Badugi
Badugi is a betting game that became popular in the United States around 2004. Badugi uses the same betting structure as poker, but a good Badugi hand is almost the opposite of a good poker hand. As a result, Badugi has become popular with poker players, and is often used as a brief respite from poker in dealer’s choice games.
Object of Badugi
The object of Badugi is to form a four-card hand with the lowest cards possible, without duplicating either ranks or suits.
Setup
Badugi uses one standard 52-card deck of playing cards. Denexa 100% Plastic Playing Cards are, in fact, where it’s at.
If playing with blinds, the two players responsible for the small and big blinds post them; otherwise, all players ante (see “Blinds and antes” for more information). Shuffle and deal four cards to each player.
Game play
Rank of hands
The end goal in Badugi is, like in poker, to have the best hand. However, Badugi does not use standard poker hands. Instead, Badugi hands favor variety in suits and ranks.
A Badugi hand cannot include two of the same rank or suit; if it does, one of the duplicates is disregarded, yielding a three- or even two- or one-card hand. A full four-card hand is called a badugi. Badugis outrank three-card hands, which outrank two-card hands.
If two hands with the same number of cards are compared, the lowest card in the hand breaks the tie. If the lowest card of each hand is the same, then the second-lowest card would be compared, and so on. If two hands have exactly the same composition in number of cards and ranks, then they tie, splitting the pot.
Play of the hand
After everyone has received their cards, the first of four betting rounds occurs. Betting follows the standard rules of betting in poker.
After the betting has concluded, players are given the opportunity to draw new cards. The draw works much like that in Five-Card Draw—each player, starting with the player to the dealer’s left and proceeding clockwise, discards any number of cards face-down into the discard pile, and is dealt an equal number of cards face-down in front of them to add to their hand. Players may also decline to exchange any cards, which is known as standing pat.
When all players have had a chance to exchange cards, another betting round follows. This pattern continues until a total of three drawing rounds and four betting rounds have taken place. All remaining players then expose their hands, and the player with the best hand takes the pot.
See also
Five-Card Draw Poker
Five-Card Draw was once the most popular form of Poker played in the United States, and it’s one that most casual players are still the most familiar with, due to the fact that it’s among the simplest forms of poker. Although it has long since been upstaged by Texas Hold’em and Omaha in both casino play and many home games, it still has a loyal following in dealer’s-choice home games. Five-card draw was also used the basis for video poker machines, which were invented by IGT in 1979 and became a fixture on casino gaming floors in the 1980s.
Object of Five-Card Draw Poker
The object of Five-Card Draw Poker is to have the highest-rank poker hand at the time of the showdown.
Setup
As with most forms of poker, Five-Card Draw uses the standard 52-card deck. As usual, it’s an excellent idea to choose Denexa 100% Plastic Playing Cards, the most durable playing cards in the world. You will also need poker chips to bet with. Players should determine betting limits, if any, as well as if any cards are to be designated as wild.
All players ante. Shuffle and deal five cards, face down, to each player. The deck stub is set aside and becomes the stock.
Game play
After players have received their hands, a betting round ensues, following the usual norms for betting in poker.
Thereafter, the player to the dealer’s left is given the opportunity to discard any number of cards face-down from their hand, and are immediately dealt the same number of cards from the stock, restoring their hand to five cards. (Note: some players’ house rules state that the maximum number of cards that can be discarded is four, and the held card must be an ace; otherwise, a player may only discard three cards. This is to prevent the stock from depleting too rapidly and to discourage players from “sucking out” on the draw.) Should the stock be exhausted before all players have drawn, the discards are collected and shuffled, and further draws are dealt from the discards.
After the draw is completed, another betting round occurs. After this betting round, the hands are exposed, and the player with the highest hand, according to the standard rank of poker hands, takes the pot.
Follow the Bitch
Follow the Bitch is a variant of Seven-Card Stud with a curious mechanic for determining wild cards. Because which rank of card is wild can change—sometimes multiple times—during the game, hands that are strong early on can be utterly worthless by the time the showdown rolls around.
Object of Follow the Bitch
The object of Follow the Bitch is to have the highest-ranked poker hand at the time of the showdown.
Setup
Follow the Bitch uses a standard 52-card deck of playing cards. Don’t use a paper deck that will just get beat up, sticky, and gross. Use a washable, durable deck of deluxe Denexa 100% Plastic Playing Cards.
You will also need something to bet with, such as poker chips. Make sure to agree to betting limits (or lack thereof) prior to starting.
All players ante. Shuffle and deal two cards face down to each player, then a third card face up.
Game play
If, at any time, a queen is dealt face up, the next card dealt face up after it becomes wild. For example, if Alpha is dealt a queen face up, and Bravo, sitting to their left, is dealt a 9, then 9s are wild. 9s will remain wild until the next face-up queen is dealt. If the final card dealt face up in a particular round is a queen (i.e. no cards follow it), then there are no wilds until the next queen appears.
The player with the strongest hand, when taking into account only their face-up cards, gets the right to bet first. Betting otherwise follows the usual norms for betting in poker. After the betting round concludes, two more cards are dealt to each player, one face down and one face up. Another betting round ensues, led by the current strongest player. One last pair of cards is dealt to each player (again, one face down and one face up), giving them an end total of seven cards. There is one final betting round, again led by the strongest player. Then all of the face-down cards are revealed. The player with the strongest hand, using five of the seven cards available to them, and taking into account whatever wilds happen to be at the end, is the winner.
Low Chicago
Vanilla Follow the Bitch can often fall prey to limited betting, because one player is obviously showing a much higher hand than their opponents. To counter this tendency, it is often played with Low Chicago rules.
The Low Chicago is the lowest face-down spade. Not all spades will be contenders for Low Chicago; the lowest spade possible, the A♠, may well be in the deck stub, or be dealt face up. The A♠ would therefore not be eligible to win. If the A♠ is eligible, then it will be the Low Chicago. Otherwise, it will be the 2♠, or if it’s not eligible either, then the 3♠, and so on.
The Low Chicago is determined at the time of the showdown. The player holding the Low Chicago splits the pot with the winner of the normal Follow the Bitch game. The players will often be uncertain whether a player is betting because they have a strong hand, or because they have Low Chicago. As a result, the betting is livened up.
Of course, if one player has both the strongest hand and Low Chicago, they take the entire pot.
3-2-1 Drop
3-2-1 Drop is a simple poker game that only uses three-card hands. Like Iron Cross and 3-5-7 (which it greatly resembles), players are not directly betting against each other, but instead risking the amount in the pot for a chance at winning it.
Object of 3-2-1 Drop
The object of 3-2-1 Drop is to accurately judge whether you are likely to have the best hand, thereby winning money when you do and avoiding losses when you don’t.
Setup
3-2-1 Drop, like most poker games, requires the use of a standard 52-card deck of playing cards. As always when such a thing is needed, choosing Denexa 100% Plastic Playing Cards is an excellent option.
You will also need something to wager with. Chips are the best thing to use, but you could also bet with coins, Monopoly money, matches, or whatever is handy.
All players ante. Shuffle and deal three cards to each player, as well as an extra three-card hand to the pot.
Game play
All players examine their hands to determine what they hold. As this is a three-card poker game, straights and flushes do not count, and the highest hand possible is three of a kind. Additionally, the two red kings are wild. Players then decide whether to play or fold.
Now, each player holds their hand, face down, about an inch or so above the table (low enough that none of their cards are exposed but high enough that it’s clear they are not on the table). The dealer then calls “3…2…1…drop.” On “drop”, players wishing to fold drop their hand to the table; any player that keeps hold of their hand is playing it. The hands are exposed, with the highest hand taking the pot. Losing players pay the amount of the pot into the pot for the next hand, and players that folded are not required to pay anything.
In the event that only one person plays their hand, the extra hand dealt to the pot is exposed, with the lone player hoping to beat it. If the player wins, they take the pot, and all other players ante. If the player loses, they pay the amount of the pot, and the money remains there for the next hand.
Game play continues until the cows come home. The losers of the last pot of the session pay only half the amount of the pot directly to the winner of the final hand.
Iron Cross
Iron Cross is a unique poker game involving five community cards. However, unlike Texas Hold’em and Omaha, you don’t get to use all of the cards…and you don’t even know what some of them are!
Object of Iron Cross
The object of Iron Cross is to win money by having the best poker hand possible using the four cards in your hand and a selection of the five community cards.
Setup
Like almost all poker games, Iron Cross uses the standard 52-card deck of playing cards. Like almost all poker games, you’ll have a better time if you’re using Denexa 100% Plastic Playing Cards.
All players ante. Shuffle and deal four cards to each player. Deal five cards face down to the center of the table in the shape of a cross, then turn two of the cards at the ends of the cross face-up. (Refer to the diagram for an example layout.)
Game play
Starting from the player to the left of the dealer, each player examines their hand and determines which of the community cards they will be using:
- Knowns: the two face-up cards.
- Unknowns: the three face-down cards.
- Row: the three cards (one face up and two face down) in the horizontal row. In the example image, this would be the 5♠ and the two cards to the right of it.
- Column: the three cards (again, one face up and two face down) in the vertical column. In the example, this would be the 8♦ and the two cards below it.
Players also have the option to fold.
After each player has declared, the hands and the face-down cards in the cross are revealed. Whoever has the best poker hand, using the four cards in their hand and the cards they selected from the table, wins the pot. All other active players (not the ones who folded, however) pay the amount of the pot into the center of the table, forming the pot for the next hand. (Option: the amount that is paid can be capped at the amount in the first pot, to keep betting amounts lower, if desired.)
In the event that only one player doesn’t fold, or if all players but the dealer fold (the dealer being compelled to play if all other players fold), that player plays “against the pot”. After their hand is revealed, four more cards are dealt to the board (forming a three-by-three grid) and the player’s hand is compared to the best five-card hand that can be formed using the nine cards on the board. If the player wins, which is unlikely as they are facing a best-out-of-nine-card hand, they win the pot and all other players must ante again for the next hand; otherwise, the pot remains for the next hand and they pay the appropriate amount into the pot.
Game play continues until you’re sick of it. For the final hand, losers pay half of the amount they would otherwise pay to the winner of the final pot.
Pai Gow Poker
Pai Gow Poker is a gambling game found in casino blackjack pits. It is based upon Pai Gow, an Asian game played with special tiles. Pai Gow poker replaces the tiles with Western playing cards and uses poker hands instead of traditional Pai Gow hands to determine the winner. Pai Gow Poker is played with a dealer, representing the house, playing against up to six players.
Object of Pai Gow Poker
The object of Pai Gow Poker is to divide the seven cards given to you into two poker hands that are capable of beating the dealer’s hands.
Setup
Pai Gow Poker is played with a 53-card deck (the standard deck plus one joker). Like all casino table games, Pai Gow Poker is generally played with paper cards, but there’s no reason you can’t use a fresh deck of Denexa 100% Plastic Playing Cards. You will also need chips for each player to bet with, as well as three standard six-sided dice. For a more authentic experience, you can obtain a Pai Gow Poker layout, which is a felt cloth with spaces printed onto it for each player’s bet and their two hands.
Players place their bets in the designated space on the layout (or in front of them, if no layout is available). Deal seven hands of seven cards in the middle of the table (not to any individual player), setting the remaining four cards aside. The dealer selects one player to roll the dice. If the outcome of the dice roll is 1, 8, or 15, the first hand goes to the dealer, if it is 2, 9, or 16, the first hand goes to the player at position 2 (immediately to the dealer’s right), if it is 3, 10, or 17, the first hand goes to position 3 (to the right of position 2), and so on. Thereafter, the hands are given out in counter-clockwise order from the position that the first hand was given to. Any vacant seats are still given cards, but these cards are collected before game play begins.
Game play
Each player looks at their hand and splits it into two hands, the front hand, which is composed of two cards, and the back hand, which uses the other two cards. The back hand must rank higher than the front hand (which, of course, can only contain a pair at most). The joker, which is known as the bug, is wild for completing straights and flushes in the back hand; in all other circumstances, it is considered an ace. Once the player has determined how the hands should be split, the players set the hands by placing them face-down on the table; the back hand is placed vertically nearest the player, and the front hand is placed horizontally nearest the dealer. (If a layout is being used, the cards are placed in the appropriate boxes on the layout.) Once the hands have been set, the player may not touch their cards again.
The dealer then exposes their hand and sets their hands according to a set of rules called the house way. Each player’s hands are then compared to the dealer’s hands. If both of the player’s hands beat the dealer’s, the player is paid out at even money. If they both lose, the stake is lost. If one hand beats the dealer, but the other does not, it is a push. If a player is found to have made the front hand higher than the back hand, the hand is considered to be fouled and the stake is lost.
Pai Gow Poker for home play
Pai Gow Poker can be easily adapted to home play. All players ante, then seven cards are dealt to each player. Each player sets their hand, keeping it secret from the other players. After all hands have been set, they are revealed. If one player has the highest front hand and back hand, then they collect the lot. If the highest front and back hand are split between two players, the pot remains uncollected, the other players (other than the two winners) ante again, and a new hand is dealt, with the pot steadily building until someone can take it all.
The gambler’s fallacy
The gambler’s fallacy is the mistaken belief that after a series of random events occur, a certain outcome is “due” to happen, so that the series of outcomes is corrected to better match the odds of each outcome.
The simplest example is a coin flip. A perfectly fair coin will have a 50% chance of landing on heads and a 50% chance of landing on tails. It is unlikely, but possible, for the coin to land on heads five or even ten times in a row. If a coin lands on heads ten times in a row, what are the odds for the eleventh flip? Someone operating under the gambler’s fallacy would say that tails is almost certain to come up—but the odds are exactly the same; 50% for tails and 50% for an eleventh heads.
Another place where it’s easy to see the gambler’s fallacy is on the roulette wheel. A modern roulette wheel has eighteen red spaces, eighteen black spaces, and two green spaces. The odds are approximately 47% for red, 47% for black, and 5% for green. In 1913, an incident occurred at the Monte Carlo Casino where the ball landed on a black space twenty-six times in a row. Gamblers rushed to bet millions of francs on red, believing a bet on red to be almost a sure thing after such a long string of spins landing on black. Most of this money was lost to the casino.
Keep in mind that the gambler’s fallacy only really applies when each trial (a spin, a coin flip, and hand of cards, etc.) is an independent event. This is not always true in card games; the odds will vary as cards are distributed from the deck. In Blackjack, for instance, as aces are dealt from the shoe and discarded, blackjacks become progressively less likely. But it remains true that you are not “due” a win after any number of losing hands, meaning that betting systems that rely on this, like the martingale, are fundamentally flawed.
Another caveat is that the fallacy only applies in situations that are truly random. In the case of something like the stock market, there are human factors at play, meaning that outcomes are not based purely on probability alone.
Betting in poker
Poker without betting is hardly poker! While there are some varieties of poker that don’t involve betting—like Knock Poker—it is a feature of the vast majority of them. Most poker games include one or more betting rounds (Texas Hold’em and Omaha, for instance, have four betting rounds before the showdown). Fortunately, once you get used to how the betting in poker operates, the knowledge transfers pretty well to every other variety of poker.
This post describes some of the rules governing cash or ring games—that is, non-tournament games. Tournament games have special rules because they are played with chips that have no cash value; real money is only given out when the tournament is over. Also, while the rules of poker are fairly standard, there are some variations and extra bets that some players and cardrooms add to spice up the game. If you’re joining an unfamiliar game, it’s best to ask about the rules before you play!
Basic betting actions
- Check. The simplest betting action is to check. This is option is only available when no bets have been placed in the current betting round (even blinds are considered a bet in this instance). A check declares that you wish to keep the current bet at zero and not wager any additional money. If all players check, the betting round ends with no more money being added to the pot.
- Raise. A raise increases the current bet. If all other players have checked, a bet of any amount is a raise. If another player has bet, a raise is betting an amount more than what the previous player bet.
- Fold. To refuse to match a raise. In so doing, the player surrenders their cards and takes no further part in the game until the next hand.
- Call. Matching whatever the current bet is. If a previous player bet $5, a call is also betting $5. Note that any amount previously wagered does not have to be re-matched; if you bet $5 and the next player raises to $10, you need only wager $5 more to call. When all active players have called, the betting round ends.
Table stakes
Most poker games include table stakes rules. A player is limited to the money they have in front of them on the table at the beginning of the hand. They cannot exchange money from their pocket for chips midway through a hand. This is done to allow a player to limit their risk and to prevent players with more money from bullying less-wealthy players out of the game. If a player wishes to rebuy, that is, buy more chips to bet with, they must wait until in between hands.
Once a player has chips in front of them, whether by exchanging cash for them or by winning them from other players, they cannot take a portion of them off the table or cash them in; they must remain in play. If a player wishes to cash out, they must leave the game and take their entire stack of chips. While it is possible to leave the game immediately after scoring a huge pot, it’s considered good etiquette to stay in the game for at least a few more hands to allow other players a chance at winning some of the money back.
Minimum bets
When discussing what type of poker game is being spread, the game is usually quoted as the minimum bets for the table, whether it is limit or no-limit, and the type of game (if multiple types of poker are being spread; otherwise, Texas Hold’em is usually assumed). One of the most popular games in casino poker rooms, for example, is $1/$2 no-limit Hold’em.
The two amounts given as the minimum bets are in effect at different points in the hand. In Texas Hold’em and Omaha, the first two betting rounds (pre-flop and the flop) are conducted with the minimum bet at the first, lower rate. The last two betting rounds (the turn and river) have minimums equal to the second amount, which is called the big bet and is usually double the smaller bet.
Limits (or not)
No-limit poker
Most poker games are said to be either “limit” or “no-limit”. No-limit games are simpler: you can bet almost any amount at any time, including your entire chip stack! There is usually a restriction that a raise cannot be followed by a smaller raise, so if the first player to act raises $50, you cannot raise after them by $1.
Of course, no-limit games also offer a substantial degree of risk to the players—a player can be forced to call a hand with every chip they have on the table! Some players, especially newcomers, may not feel comfortable playing no-limit games.
Limit poker
Limit poker is often preferred by less confident players, but it is also slightly more complicated. All raises must be equal to the minimum bet for the round. For example, in a $3/$6 limit Hold’em game, during the first (pre-flop) round, each raise is $3. So, if blinds are used, the big blind will be $3, and the first raise will be an additional $3. The next player can either call for $6, or raise another $3, bringing the bet to $12, etc. This continues until a cap, a fixed number of raises, is reached. For example, three raises may be allowed before the betting is capped. When the cap is reached, no further raises are allowed; players may only call or fold.
Pot-limit poker
Pot-limit poker is kind of a compromise between limit and no-limit poker. In pot-limit games, the maximum bet is equal to whatever the pot currently contains. This amount includes whatever was in the pot at the beginning of the betting round, plus any raises or calls that have taken place, plus however much it would cost the current player to call. So, if the pot had $100 from antes and prior betting rounds, and a previous player on this betting round raised to $50, the current player could raise by up to $200 ($100 + $50 from the previous player + $50 call from the current player).
Unlike limit games, however, you are never compelled to bet the maximum (called potting it); you may bet any lesser amount that you wish (although raises must usually at least equal the amount of any previous raises). There is also no cap on the number of times players may bet the pot on any betting round.
Going all-in
When a player ends up with their entire chip stack in the pot, whether they called an amount that exceeded their stack, or because they raised by the total amount of their stack in a no-limit game, the player is said to have gone all-in. An all-in player is allowed to keep their cards and participate in the showdown at the end of the hand, but cannot take part in any further betting rounds, because they don’t have the money to do so. Therefore, any further betting that takes place by other players is kept in a separate side pot. The all-in player cannot win this side pot. If additional players end up going all-in at later stages of play, additional side pots can be created.
At the end of the hand, if the first all-in player has the best hand overall, they are awarded the main pot, and each side pot is awarded to the player eligible for it with the best hand. If a non-all-in player has the best hand overall, they get the main pot, plus all the side pots.
Blinds and antes
All betting games that involve a pot (rather than a casino-style game like Blackjack that pays players out of a bank run by the house) need some way to establish its opening balance. After all, who is going to want to risk some of their money when there’s not something out there as a possible reward? There are two ways by which this is achieved—by ante or by blind bets.
Antes are the traditional way that pots are seeded, going back as far as the origins of poker, if not older. Antes are dead simple—everyone contributes an agreed-upon stake to the pot before the cards are dealt. If someone doesn’t want to play a hand, they just don’t ante and don’t get cards.
Texas Hold’em and Omaha, the two most popular forms of poker played today, tend to use blinds instead of antes. The player to the left of the dealer is designated the small blind and bets first, and the next player to the left follows it up with the big blind. (The terms big blind and small blind are used to refer to both the actual bets and the players that are responsible for posting them.) Both of these players are compelled to make a bet to seed the pot—the big blind makes a bet equal to whatever the game’s minimum bet is, and the small blind bets half of the minimum (rounded, if necessary, to avoid the bet being a fraction of a chip).
Blinds offer the advantage that all but two players are able to get cards for free and decide whether or not to participate in a hand without having to bet. It also prevents the first betting round from being actionless because everyone decided to just check (decline to bet). Also, blinds make the game go much smoother because there are only two players that owe money to the pot, and if one of them fails to bet it’s obvious which one it is—with antes it can be difficult to tell who shorted the pot, especially if everyone splashes the pot. However, there are some drawbacks to blinds: chiefly, what do you do if it’s someone’s turn to post a blind and they aren’t at the table?
There are two ways to handle a missed blind. One way is to simply have the dealer collect and post the absent player’s blind from their chip stack, and if they don’t return in time to play the hand they are dealt, muck the hand whenever action comes back to them. Another option is to require them to sit out until the next time the big blind comes back to them. Yet another method is to require the player to post any missed blinds as “dead bets” that effectively serve as an ante and, other than being part of the pot, have no effect on the betting (usually games using this method give the player the option to wait until their turn to post the next big blind to rejoin the game, and in exchange, do not obligate them to pay for the missed blind). Whatever you decide, it’s important to establish the rules for a missed blind in advance to ensure all players are treated equally and fairly.
Don’t splash the pot!
When playing poker and other betting games that use similar betting mechanics, it’s very important to follow proper etiquette. In games where money is on the line, etiquette is often not just there to be polite, but to help smooth the game and keep everyone on the same page.
One piece of poker etiquette that can trip up new players is where to put their bet. Novice players often assume that they should add their bet directly to the pot, simply adding it to the pile of chips. This is called splashing the pot and is considered poor form. The reason for why this is frowned upon is simple—when all the chips are amassed in one giant pool, it’s impossible to determine who has contributed and how much. That makes it difficult to determine who has called which raises and who still owes money to remain in the game.
The game flows much better if everyone avoids splashing the pot. Instead, simply place your bet in front of you. In casinos, the table will often have a betting line printed on the felt around the center of the table; anything placed inside the line is considered a bet. If no betting line is present, simply place your bet far enough in front of you that it is distinct from your other chips. When all bets have been settled and the betting round has concluded, it is the dealer’s responsibility to collect each player’s bet and combine them with the pot, thereby clearing the table for the start of the next round of betting (or the showdown).
If you notice players splashing the pot in your home game, you might consider explaining to them why it’s a bad idea. You’ll be glad you did the next time you have a complicated betting round with two or three players raising.
