NOTE: All games are played high only (i.e. only the high hand wins) unless otherwise noted.

• Texas Hold'em
  Each player receives two down cards, then a betting round. Then three community cards are dealt (called "the flop"), followed by a betting round. A fouth community card is dealt (called "the turn"), following by a betting round. And finally a fifth community card is dealt (called "the river") followed by betting and the showdown.

  Typically we play $2-$4 Hold'em, which means that all bets and raises before and after the flop must be $2, and all bets and raises on the turn and river cards are $4. Also, we play with "blinds" (forced bets) instead of antes. This means that, at the start of a hand, the player immediately to the dealer's left must post a $1 blind (small blind), and the next player must post $2 (big blind). When betting begins, the player after the big blind may either call the $2 bet, raise $2, or fold. When the betting comes around to the blinds, each has the option to raise, if desired. On all further betting rounds, betting always begins with the player to the dealer's left, and this player may check, bet, or fold.

• Omaha Hold'em
  A high/low split pot game. Same as Texas Hold'em, except that each player is dealt four down cards, and each player must make the best hand made of exactly two hole cards and exactly three board cards. If a player chooses to play both high and low (there is no declare), he may use different hole/board cards for each hand. We play the 8-or-better rule, which means you must have an 8-Low or better in order to qualify for a Low hand. This implies that if the board does not have at least three non-pairing cards less than a Nine, then no Low hand is possible; thus the high hand wins the entire pot. Variation: Same rules, except that the game is played for high only.

• 7-Card Stud
  Two down cards and one up card is dealt to each player. The first highest up card starts the betting. After the first betting round, three more upcards are dealt to each player, with a betting round after each. The 7th card is dealt face down, followed by the last round of betting and the showdown. Typically we play 2-4 Stud, meaning that the bet is $2 through 4th street, and $4 on 5th though 7th streets. Exceptions are:
  • On 3th street, players may simply call the bring-in or "complete" the bet (raise to a full bet).
  • On 4th street, if anyone has a pair showing, the first player to act has the option to bet a full bet (i.e. $4 in a 2-4 game).

• Razz
  7-card stud, except that the lowest hand wins the pot. The lowest possible hand is the wheel, so straights and flushes do not count.

• Ace-to-Five Draw Lowball
  Same as 5-Card Draw, except that the lowest hand wins the pot. The lowest possible hand is the wheel (A2345), so straights and flushes do not count. Also, one joker is added to the deck. If your hands contains a joker, it automatically stands for the lowest possible card (without giving you a pair).

• Deuce-to-Seven Lowball
  Played just like 5-Card Draw Lowball, except that the best hand is 7-5-4-3-2 of at least two different suits. Straights and flushes count against you, and aces are considered high only.

• High-Low Split, 8 or better (a.k.a. "Hi-Lo-8")
  7-card stud high-low split game. The high hand splits the pot with the low hand, where the low hand must be an 8 or better. The perfect low hand is the wheel (A2345), and straights and flushes don't count for low hands (as in Razz). In addition, there is no declare. If nobody has a valid 8-low hand, then the high hand wins the entire pot. (Note: this is one of the few split-pot games where the wheel is the perfect low. See guidelines).

• 5-Card stud
  Each player receives one down card and one up card, following by a betting round. Then each player is dealt three more up cards, with a betting round after each.

• 5-Card draw
  Each player is dealt five down cards, then a betting round. Then each player may exchange up to three of his cards for new cards. Another round of betting ensues, followed by the showdown.

• Pineapple
  Same as Texas Hold'em, except each player is dealt three cards. Then after the first betting round (but before the flop) each player discards one card. Variation: Crazy Pineapple: the discard is after the second betting round, but before the turn.

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• High Chicago
  7-card stud, with the highest spade in the hole (face down) splitting the pot with the winner. The highest spade is the Ace.

• Low Chicago
  7-card stud, with the lowest spade in the hole (face down) splitting the pot with the winner. The lowest spade is the deuce.

• 7 with a Twist
  7-card stud, high only, with one-eyed Jacks and the King with the Axe wild (a total of three wild cards). Also, if a 4 is dealt face-up, the player has the option of immediately purchasing another face-up card for $3.

• Low-Hole-Wild
  7-card stud. The lowest card in the hole (face-down), and all other cards of the same rank, are wild. Typically, you can opt to have your last card dealt face-up for $3 (for cases where you have a big pair in the hole and don't want to take the chance of being dealt a small card, which would change your wild card). Aces are considered a high card, so the lowest possible wild card is a deuce. (e.g.. If your three down cards were A-A-5, then your wild card for your hand are all your fives.) This game is somewhat unique in that each player's hand will have its own wild card.

• High-Low Push
  7-card stud high-low split game with a twist: each player may choose to keep the card dealt to him, or to pass it to the next player. (If the dealer wishes to push a card, it goes to the bottom of the deck). Once a card is kept by a player, all players that pushed immediately receive an upcard, which he must keep. The 7th card is always dealt face down, and cannot be pushed. The dealer is rotated each round, so that each player gets a chance to keep or push the first card.

• Suffecool
  7-card stud, Hi-Low Push (see above) with Kings wilds for low hands and Deuces wild for high hands. In this game, the lowest Three must bring in. As Kevin eloquently explains, "this is because the Deuce is a good card to have, and we want to "punish" the player with the worst initial up-card."

• Red/Black Push
  7-card stud split pot game. This is a point-based game, not a "poker" game. All black cards (clubs and spades) are worth zero points. All red cards (hearts and diamonds) are worth their face value (red face cards are worth ten points, and red Aces are worth eleven). Players will use all seven of their cards to make either a high or low hand (you cannot go pig). The betting begins with the lowest red card dealt as the bring-in. This game is also a "push" game (see High-Low Push for rules on how cards are pushed). However, the last card is not dealt down, but is "pushed" as well, giving all final players two initial down cards and five up cards. At showdown, there is a declare, and the winners are determined. A perfect "low" consists of seven black cards, and the perfect "high" is 72 (both red Aces and five red ten-point cards).

• Red/Black Push ("Equal Opportunity version")
  Same as rules as Red/Black Push except that black cards give you a negative score. So a red king and a black queen in effect cancel each other out. The perfect high stays the same: 72. But the perfect low is -72. Or, as a twist, if you can manage to get a score of exactly ZERO after 7 cards, you automatically scoop the whole pot.

• Count Your Diamonds
  7-card stud, split-pot game. Highest hand splits the pot with the hand with the highest diamond count. Diamonds are worth their face value in points (e.g. Deuce = 2 points, Ten = 10 points), where the Jack of Diamonds is worth 11, the Queen of Diamonds is worth 12, the King of Diamonds counts for 13, and the Ace of Diamonds is worth 14 points. All of a players cards (both up and down) count towards that hand's total diamond count.
  Variations: "Clubbed to Death", "Heart Attack", and "Dig your Grave" -- same game, different suits.

• Count Your Own Suit
  Similar to Count your Diamonds except that each player chooses whichever suit he wants to "count".

• Terrible Twos (a.k.a. "Dos Terribles")
  7-card stud game, with the possibility of a split pot. The game is played just like regular Seven Card Stud. However, at showdown, if any player has a majority count of Deuces in their hand (all seven cards), that player splits the pot with the highest poker hand. If no final player has a hand that contains Deuces, or if two or more players tie with the highest Deuce count, then only the high hand wins.

• Follow-the-Queen
  
  • 7-card stud
  • Queens are always wild (either up or down)
  • The card deals immediately following an up-Queen is wild, and all of like rank.
  • If another up-Queen appears, the "old" wild card (if one existed) is no longer wild, and the new follow card is the "new" wild card.
  • If the last up card is a Queen, the "old" wild card (if one existed) remains wild.
  • If no Queens ever appear face up, then only Queens are wild.
  There are variations, such "as queens are not wild, only the card that follows them," or "if a queen is the last upcard, then only queens are wild." Keep your ears open for such pronouncements, as it seems everyone likes to play this game a different way.

• Canadian Stud
  5-Card stud with a twist. Two additional hands are added into the mix: a 4-straight and a 4-flush. They are inserted between one pair and two pair in hand ranking, so the order becomes:
             One Pair
             Four to a straight (with no gaps!)
             Four to a flush
             Two Pair
  

• Suffestud
  5-Card Stud, High-Low, with an option to trade in a card after the fifth card is dealt. It costs $1 to trade an up-card for another up-card, $1 to trade a down-card for another down-card, or $2 to trade an up-card for a down-card. After the card substitutions, there's an additional betting round, a declare and then showdown.

• Pass the Trash (a.k.a. "Anaconda")
  A high/low split pot game. Each player receives seven cards. Then each player chooses three cards and passes them to the player on his left. (This is known as the "standard direction"). When all players have their cards, each player chooses two cards and passes them two players to the left. Then each player passes one card three players to his left. Then finally each player makes the best 5-card hand for high or low (or, in rare cases, pig) and discards the remaining two cards into the center discard pile. Each player sorts his cards into the order he wishes to reveal them, and then turns over one card at a time, with a betting round after each card is rolled. When only one card remains, there is chip declare and showdown, with no further betting.

• 42nd Street
  A high/low split pot game. Each player receives four down cards. Six community cards are placed face down like this:
  
  making a 4-card row and a 2-card row, hence the name. Each player must make the best high and/or low hand by using exactly two cards from his hand, two cards from the 4-card row, and one card from the 2-card row. To begin, three of the community cards (exactly one from the 2-card row, and two from the 4-card row) are revealed. This is followed by a betting round. Then the remaining community cards are revealed one at a time, each followed by a round of betting. Then there is a chip declare and showdown, with no further betting.

• Roll Your Own
  This is a variation of many 7-card stud games. It simply means that each card (from 3rd street to 6th street) is dealt face down, and the player has a choice of which down-cards he wishes to turn over. All players should decide and roll their cards at the same time.

• Hybrid
  This is a high-only game that works very well with 6 or fewer players, although still possible with more. Everyone antes $1, and the game starts as 5-Card Draw: 5 cards are dealt to each player. The betting begins to the dealer's left. After the first betting round, each player can trade in up to 3 cards (perhaps less with 7 or 8 players if it is decided beforehand). Then another betting round. Then, each player arranges two of his cards face down and three face up, and the game switches over to 7-card stud for the rest of the game.

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