Home Poker

The dealer deals two face-down cards to each player. A betting round is opened by the player sitting to the left of the dealer. A number of cards equal to the number of players are then flipped face-up onto the table. Each player will be choosing one of these cards to go face-up into their hand. To determine which player gets which card, each player including the dealer, chooses a sum of money ranging from the table's minimum bet to the table's maximum bet, hiding this money in their hands. At the same time, each player drops the money they are holding in their hand. The player who drops the highest sum of money gets the first pick of the face-up community cards. The player who drops the second highest sum of money gets second pick of the community cards, and so on. If two players drop the same amount of money, the one sitting closest to the dealer in clockwise sequence picks first. By the end of this auction round, each player will now have the original two cards dealt to them face-down as well as one card face-up. The dealer then flips another set of community cards, equal in number to the number of players at the table, and another auction round ensues.

There are four auction rounds in total, after which each player will have their two original face-down cards, and four cards face-up, the ones that each player chose on the auction rounds. A betting round ensues. The seventh and final card is dealt face-down to each player, followed by the third and final betting round. Best hand wins.

Because of the four auction rounds, play in this game can be slow. Players are normally reminded at the game's beginning that it's going to be a long game, and that the auction rounds should go as quickly as possible. At a nickel-table with betting numbers ranging from 5 cents to 25 or 50 cents, the amount of money a player chooses to auction can vary greatly and be factored into a player's 'auctioning strategy'. At a quarter-table however, where bets vary less (usually being either one quarter or two quarters), the dealer will need to decide if players can bid more money than the table's usual maximum bet. The dealer at a quarter-table that has a fifty-cent maximum bet may determine that players can bid up to a dollar on auction rounds.

Variations:

High / Low: This game sees better and more exciting auction rounds when played High / Low. Players who know that the lowest hand at the table will get half the pot will be more interested in spending more money on the auction cards, also causing all auction cards to be potentially good cards in either High or Low hands.
Betting rounds: Some masochists enjoy a betting round after each auction round. This would eliminate the first betting round that follows the initial deal of two face-down cards. The first betting round would then follow the first auction round, as well as a betting round after each auction round, and then the final betting round following the deal of the seventh card face-down to each player. The problem with this variation is that players will need an extra reminder on how quickly play will need to go. Otherwise, a game consisting of four auction rounds and five betting rounds will make for an extremely long game. Think about the length of a normal seven card stud game, and add to that the time difference of a dealer simply dealing face-up cards to each player and that of players having to go through a lengthy auction round each time.
Five Card Stud: The game can also be played with a five card stud format. One card is dealt face-down to each player, followed by a betting round, followed by four auction rounds, followed by a final betting round. I'm partial to the seven card version, as it provides an extra betting round and more opportunity in a game like this with its two extra face-down cards.

One card is dealt face-down to each player, followed by one card face-up to each player. A betting round ensues, opened by the player with the highest card showing. Another card is dealt face-up to each player, followed by another betting round opened by the player with the best hand showing. This continues until each player has one card face-down, four cards face-up, and there have been four betting rounds. Best hand wins.

Variations:

You may find it rare to play a game of Five Card Stud without an interesting stipulation of some sort.

Roll Your Own: Two cards are initially dealt to each player face-down. On the count of three, each player decides which of the two cards they will show face-up. Following the betting round, another card is dealt face-down to each player, and on the count of three, each player again decides which of the two cards face-down they will turn face-up. This continues until each player has one card down and four up. Yet another variation of this is that the card that each player has face-down at the end of the hand is the wild card in each player's hand.
Format: Typical Five Card Stud is dealt one card down, four up. This format can be changed to two down, three up (making three betting rounds), or three down, two up (making two betting rounds). Another popular variation is to deal the first card face-down, the next three cards face-up, and the fifth and final card face-down.

The dealer begins by dealing two cards face down to each player, and one card dealt face up to each player. The player with the highest card showing opens the first betting round. Following this betting round, another card is dealt face-up to each player, followed by a betting round, followed by a third card face-up, followed by a betting round, followed by a fourth card face-up, followed by a betting round, followed by the last card dealt face-down, concluded by the final betting round.

The player that opens each betting round is the player that has the best hand showing out of the cards face-up. If, for example, every player is dealt face-up mismatched cards, except for one player who has a pair showing, then that player opens the betting round.

In the end, each player takes the five cards out of seven that make up the best hand. For example, if a player is dealt the following hand:

The best combination of five cards in this player's hand are the 3 Kings and the pair of 2's. This player has a Full House, Kings over 2's.

Variations:

Kankakee: Played as regular Seven Card Stud, except that the first card dealt face up to each player (after each player already has two cards dealt face down), and all matching cards, are wild in that player's hand.

Not a true Stud game, but too difficult to categorize anywhere else.

Played with seven cards, or more commonly with five cards, all cards will be dealt face-down as in Draw Poker, but all cards will be dealt one at a time, as in Stud Poker. All betting rounds are opened by the player to the dealer's left. The dealer deals one card face-down to each player, followed by a betting round, followed by a second card to each player, followed by a betting round, and so on.

If a betting round ensues each card dealt, then there will be five betting rounds with five cards, and seven betting rounds with seven cards. The dealer who calls this game may choose to only start the betting after each player has been dealt 2-3 cards, especially with seven cards.

Seven cards are all immediately dealt face-down. Each player keeps his seven cards face-down without looking at them. The first player to the left of the dealer flips over his first card. Based on that card, he opens a betting round. That face-up card is now the best hand showing at the table. After the betting round, the next player flips over cards until his cards face-up beat the best hand showing. For example, if the first player turned up a jack, then the next player flips over cards until what he has showing beats a single Jack, that is any card higher than a Jack or a pair. Those cards showing now become the new best hand showing at the table, and that player opens a betting round. This continues with each player flipping over cards until they can beat the best hand showing at the table, opening a betting round after they have done so.

There are two ways that players are removed from this game. If a player has flipped over all of his cards and cannot beat the best hand at the table with what he has showing, then that player is out of the game. Also, of course, if a player does not at least see each bet that comes his way, he is out of the game. The game ends when all players have flipped over all of their cards. The best hand wins.

Variations:

Most people think that there should be special cards in this game that revolve around a baseball theme. For example:

Innings: Nine cards dealt instead of seven, called "nine innings".
Wild cards: Threes and nines wild, modelled after three strikes, three outs, nine innings, and nine players. Other people play that when a player turns up a card that is wild, they must pay for that card to be wild, a small amount like a quarter at a nickle-ante table.
Extra card: If a player flips up a four, modelled after four balls and four bases, that player is dealt an extra card face-down from the dealt. Other people play that the player if a player flips up a four and wants the extra card, he must also pay for it, typically 50 cents at a knickle-ante table. Other than that, the card does not contribute anything to the hand other than being a regular four. However, getting the extra card can really help a hand.
Baseball: Blind Baseball is not basic Baseball, only the more popular version. Basic Baseball (or just Baseball) is a standard seven card stud game, in which threes and nines are wild, and a four dealt face-up allows you to receive a new card from the deck. These threes, fours, and nines typically cost a player a predetermined fee in order to take advantage of them (at a quarter-table, for example, it may be a quarter for a three or nine to be counted as wild, and 2 quarters to get an extra card from the four).
Winter Baseball: A variation on either Baseball or Blind Baseball. The exception is in this game, a four gets you an extra card but costs nothing, a nine is wild but costs nothing, and a three is wild but the player who receives it (at all in Blind Baseball, or dealt face-up in Baseball) must match the pot for it to be counted as wild. If the player is not interested in matching the pot, that player can simply fold, or put a "price" on the wild card. Going clockwise around the table from the player, other players decide if they are willing to pay that player's price for the three in exchange for a card from their hand. The first player to decide he will pay the player for that wild card must pay the player's price to the player, as well as match the pot.

The first thing that the dealer must determine is how many buying rounds there will be. There will be a betting round following each buying round. The dealer must also determine what the cards will cost, coming up with four different prices for the four available cards to each player in each buying round.

Three cards are dealt face-down to each player, and two cards are dealt face-up to each player. The dealer then flips over three cards face-up in a line beside the deck, a price having been assigned to each of these cards. At a quarter table, for example, the price for the card farthest from the deck is a quarter, the second farthest card from the deck, two quarters, and the card closest to the deck, three quarters. A player also has the option to spend the highest price for a blind card from the top of the deck, typically for the cost of a dollar at a quarter table. The community card layout in front of the dealer should look as follows:

The first player to the left of the dealer decides which of the cards (if any...players are not obligated to buy cards) he or she wants to buy of the four (four including the option to purchase a blind card from the deck). The player then discards the card from his hand that he is replacing, replacing that card with the one that he has just purchased. The money spent to buy the card goes into the pot along with the antes. If the player is replacing one of his face-down cards, then he gets his new card face-down...if replacing a face-up card, then he gets his new card face-up. The only exception is if the player purchases a blind card from the deck, in which case the new card is kept face-down in the player's hand, regardless of whether or not the substituted card was face-down.

It becomes an advantage to spend the extra money on a blind card from the deck...when replacing a face-up card, that player now has four cards face-down, and only one card face-up that the other players can see. If a player purchases one of the three face-up cards, the dealer flips the next card from the deck face-up to replace the one just purchased.

The buying round then goes to the next player who has the option to replace one of the cards in his hand with a purchased card from the three face-up cards or a blind one from the deck. After the buying round has gone around the table, up to and including the dealer, a betting round ensues, opened by the player who has the best hand showing. For each buying round that the dealer called before the game, a betting round ensues. Best hand at the end of the buying and betting rounds wins.

Variations:

Free Enterprise: This follows the same rules as Buy Your Card Substitution but is much tamer. It plays as regular Seven Card Stud with two down, four up, one down. The initial deal consists of two cards down to each player. The dealer then flips over three cards from the deck as in Buy Your Card Substitution. In order, a player decides if he wants to buy a card of the three. If he chooses not to, he is automatically dealt one FOR FREE from the deck face-up. Just as in Seven Card Stud, once every player has a face-up card, there is a betting round opened by the best hand showing. This is followed by each player, starting to the left of the dealer, again with the option of buying one of the three available cards or being dealt one for free from the deck.

The pot gets split in half, half of the pot going to the player with the best poker hand. After this, each player adds the numbers on all of the diamond-suited cards in their hand, whether dealt face-up or face-down. Two to Ten counts as the number, the Ace of Diamonds counts as fourteen, the Jack counts as eleven, the Queen counts as twelve, and the King counts as thirteen. All of the Diamonds in a player's hand are tallied together as a point score. The player with the highest number of 'Diamonds points' gets the other half of the pot.

This game has a wild card, determined only after all of the cards have been dealt. After the betting round that follows the deal of the seventh and final card, the number of players remaining in the game becomes the card number that is wild. If, for example, five players start this game, and after the last betting round of the game, only three players remain, then Threes are wild in everybody's hand.

Considering most poker games consist of a table of five to seven players, it's safe to assume in this one that only a low card is going to end up being wild. What is more, the challenge is trying to bet strategically as to plan the number of people that remain in the game.

The dealer deals a card face-down to each player, and then exposes the top card off of the deck. The first player to the left of the dealer has the option of either choosing the exposed card or a blind one from the top of the deck. Whichever choice the player makes, that player receives the card in his hand face-up. If that player chose the exposed card, then the dealer replaces it with the next card off the top of the deck and gives the same choice to the next player. If that player chose a blind card, then the next player is given the option to take the exposed card or a blind one. The exposed card is not replaced until it is either chosen by a player or the dealer turns it down. Once the dealer turns it down, the round of dealing is over, followed by a betting round.

When the next round of dealing starts after the betting round, whichever card was exposed is placed at the bottom of the deck, replaced by a new card from the top of the deck. This continues until each player has one card in the hole and four cards face-up. There is a final betting round and the best hand wins.

Seven card Stud Poker. If throughout the course of cards being dealt face-up, a player pairs up (receives a card of the same rank as a card already in his or her hand face-up), then the next card dealt face-up (and all matching cards) is wild.

If, later in the same hand, a player pairs up again, then the next card dealt up is wild, with the old wild card no longer wild, a la Follow The Queen.

Five card stud. However, before dealing a second card to each player, that player decides if they wish to receive that card face-up or face-down. If the player chooses to receive the card face-up, then the dealer flips a card face-up to that player as normal. If the player chooses to receive the card face-down, then that player signals so by flipping his hole card face-up. The dealer makes the same option once reaching himself. Now, each player has one card in the hole and one face-up. Highest card face-up opens the first betting round.

The dealer begins dealing a third card to each player. If the player wants the third card face-up, the dealer deals it to him face-up. If the player wants the third card face-down, then he signals so by flipping up his hole card. Another betting round ensues.

The same is done with the fourth and fifth cards to each player so that at all times up until the end of the game, each player has one card in the hole and the rest face-up.

Variations:

Wild in the Hole: A good variation to this game is that the player's hole card at the end of the game is wild. This will have more of an effect on what card each player keeps in the hole. If, for example, a player has a Queen in the hole at the game's end and another Queen face-up, then they are both wild.
High / Low: Some players suggest playing it as High / Low, which is a good idea if your table is not big on All-High Five Card Stud.

Eight cards are dealt to each player in some combination of some up and some in the hole. Popular versions are two down, four up, two down OR two down, five up, one down. Players make their best five card hand with the eight cards.

Variations:

444: Four cards are dealt face down to each player, followed by four cards dealt face up. A betting round follows the deal of each card face up. All fours are wild in each player's hand.

This is dealt as standard seven-card stud with two down, four up, and one down. First two cards down and third card up are dealt, followed by a betting round. Fourth card up, followed by a betting round. Fifth card is dealt face-up, followed by a "draw", in which each player has the option to discard one card from their hand for a new one from the deck. If the player discards one that was face-down, that player receives the new card face-down. If the player discards one that was face-up, that player receives the new card face-up. The draw is followed by a betting round.

Sixth card is dealt face-up, followed by another draw of one card, and another betting round. Seventh card is dealt face-down, followed by a final draw of one card, followed by the final betting round.

Standard seven card stud with Queens wild. Throughout the course of the deal, if a Queen is dealt face-up to a player, then the card that is dealt face-up after that Queen is called the "trailer" and it is also wild as well as Queens. These Queens and trailers are also wild in determining who has the best hand showing to open each betting round.

If in the course of the deal, another Queen is dealt face-up to a player, then the trailer that follows that more recent Queen is now the new trailer and the new wild card as well as Queens. The old trailer is no longer wild...in other words, other than Queens, there is only ever one other wild card. Queens and cards matching the current trailer are also wild if they are dealt face-down. Best hand wins.

Variations:

Follow the Cowboy: Played the same as Follow the Queen, except it is the card that follows a King that is wild, instead of a Queen.
If no Queen has been dealt face-up after every player has been dealt their four cards face-up, then everybody re-antes and the game is re-dealt until a Queen has been dealt face-up in a game.
It costs a small amount of money for players who are dealt a Queen face-up to stay in the game, and an even smaller amount of money for players dealt a trailer who want to stay in the game (for example, 50 cents for the Queen, 25 cents for the trailer).

Seven card Stud Poker, with three cards dealt face-down in the center of the table. The game proceeds as regular seven card stud.

Following the second betting round (after each player has been dealt four cards, two up, two down), the dealer flips the first table card ("The Good"). Any cards in any hand matching The Good are wild, although the card itself is NOT a community card that players can use.

Following the third betting round (after each player has five cards), the dealer flips the second table card ("The Bad"). Any cards in any player's hand, up or down, matching The Bad have to be discarded by the player.

Following the fourth betting round (after each player has six cards), the dealer flips the third table card ("The Ugly"). Any player who has a card face-up that matching The Ugly is automatically out of the game. Remaining players proceed with the seventh card and final betting round, followed by showdown.

Seven card Stud Poker. If throughout the course of cards being dealt face-up, a player is dealt any Heart, then that player has the option to take any face-up card from any player at the table. The player with the Heart does not need to discard a card from his or her hand, nor does the player whose card has been taken get a replacement. The player with the Heart takes the new card face-up in his or her hand. This occurs with each Heart dealt face-up throughout the course of the game.

The player with the best hand gets half of the pot. The other half of the pot goes to the player who has the highest spade card face-down. If a player has the King of Spades, but it was dealt to that player face-up, that does not count...it must have been dealt face-down. The Ace of Spades is obviously the nut Spade unless previously dealt face-up, and any player who is dealt the Ace face-down knows that they will automatically receive half the pot.

When the game ends, it might end up being the 6 of Spades that is the highest spade dealt face-down, for example, and that player would get half the pot for it.

Variations:

Some people play this game where players must call their hands either "best hand" or "high spade" before everybody shows their hand. By calling your hand, you are indicating which of the two you are going for. In other words, if you call "best hand" but end up having the highest spade face-down, you do not get half of the pot for that spade, because "high spade" is not what you were going for. After everybody has called their hand, those who called "best hand" compare hands to determine who wins half of the pot among them, while the players who called "high spade" compare their highest spade card face-down for the other half of the pot.
Low Chicago: The exact same rules apply except in this game, the pot is split between the player with the best hand and the player who has the LOWEST spade card face-down. The dealer who calls this game needs to specify whether or not the Ace of Spades will be counted as the lowest spade card, or whether it is the Two of Spades. This is a discrepancy because the Ace is typically considered the highest card of the suit, but nevertheless, it can be used to make a straight from Ace to five and is therefore, a low card. When I call Low Chicago, I call the Ace of Spades as the lowest possible spade card and not the two.
Black Mariah: This term is used to describe a hand that is not only the best hand at the table but is also the hand that was dealt the highest spade card face-down. That player would thus win the entire pot. When the game Black Mariah is called, it is a game that only ends when a single player has the best hand at the table AND is dealt the highest spade card face-down. If the best hand and highest spade are in two different hands, then everybody re-antes, and the game is redealt by the player to the left of the dealer, and replayed. This continues until a single player has the best hand and highest spade face-down. One of the only ways that this game can be ended is by continually betting the maximum bet after being dealt the Ace of Spades (or a high enough Spade), bluffing the other players out of the hand. You may not have the best hand at the table, but players who do not continue to see bets are out of the game. When only one player is left in the game, the game is obviously over, assuming that one player has at least one spade card face-down.

Seven cards are immediately dealt face down to each player. A High/Low game, players make their best (or worst) five card hand. Of the two kickers left over, players leave one to the side, but keep the other in their hand. Each player puts their six cards on the table with a pile of four cards in the middle and a single card on each side of the pile.

Simultaneously, players flip over one card at a time from their four-card pile. A betting round ensues each flip, opened by the player with the best hand showing.

After the fourth betting round (when each player should have their entire four-card pile flipped over, leaving only the two single cards), players simultaneously flip over EITHER the left card OR the right card. A player who flips over his or her left card is signalling going "low"; a player who flips over his or her right card is signalling going "high". In other words, the card not flipped over is the second kicker that was kept from the beginning of the hand. Winners of the High and Low hands split the pot.

Two-card Stud poker. One card is dealt face-down, followed by a betting round, followed by one card dealt face-up, followed by a second betting round opened by the player with the highest card showing. Hands consist either of a Pair or a High Card.

Obviously, this game is one that may require some 'spice' in order to be enjoyable. Suggestions include playing High/Low, or even including a draw of one card and an additional betting round after the second betting round.

Kings are always wild, as well as the lowest card face-down in each player's hand. Still other tables play that the King needs to be dealt face-down for it to be wild in that player's hand.

The lowest card dealt face down to each player is wild in that player's hand. This game is otherwise known as Low Hole.

Typical seven card stud, two down, four up, one down. Betting rounds work as in normal stud, except with one stipulation. If a player is dealt a card face-up that matches a card that player already has face-up (i.e. if a player has a pair showing), then that player either folds or matches the amount of money in the pot to stay in the game. If a player has two matching cards, that player can fold or the pot is about to be doubled. Other than this stipulation, the game is dealt and hands are counted as normal.

It stands to reason that the best (and cheapest) hand to be dealt is a flush or a straight, a good hand with no matching cards.

Variations:

If in the course of the deal, all four face-up cards have been dealt to each player and nobody has paired up, then the cards are re-dealt and each player re-antes. On the other hand, if a player is dealt a pair and chooses to fold, the game is still good, but that pair must at least show up for the game to be counted. The dealer calls this stipulation by saying, "No murder, no game." The cards are continually re-dealt until a pair has shown in the course of a game.
Homicide: This variation is played where seven cards are still dealt, but one card is dealt face-down, followed by six cards face up. The odds are far more likely that somebody if not several people are going to match up, not to mention that there would be six betting rounds altogether. Players are helped through this torment of a game by the fact that if a player's down card matches any card that has been dealt to him face-up, those cards are wild. For example, if a player's card in the hole is a 3 and another 3 is dealt face-up to that player, both of those 3s are wild. If a player's card in the hole matches NO card that the player has face-up, then NO cards in that player's hand are wild. This is an expensive game.

See also Pai Gow Poker in the Casino Poker section.

This is not actually a Stud poker game, but is hard to classify anywhere else. Seven cards are immediately dealt face-down to each player. Each player divides their hand into one five-card hand and one two-card hand.

The five-card hand will play as a regular poker hand, but the two-card hand will play as a Two-Card Guts hand, consisting of either a pair, or a high card. The stipulation, however, is that the five-card hand must be of equal or better value than the two-card hand. For example, if the two-card hand consists of a pair of Jacks, then the five-card hand must consist of a pair of Jacks or better.

A betting round is made immediately after the deal. At the same time, all players reveal their chosen two-card hands face-up. This is followed by a second betting round. All players then reveal their five-card hand. The best two-card hand collects half of the pot, the other half going to the player with the best five-card hand.

Variations:

Roll-Off: Two betting rounds isn't the most exciting stud game. Instead, a combination of roll-offs can add to the betting rounds. For example, there might be no betting rounds until the showdown, which is rolled off one card at a time for a total of six betting rounds. Or, each player's two-card hand can be rolled off immediately, followed by a roll-off of each player's five-card hand, for a total of four-five betting rounds.

Five card Stud Poker. Each player is dealt three cards face down, followed by a betting round opened by the player to the dealer's left.

Each player is then dealt one card face up, followed by a betting round opened by the player with the highest card showing. A second card is dealt face up, followed by another betting round, opened by the player with the best hand showing.

Each player then takes their two face up cards and turns them face down, picking up their five cards in their hand. A draw round follows, where each player may discard from their hand and draw new cards from the deck. Having turned their cards face down, players do not know what cards each other player is discarding. Final betting round. Best hand wins.

If the Queen of Spades is dealt face-up to any player at any point in the game, all of the cards are collected by the player to the dealer's left. All players re-ante into what has amassed in the pot so far and the hand is re-dealt from scratch. The game is reset but now, there is all of the money that has collected from the previous round of play. Also, if the Queen of Spades is dealt face-down to any player, then it is wild in that player's hand, revealed at the end of the game. If the Queen of Spades is not dealt at all throughout the course of game, then it is played as standard seven card stud with no cards wild and no stipulations.

Variations:

For some reason, the Queen of Spades (called the Bitch by some) is the focal point of many stud games. In alot of cases, stipulations revolve around this card (another example is Follow the Queen). You could make any card the focal point of this game and give it whatever name you want.

The theme of this game is that each player chooses which of their cards they will show to the rest of the table, while maintaining the format of three cards face-down and four face-up. Each player is dealt three cards face-down. On the count of three, each player chooses which of the three cards they will turn face-up to the rest of the table. This is followed by a betting round, opened by the player with the highest card showing. Another card is dealt face-down to each player, and each player again must turn one of them face-up on the count of three. After another betting round opened by the player with the best hand showing, this continues until each player has been dealt a total of six cards and there have been four betting rounds. At this point, each player has two cards face-down and four cards face-up. The seventh and final card is dealt face-down, and the final betting round is again opened by the player with the best hand showing. Best hand wins.

Variations:

Shifting Sands: Played as Roll Your Own, except that the first card that a player turns face up, and all matching cards, are wild in that player's hand.
Monterey: Played as Roll Your Own, except that each player's hole card at showdown, and all matching cards, are wild in that player's hand.
Flip: Four cards are dealt face down to each player. Each player flips face up any two cards of their choice, followed by a betting round opened by the player with the best hand showing. Regular seven card stud ensues, with two more cards dealt face up and the final card dealt face down. Best hand wins.

Strategies:

The purpose of players choosing which cards to show the table is strategic. Players with bad hands can show the table their best cards to try to intimidate. Or for the opposite effect, players with good hands can show only their weak and mismatched cards to the rest of the table to give the impression of a weaker hand. This also gives a player the advantage of trying to gain the opening of a betting round, by showing high cards.

Seven card Stud Poker. The pot is won by the player who has the second best hand at the table at showdown. If only one player remains in the game, that player wins by default.

Seven card Stud Poker. If throughout the course of cards being dealt face-up, a Two appears, then all Twos are wild in all hands. If this is established, and later a Three appears, then all Threes are wild in all hands (with Twos no longer wild). These cards have to appear in sequence, and this wild-card reversal continues to Fours and up, should they be dealt face-up in the game. If a Two does not appear throughout the course of the game, then there is nothing wild, and it is played as regular seven card stud.

A pair of 7's is the best hand a player can get.

If a player is dealt a 7 face up, the rest of the table does not know if that player has a second 7 face-down. If that player does not, then he or she can still bluff with high bets. Nothing in this game can beat a pair of 7's, except another player who also has a pair of 7's and a higher third card.

Six cards are dealt to each player in some combination of some up and some in the hole. Popular versions are one down, five up OR one down, four up, one down OR two down, four up. Players make their best five card hand with the six cards.

Variations:

Sixty Four (courtesy of Tony Oresteen): Dealt one down, four up, one down. A betting round follows each card dealt face up, opened by the player with the lowest hand at the table. In the end, the pot is split between the high hand at the table and low hand at the table, with cards speaking instead of players declaring. The high hand must consist of at least a Pair; if there is not one Pair or better at the table, the low hand gets the entire pot. The low hand must consist of at least a nine-down; if there is not one nine-down or lower at the table, the high hand gets the entire pot. If no hands qualify for either high or low, then the pot is split up between those players still in the game up to showdown.

Seven card Stud Poker, dealt two down, four up, one down. The lowest card dealt face-down to each player is wild in that player's hand.

A split-pot game, at showdown, with the pot split between the best hand at the table and the hand containing the 'highest number of spots'. Spots refers to the number of 'suit symbols' in the center column of each card (a Three has three spots, an Ace has one spot, an Eight has two spots, etc.).

In case you do not follow how spots are counted, it goes as follows: Ace-1, Two-2, Three-3, Four-0 (no center column of spots), Five-1, Six-0, Seven-1, Eight-2, Nine-1, Ten-2, Face-0.

Variations:

Aaron suggests that after the sixth card is dealt (the fourth card dealt face up), there is declare round as in Guts Poker. Players declare whether or not they wish to continue playing the game. Only those players that call "in" proceed with this betting round, as well as the final card dealt and final betting round. All those players that go "in" and do not win either high hand or high spots must match the pot before it is split between the two winners (in other words, it is not a progressive pot; the matching of the pot is extra winnings for the game's two winners). A cap on this matching of the pot is optional, to protect against losing an unreasonable amount of money (once for playing the game, and a second time for not winning the game).

Five card Stud poker. The dealer deals one card face down to each player. The dealer then deals a second card face down to the player to his or her left. That player has the option of keeping that card or passing it to the next player. If that player keeps it, he or she flips it face up. If that player passes it, he or she is dealt their second card face up (in other words, turning down the first card means you are automatically stuck with the second card). The next player either has the card passed by the first player or is dealt one face down from the dealer. That player has the same option to keep or pass. This continues around the table up to the dealer.

With each player having one card down and one up, the player with the best hand (highest card) showing opens a betting round. Following the betting round, the dealer again deals a card face down to the first player, who can keep or pass.

This continues until each player has one card face down and four face up. Final betting round. Best hand wins.

Variations:

Seven Card Stud: Each player is dealt two cards face down to start. The same keep-or-pass rounds occur until each player has two down and four up. The final card is dealt face down to each player without the option to pass. Final betting round. Best hand wins.

See also Monte Carlo in the Guts Poker section.

Cards are dealt one face-down to each player, followed by two face-up to each player. The dealer will determine beforehand if there is a betting round preceding the first card dealt face-up, but at the very least, one betting round will ensue the dealing of each of the two face-up cards.

There are a number of ways to determine what hand beats what hand in Three-Card Monte, but below are three common examples:

Version #1
(based only on possible poker hands with three cards)