Other fun poker games
Mississippi Stud
Mississippi Stud is exactly like 7 card stud with the exception that 4th street and 5th street are dealt up in the same round effectively eliminating one round of betting. This variation is common for pot-limit and no-limit games because standard 7 card stud has a large amount of betting rounds and can get a little out of control in a no-limit game. Mississippi stud still uses an ante and a bring-in, but after the bring in round, the players are all dealt two additional cards face-up instead of just one.
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Razz Poker
Razz is a played exactly like 7 card stud except that instead of the highest hand winning, the lowest hand wins. In this game, the lowest hand would be the hand with the 5 lowest non pairing cards. As in Omaha Eights or Better, the best possible hand to have is A 2 3 4 5. Pairs and sets really hurt your chances of winning, but straights and flushes don't matter. Being dealt a high pair or high set at the beginning of the game is a bad start and a good indicator that you should probably fold.
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Guts Poker
In Guts Poker players are dealt a series of deals of 2 or 3 cards, these are ranked similar to hands in poker but there are some differences. During the betting : all players must decide whether they are "in" or "out" by announcing this each time. Since there is more than one deal and players need to call it, then you can be seeing large pots.
In "Two-Card Guts", each player is dealt down, two hole-cards, at the beginning of a new deal. Two Card Poker rankings apply; Pairs are ranked over high cards; there are no 'straights' or 'flushes' in two card guts. Each round starts with an ante, this is similar to a blind. The players then play a series of deals. At the end of the round the winner takes the existing pot and the losers match it. The pot or some multiples of it carry over to the next deal until only one player calls in and takes the whole pot. For example, if three players call in with a pot of $10, the player with the best hand takes the $10 pot, and the two other players that called in, must each pay $10 into the pot. That $20 pot will carry over to the next round. In the next round, lets imagine that again 3 players call in. The winner takes the $20 pot and the other two must pay $20 into the pot which carries over into the next hand which starts with a $40 pot. Often in Guts Poker, a betting 'cap' will be made. Basically, because of the multiple betting rounds the 'pot size' increases substantially. A betting cap may be put in place so that the game does not get too crazy. |
Auction Poker
Auction is another fun variation of Seven Card Stud and like Socialist Poker, is exactly the same as Seven Card Stud except in the manner in which players receive their cards. In Auction, every player pays their ante and is dealt two cards down and one card up. The player with the lowest door card makes the bring in bet and the action moves to the left around the table. After the betting is all complete, instead of dealing cards to each player, the dealer deals a single card face up in the middle of the table and the players bid money to buy the card. They player who wins the card can either keep it for themselves or give it to another player. A player may not take more than one card per round, but may continue bidding in order to stop another player from getting the card they want or to force another player to take a card they do not want. Bidding is done for each card except the final card in each round which simply goes to the only remaining player that doesn't have a card. Bidding is done for 4th, 5th, and 6th street. 7th street is dealt face down to each player in the same order they were dealt their original 3 cards.
The bidding begins with highest showing hand and moves around the table clockwise. Each player may bid or pass. If a player passes, they will not have another chance to bid on the card. If a player bids, another player may raise the bid by at least double the amount of the initial bid. If a player bids $5 on a card and another player wishes to raise, they must raise by at least $5 more. After the bidding is complete, the winning bidder must pay the amount they bid into the pot. They can then take the card or give it to another player. Players may not refuse a card being given to them. |
Indian Poker
Indian poker is somewhat of a joke game and it's pretty damn fun to play sometimes, but not for large amounts of money. I like to play this game when the table is on break time and only a few remaining players are sitting around the table waiting for the game to resume.
To play this game, every player pays and ante and is dealt one card face down. Each player must take the card, without looking at it, and hold it to their forehead face out so that every other player can see it, but they cannot see it themselves. So, if you're playing, you can see every other player's card, but cannot see your own. Starting to the left of the dealer, each player may check, bet, or raise if a bet has already been made. This continues until everyone has called or folded. Then, the highest card wins. If there is a draw, the pot is split. It is important to have fun in poker. If you ever have a party with guys and girls and want to spruce up the night, try Indian. |
Socialist Poker
Socialist Poker is a fun variation of Seven Card Stud and is played in much the same manner. The beginning of the game is the same. All players pay their ante and are dealt three cards. The player with the lowest door card makes the bring in bet and the action moves clockwise around the table.
After the betting has finished, it's time for 4th street. However, instead of the dealer dealing to each player in order, the dealer deals the cards face up in the middle of the table. Then, the player with the lowest showing hand takes the card they want first, then the next lowest showing hand picks their card and so on. This continues for 5th and 6th street but not for 7th street in which the dealer can either just deal each player their final card face down in order or deal them face down in the middle and let the lowest hand pick first without looking and continue in order that way. Socialist Poker can be played in limit, pot-limit, or no-limit style games. |