Ultimate Book of Card Games: The Comprehensive Guide to More Than 350 Games (79 page)

VARIATION 31: H-BOMB

Play a standard Seven-Card-Stud hand until the showdown. At this point, the player to the left of the dealer may match the pot and thereby force-fold the player to his left. Moving clockwise around the table, the next active player may match the pot and force-fold the player to her left. The pot is won by the best five-card poker hand.

VARIATION 32: HAVE A HEART

Play the normal Seven-Card-Stud game, but each time a player is dealt a face-up heart, they take any card (face up or down) from any other player. The card taken is not replaced, and the victim plays at a disadvantage.

VARIATION 33: HEINZ

Think: ketchup. It’s the standard Seven-Card-Stud game, with all 5s and 7s wild. When a wild card is dealt face up to any player, that player must match the pot or fold.

VARIATION 34: HENWAY

Deal ten cards to each player. Next, split your ten cards into two hands of five cards each, one competing for high and one competing for low. All players then place their cards face down on the table, high hands to the left and low hands to the right. After a betting round, all players turn up one card from each of their two hands, followed by a betting round. At the showdown, the pot is split 50-50 between the high and low hands.

VARIATION 35: HIGH-LOW/8

High-Low Split 8 or Better—more commonly abbreviated as High-Low/8—is the most common variation of Seven-Card Stud, especially in casinos. It’s similar to the basic game, except the pot is split 50-50 between the highest five-card hand and the lowest five-card hand containing no cards above an 8. In standard high-low games it does not matter how low the low hand is. In this variation, a hand qualifies for low only if it contains no card higher than 8. For example, 8-5-3-2-A qualifies as low, while 9-5-3-2-A does not. If there are no qualifying low hands at the showdown, the high hand takes 100 percent of the pot.

It’s possible for the same player to win both low and high using his seven cards to make two different hands. For example, if you hold 7-7-7-4-3-2-A, you have both an excellent high hand (7-7-7-A-4) and a hand that qualifies for low (7-4-3-2-A).

VARIATION 36: INDIAN POKER

Oh, the silliness. All players ante (typically $1), and receive one card face down, which they then place on their foreheads with one hand, so all other players except themselves can
see
it. If a player ever sees his own card, he is out of the hand and forfeits his ante to the pot.

The highest card wins the pot (ties split the pot evenly). Starting with the player to the left of the dealer, players decide whether to stay in the game based on (a blind guess) whether their card is higher or lower than the other players’ cards. Throw in your ante if you’re in; otherwise fold and take your
ante back. The deal moves clockwise, using the remaining cards from the deck (do not reshuffle). The game ends once the deck is exhausted.

VARIATION 37: IRON CROSS

Deal four cards to each player, face down. Next, deal five communal cards, face down, in the shape of a cross. The cross’s center card is wild. After a betting round, turn up a cross card one at a time, followed by a betting round. At the showdown, players create the best five-card poker hands using four hole cards plus
either
the vertical or horizontal row of community cards.

VARIATION 38: LOWBALL

This is the quintessential low-hand poker game. It follows the normal Seven-Card-Stud rules, except all players are competing for the lowest five-card poker hand (as opposed to the highest). The traditional
lowest
low hand is 5-4-3-2-A (called “the wheel”). In this version of the game, aces may be played high or low, and straights and flushes do not count.

VARIATION 39: ACE-SIX LOWBALL

Players who cannot stomach, abide by, or otherwise accept the wheel play this variant, where the lowest low hand is 6-4-3-2-A, and straights and flushes count as high hands.

VARIATION 40: DEUCE-SEVEN LOWBALL

Aces are always high in this Lowball variant—so the lowest low hand is 7-5-4-3-2. Straights and flushes count as high hands.

VARIATION 41: LOW-OF-A-KIND

Follow the normal Seven-Card-Stud rules, but at the end of the game, the pot is split 50-50 between the player with the highest four-of-a-kind and the player with the
lowest
five-card poker hand. If no player has four-of-a-kind, the low-hand winner takes half the pot, and the other half is carried over to the next hand’s pot. The game ends when 100 percent of the pot is won in a single hand.

VARIATION 42: MERRY-GO-ROUND

Deal all players one card, face down. The player to the left of the dealer may pay $1 to swap cards with the player to his left. After a round of betting, deal a second card to all players. The player sitting two spots from the dealer may now pay $2 to swap her hand with the player to her left. After a round of betting, deal a third card, then a fourth, etc., each time allowing the next active player in rotation the option to swap hands with the player to his left for $3, $4, $5, etc. Continue until all players have seven cards. At the showdown, the pot is split 50-50 between the highest and lowest five-card poker hands.

VARIATION 43: MEXICAN STUD

This is basically No-Peekie Baseball without the wild cards. All players are dealt seven cards face down. The most important rule is also the simplest: Do not look at your cards! The player to the left of the dealer turns up one card, followed by a round of betting. The next player turns up a card (or cards) until the previous hand is beaten. For example, if the previous hand is K of hearts, the next player must continue turning up her cards until K of hearts is beaten by a pair, an ace, or a king with a high
kicker
. If you cannot beat the previous hand, it’s a force fold, and the turn rotates clockwise. Each time the previous hand is beaten, a betting round follows. The process is repeated until every player but one has force folded.

VARIATION 44: MEXICAN SWEAT

This is the same as Mexican Stud, but with a good, bad & ugly twist. After all players have seven face-down cards, there’s an initial round of betting, followed by the dealer turning up three cards from the deck. The first is good (wild for all players), the second is bad (a dead card; it has no value for all players holding it), and the third is ugly (a force-fold; all players holding this card must fold immedi-ately). The game proceeds as normal. If all players fold in the same hand, the pot is carried over and a new hand is dealt.

VARIATION 45: MISSISSIPPI STUD

Follow the standard Seven-Card-Stud rules until all players have two down cards and one upcard. Next, deal all players two face-down cards (not the usual one card), followed by a betting round. Deal the remaining three cards
face up
, one at a time, each card followed by a betting round. All players thus end the game with two cards in the hole and five cards face up on the table.

VARIATION 46: ONE-EYED JACKS & SUICIDE KING

The one-eyed jacks (seen in profile on most decks of cards) are the J of spades and J of hearts; the suicide king (pictured with a sword through his head) is the K of hearts. Add some or all of these as wild cards to a standard Seven-Card-Stud game for variety.

VARIATION 47: PAI GOW

This is a common Seven-Card-Stud variation in casinos, although you can also play at home. Up to seven players compete against the dealer for the best five-card poker hand and the best two-card hand.

To a fifty-two-card deck, add a single joker, which may be used only as an ace or to complete a straight, flush, or straight flush. Otherwise the joker has no value.

Each player places a single bet on the table (there is no other ante; the minimum and maximum bet values vary in casinos; in at-home games, the range is typically $1 to $5). Deal each player (including the dealer) seven cards. Players may look at their cards; the dealer may not.

Players organize their seven cards into a five-card hand and a two-card hand. Follow standard poker rankings for the five-card hand, but note that 5-4-3-2-A is
always
the second-highest straight or straight flush, beating K-Q-J-10-9 but losing to A-K-Q-J-10. The best two-card hand is A-A. The final restriction: Your five-card hand must beat your two-card hand.

All players place their two hands face down on the table. When all players are ready, the dealer’s seven cards are turned face up. From this point on,
the players may not touch their cards. The dealer creates two hands (following the same rules as the other players) and then reconciles with each player as follows:

If the player wins both hands, the dealer pays the amount of the player’s original bet.

If the dealer wins one hand and the player wins the other, no money changes hands.

If the dealer wins both hands, the dealer wins the player’s original bet. Ties are awarded to the dealer—which is a major advantage. So, if the dealer wins one hand while the other is tied, or if both hands are tied, the dealer wins. If one hand is tied and the player wins the other, no money changes hands. Given the dealer’s advantage in Pai Gow, it’s important to rotate the deal frequently in home games.

VARIATION 48: PASS THE TRASH

At the very end of a standard Seven-Card-Stud hand, just before the showdown, all active players pass three unwanted cards—the “trash”—to their left. After a final round of betting, it’s time for a showdown. The high poker-hand wins. (In some circles, Pass the Trash starts with seven cards dealt face down to all players, followed by a round of betting. Players then pass their trash, followed by a final round of betting and the showdown.)

VARIATION 49: PEG LEG

It’s unclear whether this is a better drinking or gambling game—and as always, it’s dangerous to confuse the two! Play a standard Seven-Card-Stud hand, but place all antes and bets in a single stack. (It’s important to wait your proper turn before adding chips to the stack.) The player who knocks over the stack in the course of adding chips to it is automatically out for the round. At this point, the game proceeds as normal, with no further peg-leg action. If the stack does not fall prior to the showdown, the highest five-card hand takes the pot, and each of the active players pays the winner a penalty of $1.

VARIATION 50: POLISH

Deal each player two cards face down. Use a
button
to keep track of the draw; the button starts one player to the left of the dealer. The dealer turns up a card from the deck, and the player on the button may either accept or pass. If passed, the card is offered to the next player, who may also accept or pass. If passed a second time, the next player
must
take the card. The process continues (skipping players who’ve taken a card in the current round) until all players have taken a card. After a betting round, the button rotates one player to the left, and the draw starts again. The entire process continues until all players have six cards. The seventh card is dealt face down to all players. At the showdown, the pot is split 50-50 between the high and low five-card poker hands.

VARIATION 51: THE PRICE IS RIGHT

After the initial Seven-Card-Stud deal (all players should have two cards face down, one card face up), deal two face-down cards from the deck. Nominate one of these cards as “Door 1,” the other as “Door 2.” The top card on the deck is “Door 3.” The player to the left of the dealer is up first: he or she may purchase Door 1 for 25 cents, Door 2 for 50 cents, or Door 3 for $1 (adjust the amounts as desired), or pass.

If the card behind Door 1 is purchased, the Door 2 card is moved into the Door 1 slot, and the Door 3 card is moved into the Door 2 slot. The same repeats if the card behind Door 2 is purchased.

Repeat until all players have bought a card or folded. After a round of betting, start the process once again, until all players are holding seven cards or have folded. The high poker hand wins.

VARIATION 52: RAZZ

In Razz, the lowest hand wins. Aces are always low. Unlike some low-hand variations, flushes and straights have no effect on rankings, which means the best possible low hand is 6-4-3-2-A (or 5-4-3-2-A if you play the wheel).

VARIATION 53: RAZZMATAZZ

This is identical to the main game, except there’s a progressive Follow-the-Queen-style wild card element. At the start of the game, all aces are wild, and they stay wild unless a 2 is dealt face up. Once this happens, all 2s are wild (replacing aces) and stay wild unless a 3 is dealt face up, in which case 3s replace 2s as the wild card, etc.

VARIATION 54: SCREW YOUR NEIGHBOR

All players start with an equal number of chips (typically three, each worth $1 or $2). All players are dealt a single face-down card. Use a
button
to keep track of the turn; the button starts with the dealer and rotates one player to the left after each deal.

The player to the left of the button may keep her card, or swap with the player on her left—unless that player is holding a king (called a
stopper
). The player holding a stopper turns it face up and keeps it for the remainder of the game. In this case, the original player is stuck with his card. The dealer (playing last) keeps her original card, or receives the top card off the deck—unless that card is a king, in which case she must keep her original card.

At the end of the round, the player holding the lowest card forfeits one chip to the pot. In case of a tie, both players forfeit their chips to the pot. The game ends when all players but one run out of chips. The winner takes the pot.