Basic Five-Card Draw
This is five-card Draw Poker without any stipulations, except for designated wild cards. The dealer determines if there will be any wild cards, how many draws there will be, and the maximum number of cards each player is allowed to draw. "Two draws of two", for example, would mean that each player will have two opportunities to discard up to two cards and draw two new ones from the deck. Typically, a betting round precedes and ensues each draw, so there is always one more betting round than there are draws. Two draws, for example, would mean three betting rounds (deal, 1st betting round, 1st draw, 2nd betting round, 2nd draw, 3rd and final betting round, showdown).
Straight Draw Poker means there are no wild cards.
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Italian Poker
Five cards are dealt to each player. The player to the dealer's left opens a betting round. Following the betting round, the dealer deals two cards face-up in the center of the table, placing an indicator of some sort (ex. coin or chip) on the first card flipped up of the two.
The player to the dealer's left now has the option to draw one or two cards. If the player discards both cards, then the dealer gives the two community cards to that player in exchange. If the player only discards one card, then the dealer gives the card with the indicator on it to the player, puts the indicator on the other card, and flips a new card from the top of the deck to replenish the one that has been given to the player. The same option then goes to the next player in clockwise order. The dealer continues to replenish cards that are taken by players, placing the indicator on the one card that was first flipped of the two. This substitution-draw restricts the draw to one or two cards, and goes right up until the dealer, who has the same option. There is a second betting round. Best hand wins.
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Psycho
In a sense, this game starts off as five card draw and ends as seven card stud. The dealer should specify a low maximum draw, as the rules will indicate. Five cards are dealt to each player. After a betting round and a draw of cards specified by the dealer before the game, each player turns up three cards from their hand. The player with the best hand showing opens up a second betting round.
After the second betting round, each player is dealt another card face up. The player with the best hand showing opens a third betting round.
After the third betting round, each player is dealt a seventh card face down, now having two down, four up, and one down. The player with the best hand showing opens a final betting round, before the showdown.
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Six Back to Five
Six cards dealt. After the first betting round, each player draws as per normal Draw game rules. The exception is that each player draws one less card than they discard. This means that if a player wants three new cards, he is going to have to discard four cards out of his hand. If a player wants to discard three cards, then he is only going to get two cards back.
With each player drawing one less card than he or she receives, every player will now have a five card hand. A final betting round ensues and the best five card hand wins.
This allows players to get better hands and hopefully, stay in longer, compensating for only two betting rounds.
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Three-Legged Race
A high/low triple-legged game, where the winner of the game is the first player to win three "legs". At the end of each round, one leg is awarded to the player with the best hand at the table, ANOTHER leg awarded to the player with the lowest hand at the table. The first player to win three legs wins the pot. In the case of more than one player reaching three legs at the same time, the pot is split.
If dealt as seven card draw, then players have the option of calling "pig". If one such player successfully has both the highest and lowest hand at the table, that player is awarded two legs.
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Trees
Five cards dealt. Betting round. Players freely exchange cards with other players, always receiving the same number of cards as is traded away. When all players are finished trading, there is a final betting round. Best hand wins.
The trading round continues until no pair of players wants to trade any more cards. There is a second betting round, followed by a showdown.
Strategy:
The best thing to do is remember which cards have been given to what players. Players interested in trading initially three, and then two, and then one card are most likely putting a straight or flush together. Passing a pair is obviously out of the question, but passing consecutive cards (for example, a Two, a Three, and a Four) or cards of the same suit to the same player may not be strategically wise.
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Whiskey Poker
The dealer deals five cards face-down to each player, as well an extra five-card hand, the "kitty". First betting round. Beginning with the player to the dealer's left and continuing in clockwise order around the table, each player has the option of either exchanging their hand with the kitty, or keeping the hand that has been dealt to them. When a player exchanges with the kitty, he or she takes the kitty and turns his or her former hand face-up in the center of the table. If no player decides to exchange with the kitty up to and including the dealer, then the kitty is turned face-up in the center of the table.
Beginning to the left of the player who took the kitty and continuing in clockwise order around the table, each player draws as many cards as they want from the kitty, turning the discards from their own hand face-up in place of the cards taken. This way, each player always has five cards and the kitty always has five cards. This continues round and round the table.
When a player sees fit, that player knocks on the table on his or her turn rather than exchange cards. This signals that each other player will only get one more chance to exchange cards with the kitty. Once the sequence reaches the player to the right of the player who knocked, there is a second and final betting round.
A player may decline from exchanging cards with the kitty, but cannot do so twice in a row. When a player has already declined exchanging cards with the kitty, on that player's next turn, he or she must exchange at least one card or knock.
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Adapted from HomePoker.com