• Home

• Poker Home Games
• Poker News
• Poker Stories

Poker Home Games: Stud ‘em

 It’s been a while since I’ve learned a new game. In fact, I’m usually the one teaching them to my poker groups or the occasional new gathering of people I haven’t played with before. Truth be told, I can get bored sometimes playing straight Hold ‘Em tournaments (which is what everyone seems to want to play these days – still, so between tournaments I’ll first plant the seed to switch over to cash ante games. Once we’ve been doing that for a while, I’ll start throwing different games out when it’s my turn to deal. You have to know your company, though, and if they seem overly agitated at learning something new, or don’t have the functioning brain cells left to handle any new intake, it’s best to stick with the basics.

Anyway, even though this one isn’t exactly new (it’s more of a meshed hybrid of two classics), I’m still excited to write about it.

So here’s the game. I’ll call it…Stud ‘Em Poker.

For starters, you can use any betting system you prefer here. Traditionally, there will be a big blind amount that one person puts in, and the rest of the people at the table would ante up half that amount. But you can use a straight ante system, a regular blind system, or a low-card antes system, whatever works for the table.

1) Each player receives their two down cards. These remain hidden but the player can look at their own.

2) First round of betting.

3) Remaining players receive one card face up now. At the same time, a single community card is deal face-up. The face-up card in each individual hand counts only toward that person’s hand. Whereas the community card, as always, is available for everyone to use.

4) Second round of betting.

5) Here’s a little bit of a twist on both straight Stud and Hold ‘Em games. At this point, each remaining player receives a hidden card, counting toward his hand only. At the same time a face-up community card is dealt. So to recap, at this point each player should have 3 hidden cards and one card face-up that are exclusively counting toward his hand. There also should be two face-up community cards on the table.

6) Third round of betting.

7) Remaining players (any of you left?) receive another card face-up. Another community card is also dealt, face-up. So now each player has five cards, three hidden and two face-up. There also are three total community cards in the center.

Final round of betting.

9) Now the reveal, and the player with the best five-card hand wins. There are no Omaha-esque rules here, either. You can use any combination of your cards and the community cards. Of course, mathematically you have to use at least 2 from your hand since there are only three community cards to work with.

Note – Again, it’s table preference, but you could just as easily play high-low for this game, as well.

Poker Home Games: Double Up

Every once in a while I learn a game that, in my opinion, can be described as being a little “too easy.”

Not for me, per se, but in general.  Everyone plays with the same rules, so obviously it’s not easy in the sense that I’m awarded some type of advantage over the other players.  I think I mean “easy” in the sense that it’s too “easy” to put together a good hand.

Now, that’s not necessarily a bad thing.  Many wild-card games and game inventors pride themselves on said games being too easy.  And those who like playing in wild card games want them to be too easy, and want everyone to have a hand they’d consider going in and betting big on.

Why? Bigger pots, bigger payoff.

So, I can buy into that line of thinking.  But in this case, this isn’t a wild card game, so I sort of feel like the “easiness” of the hands is a little cheap.  I know that makes no sense.  There’s nothing cheaper than having two-pair turned into 4 aces because of a wild card, but that’s how I feel.

Nevertheless, I’ll go through the game because it’s something new and worth a mention.  There are a few rounds of betting, and your hand keeps changing as the community hand does, presenting a few strategic opportunities to hold back early, bet big later and clean up if you catch a few others with the right hands.

1.)    The game is based on Texas Hold ‘Em, mostly in the sense that everyone will have their hidden hand, and everyone has community cards, as well.

2.)    Everyone is dealt three cards, hidden.  You can look at your hand.

3.)    Round of betting.

4.)    THREE community cards are turned up. 

5.)    Second round of betting.

6.)    A fourth community card is turned up AND a fourth hidden card is dealt to each player.

7.)    Third round of betting.

8.)    A fifth and final community card is turned up AND a fifth and final hidden card is dealt to each player.

9.)    Final round of betting.

NOTE – You will use any combination of the 10 cards to make your best 5-card poker hand, and that’s what you’re betting on.

NOTE – No high-low, it’s high hand take all.

See, told you it was easy.  I played this a few times in a game recently, it came back up a few times on the deal rotation, but never became a regular throughout the night.  I think it’s one of those games you’ll give a chance to in order to switch things up for a while, but it’ll never be a favorite.

Poker Home Games: Overwrite

I’ll admit, sometimes I learn a new version of poker, and I’ll think, “Did they just come up with this last night after a couple hours of drinking?”

Creativity is one thing, as is creating a game out of necessity (I’ve done it…not enough people so you invent something that two can play so each hand still matters), but every once in a while a game seemingly so random gets plopped in front of you that you have to wonder under what influence were the creators when it was being thought up.

So, I have what you might find to be such a game for this article.  Personally, I liked it when I learned it, and it has a simple but unique twist I haven’t seen in any other “crazy” home games lately.  So it kept my interest, at least enough to remember how to play it a few weeks later that is.

Here it is, you can of course judge for yourself. 

While I can remember how to play it, I can’t for the life of me remember what they called it, so I came up with my own name: Overwrite.

1) Each player is dealt 4 cards, hidden.  You can look at your own set of hidden cards.

2) Three cards are dealt face down in the center.  These will serve as community cards.  Some home games prefer to “bury” a card between each one, similar to a casino…it never really mattered to me.  You can do it this way or simply keep dealing straight from the deck.  House preference.

3) Before any community card is turned, there is a round of betting.

*** The “hook” – OK, now that cards are dealt, it should be noted that the main twist in this game is as follows.  Your highest odd numbered card in your hand – excluding Aces and face cards – is wild.

However, big however here….however – If during the flipping of the three community cards, that same card that happens to be your highest odd-numbered card comes up, it cancels out its, uh, wildness, and makes it just worth face value.

Your next highest odd-numbered card hidden is NOT your new wild card.  You simply lose your wild.

Example:  Your down cards are J, J, 5, 4.  Currently you’d be betting on a hand of three jacks.  If a 5 comes up as a community card, you’re now betting on a hand of only two-pair…J, J, 5, 5.  Easy enough.

4) Round of betting takes place after each community card is turned up.

5) No river card, no high low.  Best hand wins.

So, like I said, a little unique twist that keeps the game interesting and provides for a small, but good amount of strategy.  It also doesn’t completely kill your hand if you lose the wild card, which is always nice.  If you’re sitting on a powerhouse hand early, you can still bet big and mostly know you’ll have a hand to compete with by the end. 

You might have had four Jacks turned into “only” a full house, but it’ll still be enough to clean up in the end.

Poker Home Games: Egyptian Rat Screw

Poker Home Games: Man of the House

So here’s a variation of follow the queen that’s been popping up in a few card game circles I still frequent.  I don’t think it’s a new one, but I haven’t seen it before.  I don’t even have a name for it…but I’ll think of one before the column is over and tack it up in the title

« Previous Page — Next Page »

For more information on Poker Home Games, check out Google.