Favorite poker variation?

[WheelsVT]

Every so often my family gets together and the guys play poker. We usually play a round of Texas Hold-em followed by a game of dealer's choice before the next round. I'm trying to get an idea for some more variations we could play than the 5-6 that we seem to be stuck on. There are a bunch of websites that list variations, but I'd like to know what variations the FOF poker junkies enjoy playing.

[Lathum]

I like Omaha hi/low

[Toddzilla]

I love me some Razz

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Razz me.

[MJ4H]

pot limit omaha hi/lo 8 or better is obv the best poker game

[WheelsVT]

The one we play the most with a few minor variations is follow the queen (http://poker.about.com/od/pokervariations/a/studvariations.htm)

[cartman]

My favorite variation is the one where I never lose any money.

[johnnyshaka]

omaha hi/lo

[CleBrownsfan]

War!!!

[QuikSand]

If you're mostly looking for variation, there are some good games that are essentially derived from Omaha.

One that is played a lot in this area is called 42nd street:

Players are each dealt 4 cards
Dealer places 6 cards face down in center table, bottom row of 4, top row of 2
First betting round is on cards in hand
Dealer turns one top, one bottom, round of betting
Dealer turns one top, one bottom, round of betting
Dealer turns remaining two bottom cards, round of betting

Player's hand must use exactly:
-two cards from his own hand
-two cards form the bottom row
-one card from the top row

Showdown splits high and low hands evenly, assuming an 8-high or better qualifies for low, otherwise high hand sweeps pot


The added structure of the game creates a little more strategy, especially in playing for the low. But this is essentially just Omaha with a twist. It plays very well, though, both with relaxed games and more serious ones. I've played it for .25/.50, and I've played it for $10/$20, and it holds up pretty well.

[Maple Leafs]

I would like to pre-announce that the "favorite poke her variation" parody thread will not be funny.

[Lathum]

I would like to pre-announce that the "favorite poke her variation" parody thread will not be funny.

are parody threads ever funny?

[Maple Leafs]

are parody threads ever funny?
This is why I can make the announcement with such confidence.

[rowech]

One that I remember from high school. You can get some huge pots with this game though.

http://www.top15poker.com/rules/Balls.html

[digamma]

The game our home group plays the most is something we call "Options." It probably has other names on home poker sites and the like. I guess you would call it a Stud variant, but it probably resembles Mexican Poker the most, if you have ever played that.

A brief description:

The game is a hi/lo split pot game.

Players are each dealt a single card face down.

Beginning with the player to the dealer's left, each player, one at a time, is dealt his first "option" card.

The player can either pass the option card to the player on his left, burn (discard) any card previously dealt to him (at this point in the game only the face down card has been dealt to him) or keep the card. If the player decides to pass or burn the card, he must pay for the privilege of doing so (in our game fifty cents or $1).

Something a little tricky happens here. Before dealing the player a new card, you follow the option card to its conclusion. So, if three players pass the card and the fourth decides to keep it, you wait until the fourth player has made his decision prior to filling the other players cards. Conversely, if a player burns a previously dealt card, you fill him immediately. The final player (initially the dealer himself) can burn any card (the option card or the previously dealt cards).

After each player has two cards, there is a betting round.

Repeat the option card process, this time starting with the player two to the dealer's left. Then another betting round.

Repeat this process until each player has five cards, four face up and one face down (if a player burns his face down card, he gets the replacement card face down).

It is a hi/lo split game. We play it as a bet-declare-bet game. After what would be the final betting round, there is a declare where players hold out one chip to go low, two to go high or three to "pig" (best hand both ways). The trick with the pig is that if you declare for it, you have to win both ways in order to scoop the pot--you're ineligible for the split pot (all or nothing. After the declare, you have a final betting round. This entices one final betting round and allows for a strategic element in the declare stage.

Cards are revealed and the pot is awarded.

***One variation we sometimes play is to allow players to buy an extra card face down ($5 in our game) immediately after everyone receives their fifth card (before the bet-declare-bet).

****Our normal game is a spread limit game allowing players to bet anywhere from .50 to $3, with a maximum of 3 raises.

[cmp]

One that I remember from high school. You can get some huge pots with this game though.

http://www.top15poker.com/rules/Balls.html

Definitely my favorite. The pots can definitely get up there in this game.

[rowech]

I vaguely remember one called Who's the Man and one called Four Kings or something to that effect but can't remember the rules.

I think the Who's the Man game was played by dealing out three cards to everyone. The dealer, starting on his left, asks everyone around the table if they're the man. If they say they are, they can be challenged by anyone following them. The players then slide their cards between each other face down and look. No words are exchanged but the loser pays the winner the pot value. The actual pot remains. Any remaining challengers may go. If there are no challengers to someone who claims, the dealer asks around the table a second time to verify that nobody wants to keep the game going. Otherwise, the winner takes the pot.

If nobody wins outright after the first go around, each player is dealt two more cards and the same process is followed. After that, each player gets two more cards and makes their best five card hand and the same procedure is followed. If nobody wins outright on the seven card hand, things are dealt all over again. Of note -- flushes and straights don't count when you only have three cards.

I can't remember at all the four kings game.

[hoopsguy]

If you want to stick close to texas hold-em, you can look at Crazy Pineapple and Lazy Pineapple.

I generally enjoy playing the hi/lo split games (Stud and Omaha), as well as low games (razz, 2-7 triple draw) because both hold-em players to get outside of their box, to some degree.

And if you want to play a stupid/fun game, Kings-and-Little-Men is a favorite with some of our group:
- everyone antes to start the game
- dealt five cards
- "guts" game, where you get a drop. If you drop you don't pay, if you hold your cards then you discard 0-5 cards
- kings and the lowest card in your hand is wild
- always play against a "blind"
- winner scoops pot, losers match pot up to a "max burn" (if ante is $1, max usually ranges from 8-12 dollars)
- in case of ties, more natural beats more wild, but blind always beats players
- everyone is dealt back in for another round of Kings+LittleMen
- game ends when only one players stays and beats the blind

[rowech]

Kings and Little ones! That's the one I was thinking of.

[Radii]

Lets see, my friends and I played some extremely crazy games that would probably be embarrassing to even try to describe, but some of the more sane ones:

Chicago - 7 card stud variant, high spade in the hole splits the pot w/ the high hand.


Low Chicago(we may have made up that name) - 7 stud variant, low spade in the hole splits the pot


"low hole wild" - dunno if this variant has an official name, but its what it sounds like. For each player, the lowest card they have face down is wild.


jack shit - 7 card stud where unimproved jack-high is the nuts. Must not be possible to make a pair or better at all w/ all 7 cards.


baseball - rather brutal game really. Its 7 card stud. 9's are always wild. If anyone is dealt a 4 face up, they may opt to buy another face up card for the cost of the small bet(so if you're playing $1/$2 you can buy another card for $1). You're not trading in the 4, you just have extra cards, so you can end up with 8 or 9 cards to make your hand, etc. If you receive a 3 face up, you have to match the full size of the pot, or fold. If anyone gets a 3 face up and matches the pot at any point, 3's become wild. Every face up 3 requires matching the pot or folding. This obviously gets entertaining/annoying(depending on your view) when the pot gets large and someone catches a 3 on 6th street.

With potentially 8 wilds and pot matching, this gets crazy, straight flushes usually win.


"Tommy Tutone" - definitely something we invented, and totally worthless but whatever, I'm sure it came up after a discussion of 80s music one night. Normal 7 card stud, but if your 7 cards are exactly 86753T9 (ten for the 0), you win the pot. It never happened.

[hoopsguy]

We've played baseball as well, but 3's and 9's are both wild. Also, you pay for the wilds, but only $1 each (ante of .50, so figure wild = double ante). Also played Chicago - that is a decent change-of-pace game.

Another favorite is "make your own hand" - seven card stud game where you deal two cards face up and players have option of either of these cards or "deck" for each of their four showing cards. We usually play a split in these games, either high/low or "low (something) in hole". Finally, we sometimes throw in "power" with this, which is the best four up-cards. The person with power has the right to call the game on/off after seeing all seven cards - this forces a re-deal (and re-ante). In power games, if you fold then you are out for the duration, which usually means that you stick around throwing money in the pot.

One final game - Jacks/Deuces/Trips/Legs. Five card stud, jacks or better to open, deuces wild, three of a kind required to win, and each win is called a "leg" with a set number of legs required to take home the pot.