Player's Stories

Add a Little Variety To Your Home Game
By Steve Ruddock

Tired of playing the same poker games every time you and your friends gather for a home game? 7 Card Stud, 5 Card Draw, Texas Hold Em..., this is the first in a series of columns to introduce you to some little known and seldom played poker games.

Third Street

The next game we will take a look at in this series is Third Street. Third Street is an action game with very little folding in the early rounds making for some very big pots. With a total of 10 cards to play it is a game where multiple players will have very strong hands.

Lets start with how to play, each player is dealt 5 cards face down and 5 community cards are dealt face down with the third one being placed sideways. The player to the left of the dealer will start the betting. The first two community cards are then flipped followed by another round of betting. Now we come to the sideways third card , flip it over now this card is used not only to make the best hand but the card that immediately follows it will split the pot. For example if the third card is the six of diamonds the player with the seven of diamonds in his hand will split the pot. If no one holds the seven of diamonds then it goes to the eight then the nine and so on. If the third street card is the queen of clubs and no player has either the king or ace of clubs it goes to the two then the three and so forth. Finally the fourth and fifth community cards are flipped one at a time followed by betting rounds. Each player makes there best five card poker hand using any combination of his cards and the community cards.

Almost every player will stay in until the third card is flipped so the best strategy for when you start with a mediocre hand is get to that third card as cheaply as possible and when you start with premium hands raise and reraise them to make your opponents pay the maximum to see that third card. Another key to playing Third Street properly is to realize that with 10 cards to use the winning hands will be very strong straight flushes or four of a kind are not uncommon in this game. You need a very strong hand to win the best hand half of the pot a straight or a flush will not cut it! I consider a strong hand in this game to be a full house with the highest board card or better. It is not uncommon to see every player see the showdown as with 10 cards to use most of them will have a decent hand and you might have a couple with a card they think will split the pot. Your advantage in this game comes from the knowledge that while your opponents draw to their straights and flushes you fold them to save bets. Money saved is money earned. Third Street is a good change of pace game most of your opponents will not be able to adjust fast enough to realize a straight is not going to win. I realize it is tempting to stay in to see that third card but if your initial five cards are uncoordinated with no chance of making a high hand such as the 2c7dJh5s9s you need to fold, again money saved is money earned.

Shuffle up and deal and give Third Street a try at your next home game, hope for quad aces in your hand and the third card to be a king and scoop that giant pot towards you!