List maintained by Peter Sarrett at http://www.gamereport.com/poker. Last modified: Nov. 18, 1995 (11/18/95).
5 Card Draw
PLAYERS: 3-7
INITIAL DEAL: five down cards to each player
PLAY:There is a betting round after the deal, starting with the
player to the left of the dealer. After the betting round, each
player may exchange up to three cards. Another round of betting
ensues, followed by the showdown. With fewer than six players,
a player may draw four cards if they show that their remaining
card is an Ace.
WINNER: High hand
STANDARD VARIATIONS:
Spit in the Ocean PLAYERS: 3-12 INITIAL DEAL: 4 cards down to each player, one card up in the middle. PLAY: As in 5 card draw, but each player receives only 4 cards. The card in the middle is shared by all players and, along with all other cards of the same rank, is wild. WINNER: High hand
Anaconda (Pass the Trash)
PLAYERS: 4-7
INITIAL DEAL: seven down cards to each player
PLAY: Rotating bet starting after the deal. Each player passes three
cards to the player on their left after the first round. After the next betting round,
everyone passes two cards to the player on their left. After another
betting round, players pass one card to their left. Each player
then chooses five cards to keep and discards the remaining two.
Play continues with a rolling showdown. Cards speak for themselves.
WINNER: high hand
STANDARD VARIATIONS:
Howdy Doody PLAYERS: 4-7 INITIAL DEAL: seven down cards to each player PLAY: As with Anaconda, but with these exceptions: this game is high/low and has wild cards. Threes are wild if and only if the hand they are in is used to try to win the high pot. Kings are wild if and only if the hand they are in is used to try for the low pot. No betting until the showdown. WINNER: High and low hands split NOTES: The low pot is usually won by a perfect low. High is usually won by at least a full house.
Jacks to Open, Trips to Win
PLAYERS: 3-7
INITIAL DEAL: five cards down to each player
PLAY: Played like 5-card draw, with the following differences:
Only a player with a hand as good as or better than a pair of
Jacks may open the betting. If someone has such a hand, they must
open the betting. If nobody can open, the hand is discarded, everyone
antes again, and hands are redealt. Once the betting is opened
play continues as in 5 Card Draw until the showdown. At this time,
anyone who has at least a 3 of a kind must reveal his hand. The
best revealed hand takes the pot. If nobody reveals a hand (that
is, nobody has at least 3 of a kind) everyone still in
may make another exchange. Repeat this process (exchange,
bet, check for winner) until someone wins.
WINNER: High and low hands split
STANDARD VARIATIONS:
Trees
PLAYERS: 3-10
INITIAL DEAL: 5 down to each player
PLAY: Bet. Now every player can trade cards freely with every other player.
Any number of cards can be exchanged, but a player must give the same number
of cards he is receiving. When all no more trades are forthcoming, there
follows a final round of betting before the showdown.
WINNER: High hand.
All For One or One For All PLAYERS: 3-10 INITIAL DEAL: 5 down to each player PLAY: Bet. Each player, starting to the dealer's left and continuing clockwise, may choose to either draw one more card or trade in all his cards for an equal number of replacements. Rounds of betting and drawing/exchanging continue, the leader rotating each time, until there are fewer cards in the deck than players left in the game. WINNER: High hand.
Pick a Partner PLAYERS: 4, 6, 8, or 10 INITIAL DEAL: 5 down to each player PLAY: Everyone rolls a card. Highest card showing picks one of the other hands as a partner. The next highest unpartnered hand chooses a partner, and so forth until everyone is paired up. Each partnership combines their remaining 8 cards and chooses 3 of them. Three rounds of betting follow, with one of the 3 cards rolled after each round. The winning team splits the pot. If one member of a team folds, the other can continue playing and, if he wins, he wins the entire pot. WINNER: High hand.
Psycho PLAYERS: 3-6 (tricky with 6-- may not have enough cards) INITIAL DEAL: 5 down to each player PLAY: As in 5 card draw. Immediately after draw, players show 3 cards. After a round of betting, players receive one card up. Bet. Receive a last card down. Bet, then showdown. WINNER: High and low hands split.