1. High-low split: the highest and lowest hands split the pot. Generally there is a qualifier for the low hand. For example, the low hand must have 5 cards with ranks of 8 or less. In most high-low games the usual rank of poker hands is observed, so that an unsuited broken straight (7-5-4-3-2) wins low (see Morehead, Official Rules of Card Games). In a variant, based on Lowball, where only the low hand wins, a straight or a flush does not matter for a low hand. So the best low hand is 5-4-3-2-A, suited or not.
2. Lowball: The lowest hand wins the pot. There are different rules about whether or not aces count as low, and the effects of straights and flushes. The most common variants areRazz and 2-7 Triple Draw
3. Players can pass cards to each other. An example of this would be Anaconda.
4. ‘Kill game’. When a fixed limit game is played and a player wins two pots in a row, the stakes are doubled. In some split-pot games (e.g., Omaha), a player winning both halves of the pot may also cause a kill. In some variants of Lowball, a player may choose to kill by placing a double bet after seeing his first two cards.
5. Wild cards are added. This can range from simply making deuces wild to the wild 7-stud variant of baseball.
6. A twist round in which players can buy another card from the deck. If a player does not like the purchased card, the player can purchase another one by adding money to the pot. This is sometimes called a “Tittle.”
7. A stripped deck may be used. Poker was first played with only 20 cards. In the spirit of poker history, players will sometimes only play with a stripped deck. A popular poker game in Spain is played with cards 8-A. It is played similar to hold’em, except that one card is dealt at a time and a player must use both hole cards.
8. The double flip variant (also known as doomsday and the jaws of victory) was introduced in pub/club games throughout Europe in recent years and was devised to keep inactive (‘busted out’) players in the mix, and therefore, in the pub or club. If players are heads-up (i.e. there are only 2 players left) in a tournament, and both players have the same ranked pocket pairs (e.g. both players have KK, or both players have 33 etc.) and if on the same hands, one of the players is all-in and called (or calls with his/her entire stack), then the double flip situation occurs. All players that were previously present on the table (and subsequent ‘busted out’) will be given a share of the pot (determined at the start of the game – usually the pot will just be split between the inactive players who are still present and the player who was all-in, with the chip-leading receiving no part of the pot; the unlucky heads-up players [the chances of both players having the same ranked pair is 1 in 20,825] receive nothing in this situation). Play then continues as per normal. The rule is common practice now in all pub/club games throughout Europe and is becoming more popular in North America.

Razz is known as a “low” game, meaning you’re trying to make the lowest (or worst) hand possible.

Because Razz is almost identical to Stud in all but a few ways, we won’t rehash the setup and rules for those variants here. Readers not familiar with the rules of 7 Card Stud should start with this article:

• 7 Card Stud Rules and Game Play

Once you understand how to play 7 Card Stud, you can easily learn how to play Razz. The only differences between Stud and Razz are in the rules governing the following factors:

• The player who must bring in the action at the start of the first betting round
• The player who must start the action on any given street
• How to decide the winning hand at showdown

The Bring

Once every player has their two down cards and one door card, you’re ready for one player to bring it in.

1. Just as in Stud, the player required to bring in a Razz game is decided by the value of each player’s door card. Unlike Stud, in Razz the player with the highest-valued door card is required to bring.
2. Door cards are ranked according to face value from lowest to highest: jack, queen, king.
3. Aces are viewed as low or “good” in Razz, meaning the highest-value card rank available is a king. If two players tie for high card, the suits of their door cards break the tie.
4. In Razz, suits are ordered alphabetically from worst to best: clubs, diamonds, hearts, spades.
5. Again similarly to in Stud, the player required to bring has two choices:
   • Bet an amount equal to the ante
   • Complete the bet, betting the full amount of the small bet

The Betting Rounds

The only difference between a betting round in Razz and a betting round in Stud is how you decide where the action starts for the hand.

In Stud, the player with the highest-valued show cards starts the action.

In Razz, it’s the player with the best Razz hand, or lowest-valued cards, who starts the action on the betting round.

Pairs are always viewed as “high,” meaning a player holding K♠ Q♠ has a better two-card Razz hand than a player with 2♣ 2♦. A hand is only as low as the value of its highest card, meaning that out of these hands:

… the best two-card Razz hand is

Even though A♥ 5♠ has an ace, which is lower than either the 2♥ or the 4♣, the highest card of A♥ 5♠ is the 5♠. The lowest two cards, without having a pair, are the 2♥ 4♣.

Once you’ve determined the best hand, this player gets to start the betting round. As in Stud, this player has two options:

• Check (same as a call, but since there is no bet to match, they are calling nothing)
• Bet

Showdown

After the final betting round has been completed, the players still in the hand enter into the showdown. In the showdown, each player makes the best five-card hand possible out of their own seven cards.

The remaining two cards are “dead” and contribute no value toward the hand at all. They are never used to evaluate the strength of a hand.

Evaluating Hands

Here are the rules for evaluating the winning hand:

• A hand of Razz is won by holding the worst hand at the table
• Straights and flushes don’t count in Razz hands, meaning the absolute best hand possible is the lowest straight (known as the wheel) A-2-3-4-5
• There is no qualifier for the winning hand – even if a player has two pair, if it’s the lowest hand on the table, it’s declared the winner
• Hands are evaluated from the highest card down, meaning A-2-3-4-8 is a worse hand than 3-4-5-6-7
• If two players have the same winning hand, the pot is split between them. Suits are not taken into account for evaluating the winning hand.

Once the pot is shipped to the winning player, the cards are collected and shuffled in preparation for the next hand. Starting with each player placing their ante, the whole cycle begins again.

Five Card Stud is played very similar to 7 Card Stud. The obvious difference is that each player receives; you guessed it, 5 cards. The first is dealt face down with the four following cards dealt face up

Ante

You like all other players must ante before any cards are dealt. The amount of the ante reflects that table limits…the lower the limit, the lower the ante. $0.50/$1.00 tables have no ante, $10.00/$20.00 tables have a $1.00 ante.

Betting

You are dealt one down card, hole card, and one up card. The player showing the lowest card by suit (highest – spades, hearts, diamonds, clubs – lowest) must bring-in the first round of betting with a forced bet of half the lower limit. Don’t worry too much about who goes first, etc., as the software will prompt the player who is to begin the betting. The next player to act, left of the first better, can ‘complete’ the bet, call or fold. After the initial betting round, three more up cards are delivered, with a round of betting after each card. In our 5 Stud game, a bet and three raises are allowed. The final raise is capped and the only options you have are to call or fold at this point.

Betting Structure. The stakes being offered at the particular table determines the limit or maximum bet on any player’s turn. For example, at a $1-$2 table, the limit on any bet is $1 on the first two betting rounds and $2 on the final two betting rounds. We allow one bet and 3 raises in our card room.

Noteworthy: The betting action of the first two rounds is set at the lower limit of the table structure. The exception of this rule is when a player shows a pair after the 3rd street. All players have the option to bet the higher limit for the second round of betting. If a player does bet the higher limit, subsequent bets must also be at the higher limit. The last two rounds of betting are at the higher limit.

The Showdown: The first person to show their hand is the last person to show strength with a bet or raise. All 5 cards are used at showdown. The player holding the best poker hand wins the pot. Should multiple hands tie, the pot is split with any odd amount going to the player nearest the ‘D’ button’s left.

Double Flop Hold’em plays like regular Texas Hold’em, but with additional community cards.

Flop, Flop?

But it’s not just the flop; it’s the turn and river cards too! That’s right, twice the normal amount of community cards to build your hand! When the flop is dealt there are six cards – three for the upper board and three for the lower board. After that, the turn cards are dealt, one for the upper board, and one for the lower board. Then the river cards, one for the… you get the idea.

How many may i use?

Just like in Hold’em, you make your best hand of five cards from the seven available (your two pocket cards plus the five cards of the board – upper OR lower). Our Double Flop game uses only one 52-card deck, so use that to your advantage. Knowing what isn’t in another player’s hand is very valuable. Your King high flush looks pretty good when the Ace is on the other board with a bunch of suits that don’t match! (Technically, one of the cards would have to match the Ace’s suit, but we’re just saying…)!

So many choices!

You can use one row and one row only to make your hand. Your choice – upper row or lower row – doesn’t need to be declared, and can change throughout the hand. For instance, you have A, K in the pocket. The upper flop is 3, A, K while the lower flop is J, 8, 10. Congratulations! You have two pair. The turn cards are dealt as 8 (upper) and Q (lower).

Double the winning!

A winner will be chosen from the best hand for both the upper row and the lower row. You may have the best hand for each row and scoop the pot, but more likely you’ll be sharing with someone else at the table.

Crazy Pineapple 8/b plays like regular Crazy Pineapple until the end of the hand, when the pot may be split between the high hand and the low hand, if any.

What does ‘8/b’ mean?

8/B refers to the low hand, and means that, if a low hand exists, it must consist of cards valued at 8 or lower. If a low hand doesn’t exist, the high hand wins the entire pot. There is ALWAYS a qualifying high hand.

Qualifying low hands consist of five cards with different numerical values from Ace to 8. If multiple players meet this standard, the player with the lowest high card will win the low hand and split the pot with the high hand (e.g. Ah, 2d, 5c, 6c 7d BEATS Ac, 2c, 6d, 7h, 8d). The best low hand is A, 2, 3, 4, 5 – straights and flushes do not count against a low hand, but a pair will disqualify it. An easy way to think of a low hand score is to look at the two highest cards in that hand. For example, an A, 2, 3, 4, 6 scores a 64, and would therefore beat an A, 2, 3, 5, 6 because it’s score would be 65.

The high and low hands consist of five cards from the total of seven available at the showdown (your two pocket cards plus the five community cards), but you don’t have to use the same 7 cards for both high & low hands. If your pocket cards are Ad, 7d, and the board is 2d, 3c, 4c, 5d, 6d – you have a low hand of A-5, and a high hand of Ace high flush.

One final point – players do not need to decide if they are playing for a high hand or a low hand, as all hands in the showdown will be evaluated for both and ranked automatically by our software.

But i want it all!!!

The value of potentially sharing the pot between a high hand and a low hand is that there is more action in the game. Some will play for the high, and some for the low. But sometimes you can play for both! As mentioned above, straights and flushes do not count against a low hand. So if you have Ac, 2c, 3c, 4c, 5c, you will share in the low hand pot (it may split between you and other A-5 straights), and your straight flush would certainly put you in good position for the high hand also.

Crazy Pineapple is an exciting variation of Hold’em poker. The big differences between the two are: the three pocket cards and there is a requirement that one pocket card has to be discarded after the flop

General Rules

In crazy pineapple poker, each player in the game is dealt with three cards that face down. These are called pocket cards. In the first betting round, the dealer will turn over three community cards (called the flop) face up in the middle of the table. During the second round of betting, all players must discard one of their pocket cards. The dealer than proceeds to turn over one more community card (called the turn). The third betting round will involve the dealer to turn over the final community card (called the river). During the final betting round, the showdown takes place. At showdown for crazy pineapple poker, the players can use either one of the following:

• Both of the remaining pocket cards and the three community cards
• One of the remaining pocket cards and four community cards
• All five of the cards (that are playing for the board)

Betting Structure

There are four betting rounds in Crazy Pineapple. Each bet and raise during the first two rounds is set at the lower limit of the stakes structure. Remember, all players must discard ONE pocket card after the second betting round. Betting and raising during the last two rounds is set at the higher limit of the stakes structure.

The maximum number of bets allowed per player during any particular betting round is four. This would consist of (1) a bet, (2) a raise, (3) a re-raise, and (4) a cap. The term cap is used to describe the 3rd raise in a round since betting is then capped and cannot be raised anymore. Once the pot is capped, players will have only the option of calling or folding.

In the world of poker, the popularity of No-Limit games is a relatively recent development. For many years poker was a Limit or Pot-Limit game. No-Limit only really took off once Doyle Brunson and his crew introduced the game to Las Vegas casinos.

Ever since, No-Limit has steadily increased in popularity, exploding into the spotlight with the 2003 WSOP Main Event, which amateur Chris Moneymaker won. Given that it’s the most popular betting variation, it only makes sense to explain it first.

No-Limit Texas Hold’em

People are drawn to No-Limit because of its unique mix of skill, chance and action, and because you can bet all of your chips at any point during the hand.

In Texas Hold’em, players are always faced with the ability to choose one of three options:

• Check (or call).
• Bet (or raise).
• Fold. (In a scenario where you can check, folding makes no sense, but it’s still an option.)

1. To call is simply to match the previous bet made (a check is the same thing, only when no bet has been made: in other words, a check is a call for free).
2. To fold is to throw away your hand and wait until the next deal to play again. Folding is always free.
3. If there has been no bet made yet, you have the option to bet. Once a bet is made, players to follow now have the option to raise the bet.
4. In No-Limit a minimum bet is equal to the size of the big blind, while a maximum bet is the total amount of all of your chips. (Only chips that were included in your stack before the cards were dealt for that hand count, meaning you can’t add (or remove) chips during a hand.)
5. Once a bet has been made, the minimum you can raise is the size of the last bet. So if your opponent bets $5, the minimum raise you can make is $5 (for a total bet of $10). Again, the maximum raise is the total of whatever you have in front of you.
6. How big a No-Limit Hold’em cash game is played is determined by its blind size. A $1/$2 game will have $1/$2 blinds, and the buy-in will vary from poker room to poker room.
7. Generally the minimum buy-in will be 20 big blinds (so $40 in our example), and the maximum will be 100 big blinds ($200), though there are some casinos that spread games with no maximum buy-in.

Fixed-Limit Hold’em

The second most popular form of Texas Hold’em is Limit.

Whereas No-Limit is a game of brute force where players play big stacks and run up huge bluffs, Fixed Limit Hold’em is a more subtle, gentleman’s game where players look to exploit small edges: a game of finesse and well-timed aggression.

1. Unlike in No-Limit where you can bet all your chips whenever you want, Limit Hold’em plays with fixed betting limits.
2. The size of the game is determined by the bet size. If you are playing in a $4/$8 game the small bet is $4 and the big bet $8. The blinds will be $2 and $4. The big blind is always equal to the size of the small bet.
3. Play proceeds as it would in any Hold’em game; however, you bet and raise in increments. Before the flop and on the flop you bet in increments of the small bet. For example:
   • If you were the first to bet, you can only bet $4, and the next person could call or raise to a total of $8. Any player wanting to reraise after that can make it a total bet of $12.
   • On the turn and river players bet in increments of the big bet. If you were to bet the turn it would be $8 and to raise it would be $16, etc.
4. In Fixed-Limit Hold’em there is a set number of raises you can make before the betting is capped. Although it can vary from room to room, action is typically capped at four or five bets (always check the house rules before playing your first hand).
5. When betting is capped, it means that the players no longer have the option to raise; they can only call or fold until the next street is dealt.

Pot-Limit Hold’em

Pot-Limit Hold’em is a game in between  No-Limit and Fixed-Limit. You can’t bet your stack whenever you want, but you can bet however much is in the pot at the time.

How you determine the maximum bet is by counting all the money in the pot and all of the bets on the table, including any call you would make before raising. (It sounds more complicated than it really is.)

Two examples for you:

1. You’re first to act on the flop with a pot of $15. You have the option to check or bet. You can bet anywhere from as little as the amount of the big blind, to the full amount of the pot ($15). Any bet in between is a “legal bet.”
2. You’re second to act on the flop with a pot of $15. The first player bets $10. You now have the option to fold, call ($10) or raise.
   • Your minimum raise is equal to the amount of the previous bet. In this hand your minimum raise is $10 ($10 + $10 for a total bet of $20).
   • Your maximum raise is the amount of the pot. To do this, add up the pot + the bet + your call ($15 + $10 + $10 = $35). You are allowed to bet that total amount in addition to your call, meaning your total bet is $45 ($10 for the call + $35 for the size of the pot).
   • You can raise any amount in between the minimum and maximum raise amounts.

Pot-Limit Hold’em is not very popular, and is mostly seen only in some large tournaments (such as the WSOP), but the Pot-Limit betting structure is used in Pot-Limit Omaha.

But because Pot-Limit Omaha is rapidly becoming one of the most popular poker variations, it’s a good idea to get acquainted with the Pot-Limit structure anyway.