The card game of poker has many variations, most of which were created in the United States in the mid-1900s. The standard order of play applies to most of these games, but to fully specify a poker game requires details about which hand values are used, the number of betting rounds, and exactly what cards are dealt and what other actions are taken between rounds.

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Popular poker variants[edit]

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The three most popular poker variants are spread in casinos and poker rooms worldwide and can be divided into the following groups:

• Draw poker: Games in which players are dealt a complete hand, hidden, and then improve it by replacing cards. The most common of these is five-card draw.
• Stud poker: Games in which each player receives a combination of face-up cards and face-down cards in multiple betting rounds. The most common of these are five-card stud and seven-card stud. These two variants are further played in other different formats.
• Community card poker: Games in which each player's incomplete hidden hand is combined with shared face-up cards. The most common of these are Texas hold 'em and Omaha hold 'em.

Here are more common rule variations:

Mike's Poker Pages contain a collection of rules for well over 100 poker variants. Justin du Coeur's Querki has a Poker Variants Space with descriptions of a selection of recommended poker variants. Archive copy of Peter Sarrett's poker variants collection, whose contents originally formed the basis of the collection here at pagat.com. One of the activities was a game of Quilter's Strip Poker. It reminded me of 'Bunco', where there are a group of women at each table, and a die is rolled until a bell is rung. It reminded me of 'Bunco', where there are a group of women at each table, and a die is rolled until a bell is rung. Every poker player should have the ability to play multiple variations of poker and 7-Card is one of the most popular and important. How to Play 7-Card Stud. The game of 7 Card Stud can be played with 2-8 players at a table. The goal in Stud is the same as any other poker variation: win as many chips as you can, one pot at a time.

1. Lowball: The lowest hand wins the pot. There are different rules about whether or not aces count as low, and the effects of straights and flushes. The most common variants are Razz and 2-7 Triple Draw
2. High-low split: the highest and lowest hands split the pot. Generally there is a qualifier for the low hand. For example, the low hand must have 5 cards with ranks of 8 or less. In most high-low games the usual rank of poker hands is observed, so that an unsuited broken straight (7-5-4-3-2) wins low (see Morehead, Official Rules of Card Games). In a variant, based on Lowball, where only the low hand wins, a straight or a flush does not matter for a low hand. So the best low hand is 5-4-3-2-A, suited or not.
3. Players can pass cards to each other. An example of this would be Anaconda.
4. Kill game: When a fixed limit game is played and a player wins two pots in a row, the stakes are doubled. In some split-pot games, a player winning both halves of the pot may also cause a kill. In some variants of Lowball, a player may choose to kill by placing a double bet after seeing his first two cards.
5. Wild cards are added. This can range from simply making deuces wild to the 7-card stud variant named baseball.
6. A twist round in which players can buy another card from the deck. If a player does not like the purchased card, the player can purchase another one by adding money to the pot. This is sometimes called a 'tittle.'
7. A stripped deck may be used. Poker was first played with only 20 cards. In the spirit of poker history, players will sometimes only play with a stripped deck. A popular poker game in Spain is played with cards 8-A. It is played similar to hold'em, except that one card is dealt at a time and a player must use both hole cards.
8. Roll your own is played in stud games, and allows the player to determine which of his or her cards are turned up and visible to the other players. In a game like Seven-card Stud, the 'roll' action only applies to the first 3 cards, all of which are dealt face down. Each player then determines which card to expose. Play then continues as with regular Seven-card Stud. But a game like Mexican stud applies the roll option throughout the game. Two cards are dealt face down, and the players roll one card up. The game continues just as in Five-card Stud, except the cards are dealt face down, and each player then decides which of the two down cards is exposed.^[1]

Gifts and supplies for the card players, bridge players, poker players in your life. Cards, novelty and gifts, card game software, card motif clothing, suits jewelry. The card game of poker has many variations, most of which were created in the United States in the mid-1900s. The standard order of play applies to most of these games, but to fully specify a poker game requires details about which hand values are used, the number of betting rounds, and exactly what cards are dealt and what other actions are taken between rounds.

Mixed poker games[edit]

Poker can be played in a mixed game format, for example one half-hour of Texas hold 'em followed by one half-hour of Seven-card stud. There are many types of mixed poker games. The most notable mixed poker variation is H.O.R.S.E. poker. H.O.R.S.E. is a mix of Texas hold 'em, Omaha high-low, Razz, Seven-card stud and Seven-card stud Eight-or-better. Each game will usually be played for a fixed number of hands or time and then the players will move on to the next game.

Other mixed games include:

• H.O.S.E. – same as H.O.R.S.E., except without Razz.
• H.O.E. – same as H.O.R.S.E, except no Razz or Seven-card stud.
• H.O. – Texas hold 'em and Omaha high-low
• O.E. – Omaha high-low and Seven-card Stud Eight or better.
• H.A. – Pot limit Texas hold 'em and pot limit Omaha.
• Omaha High-low Mixed – Fixed limit Omaha and pot limit Omaha high-low
• Holdem Mixed – Fixed limit and no limit Texas hold 'em.
• Eight Game Mix – Fixed limit 2-7 Triple Draw, fixed limit Texas hold 'em, fixed limit Omaha Hi-Low Eight or better, Razz, fixed limit Seven-card stud, fixed limit Seven-card stud Hi-Low eight or better, no limit Texas hold 'em and pot limit Omaha.
• Ten Game Mix (introduced at 2011 World Series of Poker) – No limit Hold'em, fixed limit Seven-card Razz, fixed limit Hold'em, fixed limit Badugi, fixed limit Seven-card Stud, no limit 2-7 Single Draw, fixed limit Omaha Hi-Low eight or better, pot limit Omaha, fixed limit 2-7 Triple Draw and fixed limit Seven-card stud Hi-Low eight or better (played with 6 players on a table).

Specific poker variant games[edit]

Some poker games don't fit neatly into the above categories, and some have features of more than one of these categories. These variants are most often played in home games, usually as part of a dealer's choice format.

High Chicago or Low Chicago[edit]

Either of these two versions can be played in any stud high game. In High Chicago, or sometimes simply called Chicago, the player with the highest spade face down (referred to as in the hole) receives half the pot. In Low Chicago, the player with the lowest spade in the hole receives half of the pot, with the A♠ being the lowest. If the player with the highest hand also has the highest/lowest spade in the hole, then that player receives the entire pot - having won both sides of the bet.

Follow the Queen[edit]

This 7-card stud game uses a wild-card designated as whichever card is immediately dealt (exposed, or face-up) after any queen previously dealt (exposed). In the event that the final card dealt (exposed) is itself a queen, then all queens are wild. If no queens are dealt (exposed), then there are no wilds for that hand. Betting is the same as in normal 7-card stud games. Follow the Queen is a typical game variant in Dealer's Choice poker games.^[2][3]

Countdown[edit]

In this 5-card game, the dealer gives each player 5 cards face down. After the first round of betting, each player may choose to replace zero to three cards. A second round of betting follows and then players may opt to replace zero to two cards. Upon completing another round of betting, each player may replace one card of the cards in their hand. After a final round of betting, any remaining players show their hands, and the highest 5 card hand wins. The cost of cards doubles each round. For example, if the dealer says each replacement card costs $10 in the first round, then each card costs $20 in the second round, and $40 in the final round. When players purchase cards to replace ones in their hand, they put the cost of the cards in the pot.^[4]

This game will only work with 4 players (or fewer) otherwise you will run out of cards.

Billabong and Shanghai[edit]

Just as Oxford stud is a mixed stud/community card version of Texas hold 'em, Billabong is a mixed version of Manila. Each player is dealt two down-cards and one up-card. Low up-card starts the betting with a Bring-in if you are playing with one, otherwise high card starts the betting. Next, two community cards are dealt, followed by a second betting round, beginning with the player with the best exposed partial poker hand (counting the community cards, as in Oxford stud). Then a third community card is dealt, followed by a third betting round. Finally a fourth community card is dealt, followed by a fourth betting round and showdown. Each player plays the best five-card hand he can make from the three in his hand plus the four on the board in any combination.

Shanghai is the same game with an extra hole card, but no more than two hole cards play. That is, the game begins with each player being dealt three down-cards and one up-card; each player must discard one of his hole cards at some point during the game as determined ahead of time. The most common variation is to discard immediately as in Pineapple; the second most common is to discard just before showdown as in Tahoe.

Guts[edit]

Guts is a family of games that are cousins of poker rather than poker variants. They usually involve hands of 3 or fewer cards, ranked similarly to hands in poker, and multiple successive rounds of betting each of which consist of the decision to be 'in' or 'out', and each with its own showdown. The losers of rounds of guts generally match or double the pot, which grows rapidly.

Five-O poker[edit]

Five-O Poker is a heads-up poker variant in which both players must play five hands of five cards simultaneously. Four of the five cards in each hand are face-up. Once all five hands are down, there is a single round of betting. The winner is determined by matching each hand to the corresponding hand of the opponent. The player with the stronger poker hand in three (or more) out of the five columns, wins, unless a player folds on a bet that was made. If a player beats their opponent with all five hands, this is called a “Five-O” win.

Chinese poker[edit]

Chinese poker is a 2-4 player poker game with thirteen cards. The idea is to make three poker hands with increasing rank : two with five cards and one with three cards. If one of the hands does not adhere to increasing rank (i.e. is mis-set), the hand is declared dead and results in some sort of penalty.

Kuhn poker[edit]

Kuhn poker, using a three card deck, is more of game theory problem than an actual game people play, but it can be played by two players.^[5]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

1. ^Pagat.com: Roll Your Own
2. ^Pokernews.com: Fun Home Poker Game Rules - Follow the Queen
3. ^Pokerrules.net: How to Play Follow the Queen
4. ^Pokerrules.net: How to Play Countdown Poker
5. ^'A Parameterized Family of Equilibrium Profiles for Three-Player Kuhn Poker'(PDF).

If you’ve followed my articles thus far or have read my book, Billion Dollar Hollywood Heist, then you know about my history as a card mechanic and poker hustler. Throughout my career playing high-stakes poker in Hollywood, I’ve seen just about every scam that could ever be perpetrated with a deck of playing cards.

Today, I consult with casinos and individuals who run high-stakes poker games in order to help them protect their players from all sorts of cheating tactics. And while it doesn’t pay nearly as well as running over a game like in the old days, I suppose it’s a respectable side hustle that keeps me close to my love of card manipulation.

Then again, maybe helping detect cheaters is my penance for so many years developing and deploying what I like to call “skills of a misspent youth.”

To truly understand the way cheaters approach rounding games and scamming private games, it’s good to understand some of the basic methods used by traditional card cheats. Even given the vast amount of poker information available today on the internet, it’s surprising how little (truly accurate) information is out there about card cheating.

There are a lot of magicians who teach card manipulation, but few of them have ever used the skills they teach under fire in a live game, and those who truly know what they are talking about are few and far between. The most knowledgeable person on the subject that I know is my dear friend Steve Forte, author of Casino Protection, Poker Protection, and the newly released, Gambling Sleight of Hand – Forte Years of Research, which is a two-volume masterpiece sold for 300 bucks!

When the hold’em craze hit in the early 2000s an interesting thing happened. Poker players began to multiply like never before. Suddenly there were people playing high-stakes hold’em without even knowing how to execute a standard table riffle shuffle, or deal a hand of seven card stud. To me, these players were like children who understood how to ride in a car strapped in the child safety seat, but had no idea how to drive. If you get behind the wheel, you want to know how to control the car right? The same should be the case with poker.

One big aspect that poker players count on is a straight deal. Another thing they count on is the honor and integrity of the man sitting next to them. I always look for and expect the best out of people, but in the immortal words of S.W. Erdnase, author of the 1902 classic, Expert At The Card Table, “Men who play for any considerable amount of money are looking to get the best of it.” And for many of today’s modern era poker players, it’s safe to say, they can go for a ride in the car, but there are few who know how to drive it.

Now, don’t get me wrong… it’s not necessary to learn how to cheat in order to spot a cheater. But in this writer’s humble opinion, knowing the methods of a cheat are just as important as knowing how many outs you have on the river, or whether or not you are being laid the right price to call after a three-bet.

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In order to determine whether or not you are well-versed in the ways one can get cheated at the poker table, I have provided you with an introductory card cheater’s assessment. Take the quiz seriously and answer the questions honestly. Otherwise, you’ll just be cheating yourself! HAHA

The answers will be revealed in a video at the end of quiz. The video will also provide tips and examples of ways you can protect your home game, and protect yourself when playing live poker.

1. At a recent book signing, someone asked me if Tobey Maguire and I had “paper down” when we ran the big game. What was he referring to?

a) Keeping a paper trail of wins and losses
b) Posting the buy in with cash
c) Making a list of fish to hustle
d) None of the above

2. To spot someone base dealing is to notice they are…

a) Dealing from the button
b) Stealing chips from the pot while no one is looking
c) Dealing cards off the bottom of the deck
d) None of the above

3. What did the player mean when he said, the dealer had been dealing deuces all night long and no-one ever noticed?

a) Dealing the second card from the top of the deck
b) Stacking the deck to flop two pair to a partner
c) Dealing low cards on purpose
d) None of the above

4. Why did the player get worried when he noticed the dealer continuously doing a short shuffle?

a) Because the dealer could have been controlling a slug
b) Because the cards weren’t being fairly shuffled
c) Because he feared the dealer was culling card to the bottom.
d) All of the above

5. The Overhand Run Up, Riffle Stacking, Short Shuffles, Push Thru Shuffles, and Zarrow Shuffles are all forms of what?

a) Casino shuffling procedures
b) Card control
c) Second dealing

6. What is a Double Duke?

a) Doubling up with a pair of jacks
b) Losing a huge hand to a bigger hand from a stacked deck
c) Dealing the second card off the top of the deck
d) None of the above

7. The Crimp, the Hop, and the Shift are all ways to do what?

a) Cheat at cards
b) Control a slug to the top or bottom of the deck
c) Nullify the cut
d) All of the above

8. What does it mean to “ring in a cooler?”

a) To invite a hustler to your card game
b) To stack the deck during a shuffle
c) To switch the entire deck after or during the cut
d) To play poker in an igloo

9. What is cold stacking?

a) Arranging your chips in a way that signals your hand to a partner
b) Switching the deck after it has been shuffled
c) Stacking the deck on the fly
d) Maintaining the entire deck order using a false shuffle

10. What is the form of cheating known as a Hold Out?

a) When you wait for one big pot and then cheat in order to win it
b) When you short the pot by palming off chips during a call
c) When you secretly hold on to cards that should have been mucked
d) All of the above

To check your answers, watch the video below.

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I also have autographed copies of Billion Dollar Hollywood Heist now available at my website for those interested in reading the true story behind the biggest poker game in Hollywood history.

Until next time, stay sharp… stay KardSharp!

Houston Curtis, founder of KardSharp.com and author of Billion Dollar Hollywood Heist has lived a successful double life as both a producer and card mechanic for nearly 30 years. His credits include executive producing gambling related TV shows such as The Ultimate Blackjack Tour on CBS, The Aruba Poker Classic on GSN and pioneering the poker instructional DVD genre with titles featuring poker champion Phil Hellmuth.

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Barred for life from Las Vegas Golden Nugget for “excessive winning” at blackjack, Houston is one of the world’s most successful card mechanics and sleight-of-hand artists of the modern era. Curtis, who rarely plays in tournaments, won a 2004 Legends of Poker no-limit hold’em championship event besting Scotty Nguyen heads-up at the final table before going on to co-found the elite Hollywood poker ring that inspired Aaron Sorkin’s Academy Award-nominated film Molly’s Game.

Curtis resides in Phoenix, Arizona where in addition to running a production company and independent record label, he is also a private gaming/casino protection consultant to clients across the globe seeking insight into master level card cheating tactics via advanced sleight-of-hand technique. To reach Houston for a speaking engagement, consulting or production services send email to stacked@Kardsharp.com.

All views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of Card Player.