vinnie
Legend
Silver Level
Now you're asking the right questions! Home game craziness below. Every one of these I have played for real money, many of them in a NL or PL format. I'm a sick degenerate, when given the opportunity. I am winning, long-term, in these sorts of games, but the swings can be insane.
Follow the Queen
This is 7 card stud. Queens are wild. On top of that, if someone is dealt a Queen in their upcards, the next upcard dealt is also wild. If another queen is dealt, later, the old card is no longer wild. If a queen is the last upcard dealt for the hand, only queens are wild.
This game is crazy because of the potential for 8 wild cards and the possibility of shifting wild cards. You can go from having a great hand to having garbage very quickly. The only sure card is a queen. This is my son's current favorite game. We play a lot of this.
This game is crazy because of the potential for 8 wild cards and the possibility of shifting wild cards. You can go from having a great hand to having garbage very quickly. The only sure card is a queen. This is my son's current favorite game. We play a lot of this.
Four by Four
Not my favorite, as I found it less interesting than most games.
You are dealt 4 cards. There is a betting round. A single card is dealt to the community cards. Betting. Repeat until there are 4 community cards.
You may use as many cards from your hand as you wish.
When I first played this, it was no-limit and no-checking (first player in had to bet at least $1, everyone after could call or raise).
You are dealt 4 cards. There is a betting round. A single card is dealt to the community cards. Betting. Repeat until there are 4 community cards.
You may use as many cards from your hand as you wish.
When I first played this, it was no-limit and no-checking (first player in had to bet at least $1, everyone after could call or raise).
There's more, but I will post them later. It's time for dinner.
vinnie
Legend
Silver Level
I lost a bunch when my power went out. So, just one more until later.
Jacks or Better, Trips to Win
Jacks or Better, Trips to Win
We used to play this one with a 25c ante with no-limit betting between tournaments at a weekly live game. It creates lots of action. It's a 5 card draw variation.
First, it plays like standard Jacks or better. If you don't have a pair of Jacks or better, you have to check. If you do have better, you can "open" for a bet. You don't have to, but if it checks all the way through you'll have to throw your hand away. If everyone checks: everyone throws their hand away, everyone antes again, everyone gets new cards, and you start again. This happens until someone opens. You don't need jacks or better to call or raise after someone else has opened--just as the first person in the pot.
After the draw, if there is a showdown, the winner must have trips or better. If they have two pair or worse, there is no winner. The players that saw showdown all ante again. They get new hands, and it plays out again. If someone bets and no one calls, they can win without having trips or better.
These pots can get progressively larger. People will often stay in with poor hands, in the hopes that people betting after the draw won't have trips or better and they will get a new hand. If you fold, you are out until someone wins, so people don't like to fold in this game. They stay way longer than they should and call with hands that can never win. You'll be called by two pair and worse way more often than you should be. As a word of advice, don't be that person.
Example of a hand that's close to how things played out fairly often.
5 players ante. Pot $1.25. It checks through. Re-ante and new deal. Pot $2.50. Player opens to $2. Three people call. Pot is $10.50. A player bets $10 and two players call. Pot $40.50... No one has trips. The remaining 3 players ante. Pot $41.25, no one opens. The 3 players re-ante. Pot $42. Player opens to $25 and gets called twice. Pot $117. Draw. Player bets $80. One person calls. Pot $277. At this point, you might have a winner. You might not. It is hard to get trips or better, unless you started with trips or better. If you don't, then you have a $277.50 starting pot, heads up. A 25c ante game should have pots of like $18 or $20, but these games can grow much bigger. This might be a function of the game I was in. It was very loose and wild and full of really bad players.
First, it plays like standard Jacks or better. If you don't have a pair of Jacks or better, you have to check. If you do have better, you can "open" for a bet. You don't have to, but if it checks all the way through you'll have to throw your hand away. If everyone checks: everyone throws their hand away, everyone antes again, everyone gets new cards, and you start again. This happens until someone opens. You don't need jacks or better to call or raise after someone else has opened--just as the first person in the pot.
After the draw, if there is a showdown, the winner must have trips or better. If they have two pair or worse, there is no winner. The players that saw showdown all ante again. They get new hands, and it plays out again. If someone bets and no one calls, they can win without having trips or better.
These pots can get progressively larger. People will often stay in with poor hands, in the hopes that people betting after the draw won't have trips or better and they will get a new hand. If you fold, you are out until someone wins, so people don't like to fold in this game. They stay way longer than they should and call with hands that can never win. You'll be called by two pair and worse way more often than you should be. As a word of advice, don't be that person.
Example of a hand that's close to how things played out fairly often.
5 players ante. Pot $1.25. It checks through. Re-ante and new deal. Pot $2.50. Player opens to $2. Three people call. Pot is $10.50. A player bets $10 and two players call. Pot $40.50... No one has trips. The remaining 3 players ante. Pot $41.25, no one opens. The 3 players re-ante. Pot $42. Player opens to $25 and gets called twice. Pot $117. Draw. Player bets $80. One person calls. Pot $277. At this point, you might have a winner. You might not. It is hard to get trips or better, unless you started with trips or better. If you don't, then you have a $277.50 starting pot, heads up. A 25c ante game should have pots of like $18 or $20, but these games can grow much bigger. This might be a function of the game I was in. It was very loose and wild and full of really bad players.