Although not an online game by nature as you can't play against the house,
and its difficult and usually illegal to make real bets with other individuals
across long distances, even with the advent of technology, the coordination
is difficult. There are some places online which offer a form of standard
(or classic) poker, and of course the Internet can be a powerful tool for
connecting with other people sharing similar interests. Poker tournaments
can be found in various cities around the world, clubs, associations and
groups all make themselves accessible through online media.
The first things to learn are the basics of the game, betting, and ranking
of the hands. Different variations exist based on the classic paradigm of
the poker hand ranks. Read up on poker
hands here. Credit for many descriptions of the following variations
goes to GameReport.com.
Usually, variations are brought into existence to minimize the need for
skill within the game-play. It's a usual rule of thumb that the crazier
the variation, the less skill is involved in the game. Here we report on
a number of games, including draw and stud examples.
5 Card Draw - the classic of the standard poker games
Players: 3-7
Initial Deal: five down cards to each player
Game-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:
· Adding wild cards to play (and allowing five-of-a-kinds if chosen).
· High/low: the highest hand and lowest hand split the pot.
· Lowball: Lowest hand wins
· Allowing for four card draw with an ace.
· Double draw: After the first exchange and subsequent betting,
there is another exchange and betting round.
Spit in the Ocean
Players: 3-12
Initial Deal: 4 cards down to each player, one card up in the middle.
Game-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
Game-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.
Game-Play continues with a rolling showdown. Cards speak for themselves.
Winner: high hand
Standard Variations:
· The cards are passed to other than the person to the left (Ex.
3-left, 2-right, 1-left or 3-left, 2-two-to-the-left, 1-three-to-the-left).
· The player keeps all seven cards at the end and chooses which
to turn up. This allows the player to change from hi to lo depending on
what is being played.
· Pass 2 cards to the left and 1 card to the right at the same
time.
· Love Thy Neighbor: High hand and the person to his left (who
is still in) split the pot.
Howdy Doody Poker
Players: 4-7
Initial Deal: seven down cards to each player
Game-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.
Stud Poker
Players: 3-10
Initial Deal: 1 down, 1 up (5 card stud) or 2 down, 1 up (7 card stud)
to each player
Game-Play: Betting begins after the deal. After each round of betting,
each player is dealt one card face up except for the last card, which
is dealt face down. Showdown occurs after the last round.
Winner: High and low hands split.
Standard Variations:
· Last card dealt face-up.
· Adding wild cards.
· Canadian Stud: 5 card stud. 4-card straight beats a pair, 4-card
flush beats a 4-card straight, 2 pair beats a 4-card flush. This adds
more hands to shoot for, making 5 card stud more interesting.
Abyssinia
Players: 3-12
Initial Deal: None
Game-Play: One card is turned face up on each side of the deck. Each player
in turn has the option to buy one of the up cards or the top card from
the deck, each at preset prices. After each round of purchasing comes
a round of betting. Game-Play continues until each player has 5 cards.
Costs are assigned by card rank (2-5 = 25 cents, 6-K = 10 cents, A = 50
cents). Cardsfrom the deck are dealt up so the cost can be paid. Players
may hold cards purchased.
Winner: High and low hands split.
Auction
Players: 3-7
Initial Deal: two cards down to each player
Game-Play: A number of cards equal to the number of Players is turned
up in the middle of the table. Each person then secretly chooses an amount
of at least the minimum bet and places it in their hand. Then everyone
drops their coins at once. The person who "bid" highest gets
chooses one of the up cards and adds it to his hand, leaving it face up
in front of him. The person who "bid" second highest chooses
next, and so forth. If more than one person bid the same amount, then
the person nearest a spot rotating clockwise from the left of the dealer
chooses first with the other people choosing in clockwise order. All bids
are added to the pot. This continues until all people have 7 cards. Then
there is a single betting round starting with the high hand on the table,
followed by a high/low/both declaration and a showdown.
Winner: High and low hands split.
To get a good sense of the rules of standard poker, read our standard
poker rules page.
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