Ultimate Book of Card Games: The Comprehensive Guide to More Than 350 Games (80 page)

VARIATION 55: SIX-CARD STUD

This is one of the few Seven-Card-Stud games suitable for eight players. That magical feat is performed by dealing cards two down, three up, one down to all players for a total of six cards (not the usual seven). Follow all other rules.

VARIATION 56: ST. VALENTINE’S DAY MASSACRE

This is a split-pot game. The player holding the highest-ranking heart—A of hearts is always high—in the hole splits the pot 50-50 with the high five-card poker hand.

VARIATION 57: UP THE RIVER, DOWN THE RIVER

Up to six may play this variation. After the initial Seven-Card-Stud deal, deal two face-down rows of five cards each (ten cards total). Nominate one row as “up the river” and the other as “down the river.” Play the standard game until just before the showdown. At that point, the dealer turns up one upriver card (wild for all players holding a card of matching rank) and one downriver card (dead and of no use for players holding a card of matching rank).

After a round of betting, turn up the next set of river cards and repeat. If you end the game with fewer than four cards, you play at a disadvantage. At the showdown, the highest poker hand wins.

If the standard game has too many betting rounds for comfort, deal the first seven cards face down to all players, followed by a single round of betting, before turning up cards from the river.

In some circles, this game is played as a five-card-stud variation (not seven-card).

VARIATION 58: WOOLWORTH

Players of a certain age will remember the Woolworth’s chain of “five and dime” drug stores. This game pays its respects by making all 5s and 10s wild. The catch? Take the value of your game’s most expensive chip (a quarter, in games of nickel, dime, quarter) and multiply it by five. That’s how much you pay to stay in the game when you’re dealt a face-up 5. Multiply the amount by ten if you’re dealt a face-up 10. You must immediately fold if you don’t pay. In all other respects the game follows the standard rules.

1. DIFFICULTY
   :
   medium
   
2. TIME LENGTH
   :
   long
   
3. DECKS
   : 1
   

Back in the 1970s and ‘80s, the professional poker world was dominated by Seven-Card Stud. The game is a masterpiece of strategy and subtlety—unless you’re watching from the sidelines, in which case the game moves slower than frozen molasses. Not so with Texas Hold’em. It’s a frenzied game that rewards guts, luck, and intelligence in that precise order.

If you’ve watched the world Series of poker or similar events on television, Texas Hold’em is the game they always play. As a result, Texas Hold’em now rules the airwaves, the casino gaming rooms, and most home games.

The genius of Texas Hold’em is that any player may win any hand. Few hands actually make it to a showdown. Instead, hands are settled based on bluffs, counter-bluffs, and gutsy bets. In Hold’em games, it all comes down to how smart you play. Your cards don’t really matter that much.

All players are dealt two cards, face down. All other cards are held in common (shared by all players) and are dealt face up in the following way: three cards (called the
flop
), followed by a betting round; one card (the
turn
), followed by a betting round; and a final card (the
river
), followed by a betting round.

NUMBER OF PLAYERS
9 is best, but up to 12 may play

ANTE
Before any cards are dealt, the first two players to the left of the
button
make forced blind bets, which function like antes. No other players ante. The first blind bet (called the
little blind
) is typically half the value of
the maximum bet. The second blind (the
big blind
) typically equals the maximum bet. Since so many players fold early in Texas Hold’em, forced bets are used to generate larger pots for players who stay in the game.

INITIAL DEAL
Deal each player two cards face down (called
pocket
or
hole
cards), always starting with the player to the left of the
button
(bottle caps are handy), which is placed in front of the dealer. In subsequent rounds, the button rotates clockwise to the next player.

FIRST BET
The two blind bettors are automatically in, so betting in the first round starts with the third player from the button. That player (and all subsequent players, including the little blind) must call the big blind, raise it, or fold. There is no checking in the first round of Texas Hold’em. If no player raises the big blind, that player is allowed to raise her own bet. If any player raises the bet, she may not raise again unless she is re-raised (as opposed to called). Raises and re-raises are typically limited to the value of the maximum bet, and in most games there’s a limit of four raises and re-raises per round. The betting stops when all players have either folded or called the last raise.

SECOND DEAL
The dealer
burns a card,
and then deals three communal cards, face up. This is the flop.

SECOND BET
Betting starts at the little blind, then continues clockwise. Checking is allowed in this and all subsequent betting rounds.

REST OF GAME
The dealer burns a card and then deals one communal card (the turn) face up, followed by a betting round, starting with the little blind. The final communal card (the river) is dealt face up, followed by a last round of betting, again starting with the little blind.

At the showdown, the player who made the final bet (whose last bet was called) shows cards first. The best five-card hand—using any combination of the player’s two hole cards and five communal cards—wins the pot. Ties split the pot evenly.

STRATEGY TIPS
It’s generally worth paying to see the flop—you get to see 71 percent of your cards at this point. Since five of your seven cards are communal, it’s also important to start with a strong two-card pocket hand. The best starts are A-A, A-K, A-Q, K-K, and Q-Q. You’re off to an equally strong start if your first two cards are sequential (e.g., 8-7 or Q-J) or are suited (the same suit). In general, you should not play past the flop without a strong pair, four suited cards, or an open straight.