The Book of Card Games: The Complete Rules to the Classics, Family Favorite and Forgotten Games (20 page)

After the antes, bring-ins, and blinds, betting rules vary according to the version of poker you’re playing. You have four choices when it is your turn to bet:

• Check:
  You pass the betting on to the next player if there are no bets already on the table. You are in essence making a zero bet.
  
• Call:
  You stay in the hand by adding enough money to the pot to cover all of the previous bets made by players who acted before you. For example, if your opponent bets $5, you would need to call $5 to remain in the hand.
  
• Raise:
  You raise by calling the previous bets and adding an additional amount into the pot. In the previous example, you could raise your opponent by putting in $10 (calling his $5 bet and raising another $5).
  
• Fold:
  You fold by discarding your cards and dropping out of the hand. You lose any money that you have already placed in the pot.
  

Betting usually proceeds clockwise around the table until each player has either called all bets or folded. Some poker games have specified numbers of betting rounds interspersed with the receipt or replacement of cards.

Although the basics of poker always remain the same, there are many variations that have been introduced to the game. By watching television and paying attention to news stories and game shows, you may have become familiar with some of the more popular variations of poker, such as Texas Hold ’Em and Omaha. But there are also silly and simple adaptations of the game such as The Game of Guts.

Anaconda is a seven-card stud poker game sometimes referred to as “Pass the Trash” because players pass their worst cards over to the player on their left. The objective of the game is to win money in the pot. There are eight rounds of betting, so be prepared for large pots and long games if everyone stays in! Anaconda can be played with two to seven players using a standard pack of fifty-two cards.

Select a dealer, who deals seven cards face down to each player. The first step of play is a round of betting, beginning with the player to the dealer’s left. Each player may check, bet, raise, or fold. After each player has acted, those of you still in the game each pass three cards from your hand to the player on your left. A second round of betting occurs, starting with the player to the dealer’s left. If more than one player remains after all bets have been called, you each pass two cards to the player on your left. A third round of betting occurs, starting with the player to the dealer’s left. If more than one player remains, you each pass one last card to the player on your left. A fourth round of betting takes place.

If there are two or more players left in the game after these four rounds of betting, you each create your best poker hand of five cards. You place this hand in a stack in front of you, face down, and discard the other two cards from your hand. The dealer says “one, two, three, flip” and you each flip over the top card in your stack. A fifth round of betting occurs, now led by the player who shows the highest card. This process is repeated with the second, third, and fourth card in the stack being turned over followed by a round of betting. The player to start those betting rounds is the player with the highest hand in the cards showing (the highest single card, highest pair, and so on). When the fifth card is turned over, your entire hand is revealed, and the winner is determined. The player with the best five-card poker hand wins the pot. If at any time during the game there is only one player remaining during a round of betting, he wins and takes the pot.

Baseball is a close relative of Football (see following) and is also an easy and enjoyable poker variation. You’ll need two to six players and a standard deck of fifty-two cards to play. Before you begin, agree on a minimum bet. Each player antes to the pot to start the first “inning” and play of the game.

The dealer deals two cards face down and one card face up to each player. The player with the highest up-card 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.) Each player must act by checking, betting, raising, or folding. Once everyone has acted, the dealer deals a second card face up to the players still in the game.

The player with the highest hand in his two face-up cards leads a second round of betting. The dealer deals a third face-up card, followed by a round of betting, and a fourth face-up card, followed by another round of betting. The dealer finally deals one last card face down to each player. The player showing the best hand on the table with his four face-up cards begins a final round of betting. Once all players have played, they turn over their cards in a showdown. The best five-card poker hand wins and takes the pot.

In the game of Baseball, threes and nines are wild, but if you are dealt a wild card face up, you must match the pot by adding money from your pool, or drop from the game. If you are dealt a four 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 four face down, you don’t gain an additional card.

Caribbean Poker is a variation of poker that is not the typical betting game. You each play your hand individually against the dealer or bank instead of against other players. You’ll need at least two players and a standard pack of fifty-two cards to start up a game of Caribbean Poker. After each player antes, you are dealt five cards and the bank is dealt five cards. Your cards are all dealt face down. The bank is dealt four cards face down and one card face up.

You each pick up your cards and determine if you want to surrender against the bank’s up-card or to continue playing by making a call bet and doubling your original ante. If you are still in the game, you and the bank turn over your hands in a showdown. If the bank does not have at least an ace-king high (or better), your bet is automatically returned and the bank pays out an amount equal to the original ante. If the bank does have a qualifying hand, the bank compares his hand to each player’s. If your hand loses to the bank’s hand, you lose your ante and call bet. If your hand beats the bank’s hand, the bank will pay out even money for the ante and fixed odds on your call bet, as follows:

• Even odds (
  1:1
  ) for a pair or high card
  
• 2:1
  odds for two pairs
  
• 3:1
  odds for three of a kind
  
• 4:1
  odds for a straight
  
• 5:1
  odds for a flush
  
• 20:1
  odds for four of a kind
  
• 50:1
  odds for a straight flush
  
• 100:1
  odds for a royal flush
  

When you and the bank have equal hands it is considered a “push,” and all money bet is returned without further payout.

Criss-Cross is a poker variation that uses five communal cards built out in the shape of a cross. Players choose three of those cards to help their hands (either the row or the column). The middle card of the cross is wild. You’ll need to grab up to ten players and a standard deck of fifty-two cards.

Criss-Cross opens with a random dealer being chosen. Once all antes are in, the dealer deals clockwise four cards, one at a time, face down to each player. He then deals five communal cards face down on the table in a cross pattern, so that three cards are in a row and three cards are in a column. A sample deal (with the cards turned up) looks like this:

The dealer turns over one of the outside communal cards, and a round of betting begins. The player to the left of the dealer opens the round. Each player can check (if there are no bets before him), bet, call, raise, or fold. After the round is over, the dealer flips over another outside card, and another round of betting occurs. This continues until the dealer has flipped over the middle card as the last card. This card becomes a wild card, as do the three other cards in the deck with that value—so if a four is turned up as a wild card, the other three fours in the deck also become wild. A final round of betting occurs.

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. If two or more players remain, those players have reached the showdown and must reveal their hands. If you have the best hand using the cards in your hand, and either a row or column of the cross, you win and take the pot.

Chinese Poker is a great variation of poker that is different than the typical stud and draw games. It is meant for smaller groups of people with just two to four players, and players bet with points instead of chips. Each point is worth a specific dollar amount, so it’s still a gambling game and you can still win or lose large amounts of money. Chinese Poker opens with a dealer being chosen at random and dealing out thirteen cards, face down, to each player.