omaha Hi-Low Eight or better, Razz, fixed limit Seven-card stud, fixed limit Seven-card stud Hi-Low eight or better, no limit Texas hold 'em and pot limit Omaha.
• Ten Game Mix (introduced at 2011 World Series of Poker) – No limit Hold'em, fixed limit Seven-card Razz, fixed limit Hold'em, fixed limit Badugi, fixed limit Seven-card Stud, no limit 2-7 Single Draw, fixed limit Omaha Hi-Low eight or better, pot limit Omaha, fixed limit 2-7 Triple Draw and fixed limit Seven-card stud Hi-Low eight or better (played with 6 players on a table).

Specific poker variant games[edit]

Some poker games don't fit neatly into the above categories, and some have features of more than one of these categories. These variants are most often played in home games, usually as part of a dealer's choice format.

High Chicago or Low Chicago[edit]

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Either of these two versions can be played in any stud high game. In High Chicago, or sometimes simply called Chicago, the player with the highest spade face down (referred to as in the hole) receives half the pot. In Low Chicago, the player with the lowest spade in the hole receives half of the pot, with the A♠ being the lowest. If the player with the highest hand also has the highest/lowest spade in the hole, then that player receives the entire pot - having won both sides of the bet.

Follow the Queen[edit]

This 7-card stud game uses a wild-card designated as whichever card is immediately dealt (exposed, or face-up) after any queen previously dealt (exposed). In the event that the final card dealt (exposed) is itself a queen, then all queens are wild. If no queens are dealt (exposed), then there are no wilds for that hand. Betting is the same as in normal 7-card stud games. Follow the Queen is a typical game variant in Dealer's Choice poker games.^[2][3]

Countdown[edit]

In this 5-card game, the dealer gives each player 5 cards face down. After the first round of betting, each player may choose to replace zero to three cards. A second round of betting follows and then players may opt to replace zero to two cards. Upon completing another round of betting, each player may replace one card of the cards in their hand. After a final round of betting, any remaining players show their hands, and the highest 5 card hand wins. The cost of cards doubles each round. For example, if the dealer says each replacement card costs $10 in the first round, then each card costs $20 in the second round, and $40 in the final round. When players purchase cards to replace ones in their hand, they put the cost of the cards in the pot.^[4]

This game will only work with 4 players (or fewer) otherwise you will run out of cards.

Billabong and Shanghai[edit]

Just as Oxford stud is a mixed stud/community card version of Texas hold 'em, Billabong is a mixed version of Manila. Each player is dealt two down-cards and one up-card. Low up-card starts the betting with a Bring-in if you are playing with one, otherwise high card starts the betting. Next, two community cards are dealt, followed by a second betting round, beginning with the player with the best exposed partial poker hand (counting the community cards, as in Oxford stud). Then a third community card is dealt, followed by a third betting round. Finally a fourth community card is dealt, followed by a fourth betting round and showdown. Each player plays the best five-card hand he can make from the three in his hand plus the four on the board in any combination.

Shanghai is the same game with an extra hole card, but no more than two hole cards play. That is, the game begins with each player being dealt three down-cards and one up-card; each player must discard one of his hole cards at some point during the game as determined ahead of time. The most common variation is to discard immediately as in Pineapple; the second most common is to discard just before showdown as in Tahoe.

Guts[edit]

Guts is a family of games that are cousins of poker rather than poker variants. They usually involve hands of 3 or fewer cards, ranked similarly to hands in poker, and multiple successive rounds of betting each of which consist of the decision to be 'in' or 'out', and each with its own showdown. The losers of rounds of guts generally match or double the pot, which grows rapidly.

Five-O poker[edit]

Five-O Poker is a heads-up poker variant in which both players must play five hands of five cards simultaneously. Four of the five cards in each hand are face-up. Once all five hands are down, there is a single round of betting. The winner is determined by matching each hand to the corresponding hand of the opponent. The player with the stronger poker hand in three (or more) out of the five columns, wins, unless a player folds on a bet that was made. If a player beats their opponent with all five hands, this is called a “Five-O” win.

Chinese poker[edit]

Chinese poker is a 2-4 player poker game with thirteen cards. The idea is to make three poker hands with increasing rank : two with five cards and one with three cards. If one of the hands does not adhere to increasing rank (i.e. is mis-set), the hand is declared dead and results in some sort of penalty.

Kuhn poker[edit]

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Kuhn poker, using a three card deck, is more of game theory problem than an actual game people play, but it can be played by two players.^[5]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

1. ^Pagat.com: Roll Your Own
2. ^Pokernews.com: Fun Home Poker Game Rules - Follow the Queen
3. ^Pokerrules.net: How to Play Follow the Queen
4. ^Pokerrules.net: How to Play Countdown Poker
5. ^'A Parameterized Family of Equilibrium Profiles for Three-Player Kuhn Poker'(PDF).

All Banking Card Games Fall Within Class III Gaming

Date: April 10, 1995

Subject: All Banking Card Games Fall Within Class III Gaming

The National Indian Gaming Commission (NIGC) was asked recently whether a player banked version of blackjack (21) falls within class II or class III gaming under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA). After a thorough legal review, the NIGC has concluded that all banking card games, including card games banked by the gaming operation or by a player, fall within class III gaming. Because many tribes are conducting player banked card games, including player banked blackjack, as part of their class II gaming operations, the NIGC is issuing this bulletin.

In player banked blackjack (21), players are playing against a player bank. The banker/player has a mathematical percentage advantage over the other players similar to the advantage the gaming operation has in traditional blackjack. The tribal gaming operation does not participate in, or have any interest in, the outcome of the game. The gaming operation makes money by collecting an ante from each player per hand. A player takes on the role of banker, collecting all losses and paying all winnings.

In blackjack (21), as traditionally played, the gaming operation acts as the bank or banker. Apparently, some tribes are of the view that if the gaming operation does not bank the game, the game is a nonbanking card game and thus falls within class II gaming.

All banking card games, including three which are specifically enumerated, are excluded from class II gaming in the IGRA. Those specifically enumerated card games are baccarat, chemin de fer, and blackjack (21). See 25 U.S.C. § 2703(7)(B)(i). Baccarat and blackjack (21) are card games banked by the gaming operation, whereas chemin de fer is a player banked version of baccarat. See, John Scarne, Scarne's New Complete Guide to Gambling, 342, 459-460 (1986); Albert H. Moorehead, et al., The New Complete Hoyle, 513, 541-548 (1991).

NIGC regulations define class II card games as nonbanking card games. See 25 C.F.R.

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§ 502.3(c). Class III games are defined as all games which are not class I or class II and includes house banked baccarat, chemin de fer, and blackjack (21). See 25 C.F.R. § 502.4.

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Banking card games are classified as class III in the IGRA. The IGRA states that '[t]he term class II gaming does not include any banking card games, including baccarat, chemin de fer, or blackjack (21) ...' 25 U.S.C. § 2703(7)(B)(i). The term class III gaming means 'all forms of gaming that are not class I gaming or class II gaming.' 25 U.S.C. § 2703(8).

By excluding banking card games from class II gaming, the only card games Congress intended to fall within class II are nonbanking card games. As was previously discussed, chemin de fer is a player banked game, whereas baccarat and blackjack (21) are banked by the gaming operation. Therefore, by express language, as well as enumerating these specific card games, Congress clearly intended to exclude from class II gaming those card games banked by either the player or the gaming operation.

Because the statutory language is clear and unambiguous, there is no need to look to the legislative history of the IGRA. United States v. Taylor, 487 U.S. 326, 344-346 (1988).

In the view of the Commission, non-banking card games are games where players play against each other. The game of poker would be the typical example. It has been asserted that in player banked blackjack, players are playing against each other. This is incorrect. In player banked blackjack, the players are not playing against each other. They are playing against a banker who happens to be another player. This player banker has a percentage or odds advantage over all other players. This advantage is a fundamental characteristic of a banking game.

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To further clarify the distinction between class II gaming and class III gaming, the NIGC defined 'house banking' to mean 'any game of chance that is played with the house as a participant in the game, where the house takes on all players, collects from all losers, and pays all winners, and the house can win.' 25 C.F.R. § 502.11. The NIGC adopted the commonly understood definition of a banking game. In the view of the NIGC, the reference to the 'house' is not limited to the gaming operation, but refers to anyone who is a participant in the game, takes on all players, collects from the losers, and pays the winners. However, the NIGC recognizes that the reference to the 'house' may be confusing; therefore, the NIGC intends to amend sections 502.4 and 502.11 accordingly.

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For further information, please contact the NIGC legal staff at (202) 632-7003.