game of the month
June 2019:
Three Card Extra
This simple game will be the last "Game of the Month" for a while, as other obligations call us.
Mr. Lucky's lovely wife Teddie learned it from Pepe the Puerto Rican when she was a tough young cub hanging out on 8th Street in Jersey City, playing for candy cigarettes.
It's a three-card stud poker game, with no straights or flushes. Nothing is wild. Thus, the highest possible hand is three Aces.
Each player is guaranteed at least three cards, dealt in this order: one up, one down, one up. There are three betting rounds -- coming after each round of cards, begun by the player with the highest hand showing.
The three lowest value cards in this game are the 2, the 3, and the 4 of any suit. If you get any of those cards dealt face up, the dealer immediately deals you an extra card face down. Thus, you could wind up with either three cards, or four cards, or five cards.
No matter how many cards you have at the end of the game -- three, four, or five -- you can only use three of them to make your hand.
One possible variation: 5s are wild (but only at the showdown, not for purposes of getting an extra card).
* * *
The Rules:
1. Everyone antes.
2. Deal one card face up to each player.
3. If any player gets a 2, 3, or 4 face up, the dealer immediately deals him an extra card face down.
4. There is a round of betting, started by the player with the highest card showing.
5. Deal one card face down to each player.
6. There is a second round of betting, started by the player with the highest card showing.
7. Deal one card face up to each player.
8. Once again, if any player gets a 2, 3, or 4 face up, the dealer immediately deals him an extra card face down.
9. There is a final round of betting, started by the player with the highest hand showing.
10. Showdown. Players use only their best three cards. There are no wild cards. There are no straights or flushes. The highest possible hand is three Aces.
11. An option: 5s are wild, but only at the showdown, not for purposes of getting an extra card.
* * *
May 2019
Cincinnati Liz
Mr. Lucky learned the April and May games (and more) from a female German teddy bear spy in World War II. Her name was Heidi and she had been the European figure skating champion in 1937. "Perhaps you saw newsreels of my victory at Putzgarten," she crowed. "I gave the performance of a lifetime, opening with a triple-toed Tinkel, and finishing with a flying Krugschitz.”
I won't tell you here what Lucky had to do in return for Heidi's information -- it's all in the book, and of course it involves Perry Como and Albert Einstein.
The Rules:
1. Everyone antes.
2. Deal five cards face down to each player, one at a time.
3. Deal five cards face down in a row in the middle of the table.
4. There is a round of betting, begun by the first player to the dealer’s left.
5. Then the dealer flips up each card of the center row, one at a time, each flip followed by a round of betting.
6. Showdown. All center row cards are mutual. Each player makes up his best five-card hand from the center cards plus his own five hole cards.
7. Heidi says that the lowest of the five center cards is wild (with 2’s lower than aces); so are all other cards of the same rank, whether in a player’s hand or in the center.
8. Others say that the middle of the five center cards is wild.
* * *
Heidi explained: “In Cincinnati Liz, each player gets five cards down, one at a time. Then five cards are dealt face down in a row in the center of the table.”
“O.K.,” said Lucky.
“There is a round of betting, and then, one by one, the five center cards are turned up, each turn-up followed by a round of bets. Verstehen Sie?”
“I understand," said Lucky.
“All center cards are mutual. Each player makes up his best five-card hand from these plus his own five.”
“Anything else?” asked Lucky.
"One of the mutual cards is wild, along with all other cards of the same rank, whether in a player’s hand or in the center."
“Which mutual card is wild?" asked Lucky.
“The dealer announces it at the beginning of the game. It could be any one of the center five, but I always play it’s the lowest of the center five (and I consider the 2 the lowest possible card). In the Bavarian town of Mittelfinger, they say the middle card is the wild one.”
* * *
April 2019
Crisscross
The Rules:
1. Everyone antes.
2. Deal four cards face down to each player.
3. Deal five cards face down in the middle of the table in the shape of a cross.
4. There is a round of betting, begun by the first player to the dealer’s left.
5. Then the dealer flips up each card of the cross, one at a time, each flip followed by a round of betting. The middle card is flipped last.
6. Showdown. Each player may use his own four downcards plus three of the cards from the center cross. But the three cards from the cross must lie in a straight line, either — left, center, right — or, top, center, bottom.
7. The middle card of the cross is wild, and so are any other cards of the same rank, whether they are in a player’s hand or showing in the rows of the cross.
* * *
"In Crisscross," explained Heidi, as she puffed on a ShtinkenKraut cigarette, "each player gets four cards down, and then five cards are dealt face down in the middle of the table in the shape of a cross:
1
4 5 2
3
“There is a round of betting, begun by the first player to the dealer’s left. Then the dealer turns up the top card of the cross, and there is another round of betting.”
“I understand,” said Lucky.
“In clockwise rotation, the dealer turns up a second, third, and fourth card, and finally the fifth card in the center of the cross. Each turn-up is followed by a round of betting.”
“And what are these five middle cards for?” asked Lucky.
“Each player can use his four downcards plus three cards from one (and only one) of the two cross rows. Zo, each player has seven total cards from which to choose his best five."
"I see."
“The last card turned over--the center card--is wild, and so are any others of the same rank, whether they are in a player’s hand or showing in the rows of the cross.”
* * *
March 2019
Shut and Open
After they played Open and Shut, the February Game of the Month, Doctor Watson, the trusty sidekick of Sherlock Holmes, said, "I like your Open and Shut game, old man, but may I suggest a counter- approach. I think I’ll call my game Shut and Open.”
The Rules:
1. Everyone antes.
2. Deal five cards face down to each player.
3. There is a round of betting, started by the first player to the dealer’s left.
4. Each player discards up to three cards (four if he shows an ace) and draws the same number of cards from the deck. He gets his new cards face up.
5. There is a second round of betting, started by the first player to the dealer’s left.
6. Showdown. Face up deuces are wild. Deuces in the hole are not wild.
* * *
Watson explained: “As in Five Card Draw, each player is dealt five cards face down. He may draw three cards (four with an ace). But the new cards he receives are dealt face up.”
“Intriguing,” said Holmes. “In effect, players are penalized for drawing cards by having to reveal those cards to their adversaries. Is anything wild?”
The good doctor said, “Face up deuces are wild.”
“Ah,” said Holmes. “Incentives and counter-incentives."
As Watson started dealing the cards, Lucky asked, "When is a game not a game?"
Holmes answered, "When it's afoot."
* * *
February 2019
Open and Shut -- revised
Mr. Lucky learned this game on his trip through Time, from that great detective Sherlock Holmes. This version has been slightly revised from the version in our book.
The Rules:
1. Everyone antes.
2. Deal one card face down to each player.
3. Deal two cards face up to each player.
4. There is a round of betting, begun by the player with the highest showing hand.
5. Deal a fourth card face up to each player, followed by a round of betting.
6. Deal a fifth card face up to each player, followed by a round of betting.
7. Each player may now draw up to three cards (four if he has an ace). He gets his new cards face down -- this is followed by a round of betting.
8. Showdown. Deuces in the hole are wild. Face up deuces are not wild.
* * *
Sherlock Holmes, wearing a deerstalker hat and crunching a bit of poppy into his calabash pipe, explained: "This game starts off something like five card stud. Each player gets one card down and two cards up. Then there's a round of betting started by the highest hand showing."
"I see," said Lucky, who wished he had a hat like that.
"Then each player gets a fourth card -- this one is face up, followed by a round of betting. Then each player gets a fifth card, also face up, and also followed by a round of betting."
Lucky said, "So now, each player has one down and five up."
"Correct. Now there's a draw. Starting with the first player on the dealer’s left, each player in turn discards up to three cards (four with an ace) and receives an equal number in return—but the cards he draws are face down.”
“I see,” said Luciano, Lucky's operatic friend. “Open and shut — up and down.”
Lucky's bald friend Hugo asked, “Are there any wild cards?”
“Deuces in the hole are wild,” said Holmes. “Thus, the more cards you draw, the more chance you have of getting a wild card. After the draw, the player with the highest hand showing starts the final round of betting, which is followed by the showdown.”
“What is it about this game that you like the most?” asked Lucky.
Sherlock said, “It demands keen powers of observation to see and make sense of the open cards spread out across the table; thus it mimics both detective work and ordinary life, where so much of the information we need to make our decisions hides openly in front of us. Further, it requires a good grasp of probability to calculate each player’s chances of pulling a top hand, and prudence to drop out when winning is improbable. Lastly, it retains just enough mystery with that down draw and those wild deuces to make well-planned bluffs believable.”
* * *
January 2019
Share Your Hole -- a Five-Card Stud game
As you probably figured out, this game has to do with atomic physics. Albert Einstein invented it to illustrate what happens when atoms share negatively charged electrons and positively charged holes. During the Second World War, the famous physicist revealed it in the Oval Office to FDR, Winston Churchill, Tex, and Mr. Lucky.
The Rules:
1. Everyone antes.
2. Deal two cards face down to each player.
3. Deal three cards face up to each player, each round followed by a round of betting. The betting is started by the player with the highest showing hand.
4. When the third round of betting is over, the dealer says, “Time to share your hole.” Each player picks one of his hole cards and pushes it into the middle of the table. These cards are turned over by the dealer and become mutual cards.
5. There is a fourth and final betting round.
6. Showdown. There are no wild cards. Each player may use up to two of the mutual cards to make his best hand.
* * *
“Share Your Hole is a Five-Card Stud game with nothing wild,” said the century’s greatest scientist. “You get two cards down and one up, then you bet. Then you get a second card up and you bet again. Then you get your last card up and you bet a third time."
"At that point you got five cards -- am I right?" said Tex, who was a genius at simple arithmetic.
"Ja, ja," said Einstein. "The sharing comes after the betting on the last upcard. Each player studies his two hole cards and pushes one of them into the center. Then the dealer turns these cards over and they become mutual holes.”
“I see,” said Lucky. “Each player shares one of his hole cards with his opponents.”
“That’s right,” nodded Einstein, “und they share theirs with him. Each player may use up to two of these holes, together with his own four (unshared) cards. Any mutual hole may be used by as many players as want it. The showdown follows one last round of bets.”
“A far-sighted game,” said President Roosevelt in approval.
Einstein replied humbly, “I have stood on the shoulders of giants.”
Roosevelt asked Mr. Lucky to help Einstein with a secret wartime project -- not the Manhattan Project which developed the atom bomb -- but the Hoboken Project, which was designed to rid the earth of cockroaches.
* * *
December 2018
Extra Point Poker
My friend Mr. Lucky learned this game last October from Tommy the Toe, onetime place kicker for the Hoboken Hoboes. Tommy was ambipedal, which in his case meant he could miss extra points equally well with either foot.
It’s a Seven-Card Stud game with a rowdy difference, played with two decks of contrasting colors (for example: one deck with red backs and one with blue backs).
The Rules:
1. Everyone antes.
2. The Dealer (using, let us say, the red cards) deals two cards face down to each player (one card at a time).
3. Next comes the first round of upcards, in which each player, in turn, gets a chance to “kick an extra point”, which is pretty simple, but takes some explaining:
4. The player to the right of the Dealer is called the Goal Post Guy. His job (using, let us say, the blue cards) is to “set up the goal posts” for each player in turn. He does this by dealing one blue card face up on the “left” side of the pot, and one blue card face up on the “right” side of the pot.
5. Now the Dealer deals a red-backed card face up between the two blue goal posts. This card is the football. If it “fits” numerically between the two goal posts, then “the kick is good” and the card is given to the first player to his left. If it “goes wide”, or “hits a post”, that first player doesn’t get the card – instead it just sits there on top of the pot.
An example: let’s say that the Goal Post Guy deals a three on the left and a ten on the right. Next, the Dealer deals a six between them. The kick is good because six comes numerically between three and ten. So the card goes to the first player on the Dealer’s left. If the Dealer had dealt a two or a Jack, the kick would be wide, and the first player would not get the card. If the Dealer had dealt a three or a ten, we would say the kick hit the goal post and bounced back – again, no good. . By the way, it doesn’t matter which side the three is on and which side the ten is on.
6. If one of the goal post cards is an Ace, the Dealer (before dealing) must ask the player scheduled to “kick the extra point” if he wants the Ace to be high or low. If both goal post cards are Aces, then one Ace is automatically considered high and the other is low.
7. Next, around the table, each player gets his or her chance to “kick an extra point”. For each player, the Goal Post Guy sets out the new blue goal posts, and the Dealer deals a red-backed football onto the pot.
8 After each player has had his chance at a first upcard, there is a round of betting, begun by the player with the highest upcard. As always, the calling and/or raising proceeds clockwise around the table.
9. There are four such rounds of “kicking the extra point” – that is, four rounds of upcards. Each round is followed by a round of betting, started by the player with the best poker hand showing. If there is a tie for best showing hand, the tied hand that was dealt first bets first.
10. Next, the Dealer deals one card face down to each player.
11. At this point, each player still in the game has at least three cards. Most will have more – some as many as seven.
12. There is a fifth and final round of betting.
13. Showdown. Each player with five or more cards uses only his best five cards. You can win with less than five cards. For example, if you have only three cards, but they are all Kings, you will beat someone with five cards who has two Aces, two nines, and Queen. However, you need five cards for straights, flushes and straight-flushes. Incidentally: pair of Jacks, nine, eight, two -- would beat -- pair of Jacks, nine, eight, no cards left.
14. There are no wild cards in this game.
15. If, at any time, the Goal Post Guy runs out of cards, he collects all the goal post cards, shuffles them, and continues as before.
16. An option: “bending the post.” If the football hits one of the posts, the “kicking” player can try to “bend the post” by paying four times the ante into the pot. In that case, the player points out which post he wants to bend, and the Goal Post Guy deals one new goal post over the one the player selected.
For example, let’s say the left post was a Queen of diamonds, and the right post was a six of spades. The Dealer deals the red-backed football – and it’s also a six – the six of clubs. So, the football bounced back. But immediately, the player says “I want to try to bend this post” – and he points to the six of spades. He puts forty cents into the pot. Why would he do that? Maybe he needs the club to complete a flush, or maybe he needs the six to complete a straight. Now, the Goal Post Guy deals another blue-backed card on top of the six of spades – it’s a two of hearts. So, the post was bent far enough -- the player’s red-backed six of clubs now fits nicely between the two and the Queen, and the player gets to keep the six of clubs.
* * *
November 2018
Half-Court Basketball (revised)
Mr. Lucky's friend Tex learned this pot-splitting game
from Skinny Eddie. After Lucky's book was published,
Steve M suggested simplifying it, changing it from seven card stud to six card stud, and correcting one obvious error. For that great achievement, Steve was given the KISS award by Lady Googoo, the Royal Minister of Keeping It Stupid Simple.
It is Lucky's favorite pot-splitting game!
The Rules:
1. Everyone antes.
2. Deal two cards face down to each player.
3. Deal three cards face up to each player, each round followed by a round of betting.
4. In addition to its value as a poker card, each of your face up cards is the score for one quarter of a basketball game. If one of your upcards is an ace, you scored 1 point in that quarter of the game. A deuce is worth 2 points, and so on. A 10 is worth 10 points, and it is the highest you can get in any basketball quarter. Jacks, Queens, and Kings are worth zero points.
5. Deal one card face down to each player. Now each player has three downcards and three upcards.
6. There is a final round of betting.
7. Showdown: Split the pot in the following manner:
First comes the basketball half of the pot. Each player flips up one of his downcards -- that will be his fourth quarter basketball score. Half of the pot goes to the player with the highest four-quarter basketball score. In case of a basketball tie, this half of the pot goes into overtime: each tying player flips over one of his remaining downcards for a fifth basketball quarter (and a sixth if needed). If the b-ball game is still tied after that, shuffle and draw for high card.
Second comes the poker half of the pot. This half goes to the player with the highest poker hand. By the way, there are no wild cards.
Option: If a player gets a 3 face up, that’s a 3-pointer: He can buy an extra face down card -- the price he must pay (into the pot) is three of the smallest value chips.
* * *
October 2018
7-Up -- a seven-card stud poker game
Mr. Lucky learned this game while
time-travelling to Atlantis just before it sank
beneath the ocean in 10,000 B.C.
Mr. Seven, a scientist with seven eyes, taught Lucky and his friends this ancient classic.
The Rules:
1. Everyone antes.
2. Deal two cards face down to each player.
3. Deal four cards face up to each player, each round followed by a round of betting.
4. 7 ’s are always wild.
5. Whenever a 7 is dealt face up to a player, the next card is dealt face up in the middle. That card cannot be used as part of anyone’s hand, but the other three cards of the same rank are wild, along with all 7’s.
6. If a second 7 is dealt face up to any player at any point in the game, another card is dealt face up in the middle covering the previous middle card. The earlier middle card and the other three of its rank lose all significance, all wildness. The three cards of the same rank as the top middle card now become the new ‘extra’ wild cards (remember, the 7’s are always wild). The same change in wild cards happens if third and fourth cards are piled into the middle.
7. If a 7 is dealt in the middle, then only 7’s are wild at that point.
8. Deal each player’s seventh card face down.
9. There is a final round of betting.
10. Showdown. Each player uses the best five cards out of his seven.
11. Option: add two normally dead jokers to the deck. If a player gets a joker in his hand, it can’t be used for anything unless the other joker is dealt into the middle, in which case it becomes wild. Having fifty-four cards also allows for seven players.
* * *
“Why do you have seven eyes?” asked Mr. Lucky.
“Two eyes see ahead, two behind, one sees the future, one the past, and the last is glass and just for show.” Future, past, and glass were bunched together at the top of his forehead. “My name is Mr. Seven, and I think there’s just enough time left for me to teach you seven poker games, beginning with 7-Up.”
Mr. Seven said, “7-Up is a Seven-Card Stud game similar in some ways to Follow the Queen. Each player gets two down, four up, one down. 7’s are wild, but they are not necessarily the only wild cards—there can be extras. Whenever a 7 is dealt face up to a player, the next card is dealt face up in the middle. That card cannot be used as part of anyone’s hand, but the other three cards of the same rank are wild, along with all 7’s. Following the dealing of the middle card, the dealing of that round is continued. There is a round of betting after each round of upcards and after the last round of downcards; highest hand showing begins the betting.”
Bozo asked: “What happen if two, three, maybe four 7’s face-up?”
“If a second (or third or fourth) 7 is later dealt face up to any player, another card is dealt face up in the middle covering the previous middle card; the earlier middle card and the other three of its rank lose all significance, all wildness; the three cards of the same rank as the top middle card now become the new ‘extra’ wild cards (remember, the 7’s are always wild).”
Luciano asked, “Suppose one of the cards dealt into the middle is a 7?”
“Then 7’s are wild, and only 7’s. You don’t deal another card on top of it. You only deal a card into the middle after a 7 is dealt to a player.”
“I see.”
“Unless that middle 7 is covered later, 7’s are it. By the way, if no face-up 7’s are dealt at all, only 7’s are wild.”
Mr. Lucky asked, “What happens if the last upcard is a 7?”
“Follow the general rule. Deal an upcard in the middle—the others of its rank are wild. Some say that no follow-up card should be dealt and that nothing besides 7’s should then be wild, but we Atlanteans play it the way I have described.”
After adjusting his seventh (glass) eye, Mr. Seven continued, “I sometimes play this game with two normally dead jokers.”
“Normally dead?”
“Yes, in this variation, jokers in your hand are normally unusable—of no value. However, if a face-up 7 is followed by a joker in the middle, then that joker’s brother becomes wild (and stays so unless the middle joker gets covered). The jokers also increase the number of cards to 54, and that enables us to play with seven players.”
“Let’s play!” said Lucky eagerly.
* * *
September 2018
Follow the Queen -- a seven card stud
poker game.
Mr. Lucky learned this game in Wonderland from the King of Hearts at a tea-and-poker party given by the Mad Hatter.
“Follow the Queen—it’s what I do all day,” lamented the King of Hearts. “It’s what you’d do, too, if your nose were chained to her rump.”
“But your nose isn’t chained to her rump,” said Lucky.
“Did I say it was?” demanded the King.
The Rules:
1. Everyone antes.
2. Deal two cards face down to each player.
3. Deal four cards face up to each player, each round followed by a round of betting.
4. Whenever a queen is dealt face up, the upcard following that queen becomes wild, as do the other three cards of the same rank. Those four cards stay wild unless and until another queen shows up, in which case the ‘wildness’ shifts to the upcard following the new queen, and to the other three cards of the same rank.
5. There are never more than four wild cards in the game at any one time.
6. If the last upcard is a queen, nothing is wild.
7. Deal each player’s seventh card face down.
8. There is a final round of betting.
9. Showdown. Each player uses the best five cards out of his seven.
* * *
“Follow the Queen is a Seven-Card Stud game—two down, four up, one down,” explained the King of Hearts. “Whenever a queen is dealt face up, the upcard following that queen becomes wild, as do the other three cards of the same rank. Those four cards stay wild unless and until another queen shows up, in which case the ‘wildness’ shifts to the upcard following the new queen, and to the other three cards of the same rank. There are never more than four wild cards in the game at any one time.”
“I see,” said Lucky. “So, if one queen is dealt face up followed by a 5, then 5’s are wild. And if a second queen is dealt up followed by an 8, then 8’s are wild and 5’s are not.”
“Why is the boring teddy bear still alive?” the Queen demanded.
The King added, “And if a third queen is dealt up followed by a 3, then 3’s are wild, but no other cards are. In short, the rank following the last exposed queen remains the sole wild rank through the end of the game.”
The Queen said, “Off with his cuddly little head!”
Hugo asked, “But what happens if the very last face-up card is a queen? No upcard follows it.”
“If the last upcard is a queen, nothing is wild,” replied the King. “Of course, the same result would come about if no queens were exposed at all.”
The time-travellers never did play Follow the Queen, as the hour, according to the March Hare’s broken watch, never advanced past tea time.
* * *
August 2018
Mexican Stud -- a five card stud poker game.
Mr. Lucky learned this game from Emiliano Zapata, the famous Mexican bandit and revolutionary, in a cave on the rocky coast of Baja. Larger than life, Zapata wore a huge sombrero, crossed bandoliers, two pistols and a curled, graying mustache.
The Rules:
1. Everyone antes.
2. Deal two cards face down to each player.
3. Each player examines his cards, and at a signal from the dealer, each simultaneously turns up one of his two cards.
4. There is a round of betting, started by the player with the highest showing hand.
5. Deal another downcard to each player. After studying his two downcards, each player flips one up.
6. There is a second round of betting.
7. Deal another downcard to each player. Again, each player flips one up.
8. There is a third round of betting.
9. Deal another downcard to each player. Again, each player flips one up. Now, each has one downcard and four upcards.
10. There is a fourth and final round of betting.
11. Showdown. There are no wild cards.
* * *
“Mexican Stud is a Five-Card Stud game,” Zapata explained.
“First, each player is dealt two downcards. He looks at them, and, simultaneous with his opponents, he turns up whichever card he chooses. Then there is a round of betting, begun by the player with the highest showing hand.”
“O.K.,” said Lucky.
“Next, each player gets another card face down, and again has the choice of which of his two downcards to flip. This is followed by a second betting round.
“Each player’s fourth and fifth cards are dealt in the same manner—face down and one at a time—each time there’s a choice of which to flip. After the fourth betting round comes the showdown. Regular poker ranks win. There are no wild cards.”
Lucky said, “I like it. You have to think each time about which card you will flip.”
* * *
Mexican Stud -- a five card stud poker game.
Mr. Lucky learned this game from Emiliano Zapata, the famous Mexican bandit and revolutionary, in a cave on the rocky coast of Baja. Larger than life, Zapata wore a huge sombrero, crossed bandoliers, two pistols and a curled, graying mustache.
The Rules:
1. Everyone antes.
2. Deal two cards face down to each player.
3. Each player examines his cards, and at a signal from the dealer, each simultaneously turns up one of his two cards.
4. There is a round of betting, started by the player with the highest showing hand.
5. Deal another downcard to each player. After studying his two downcards, each player flips one up.
6. There is a second round of betting.
7. Deal another downcard to each player. Again, each player flips one up.
8. There is a third round of betting.
9. Deal another downcard to each player. Again, each player flips one up. Now, each has one downcard and four upcards.
10. There is a fourth and final round of betting.
11. Showdown. There are no wild cards.
* * *
“Mexican Stud is a Five-Card Stud game,” Zapata explained.
“First, each player is dealt two downcards. He looks at them, and, simultaneous with his opponents, he turns up whichever card he chooses. Then there is a round of betting, begun by the player with the highest showing hand.”
“O.K.,” said Lucky.
“Next, each player gets another card face down, and again has the choice of which of his two downcards to flip. This is followed by a second betting round.
“Each player’s fourth and fifth cards are dealt in the same manner—face down and one at a time—each time there’s a choice of which to flip. After the fourth betting round comes the showdown. Regular poker ranks win. There are no wild cards.”
Lucky said, “I like it. You have to think each time about which card you will flip.”
* * *
July 2018
Gruesome Twosome -- a two-card poker
game with three (single card) draws.
In this game, which Morley the Morlock
named after his parents, each player gets two cards down, then there's a
betting round. Next, there are three separate draws, with betting rounds
following each full round of draws. During each draw, a player may either
stand pat or exchange one (and only one) card.
The Rules:
1. Everyone antes.
2. Deal two cards face down to each player.
3. There is a betting round begun by the first player to the dealer's left.
4. First draw: each player may discard and draw one card.
5. There is a second round of betting, begun by the second player to the
dealer's left.
6. Second draw: each player may discard and draw one card.
7. There is a third round of betting, begun by the third player to the
dealer's left.
8. Third and final draw: each player may discard and draw one card
9. There is a fourth round of betting, begun by the fourth player to the
dealer's left.
10. Showdown. There are no wild cards, no straights, and no flushes.
The Testa Transparency Option: Whenever a player discards a card, he turns it face up in front of him and puts a chip on it. Players thus have some idea as to what each opponent discarded. After the first draw, the betting in each round is started by the player with the best discarded (one or two-card) hand. On the third and final draw, each player who draws a card gets it face up.
* * *
June 2018
Yanqui Baseball -- a seven-card stud poker game,
invented by Ed Zampino.
In the summer of 1962, my teddy bear friend, Mr. Lucky,
learned the wonderful game of Yanqui Baseball from his
friend Jose, left fielder for the Bayonne Bears, who had fled Cuba after the
Bay of Pigs fiasco.
The Rules:
1. Everyone antes.
2. Deal two cards face down to each player.
3. Deal four cards face up to each player, each round followed by a
round of betting.
4. Deal one last card face down to each player.
5. There is a fifth and final round of betting.
6. Showdown. Each player uses the best five cards out of his seven.
Yanqui Baseball -- a seven-card stud poker game,
invented by Ed Zampino.
In the summer of 1962, my teddy bear friend, Mr. Lucky,
learned the wonderful game of Yanqui Baseball from his
friend Jose, left fielder for the Bayonne Bears, who had fled Cuba after the
Bay of Pigs fiasco.
The Rules:
1. Everyone antes.
2. Deal two cards face down to each player.
3. Deal four cards face up to each player, each round followed by a
round of betting.
4. Deal one last card face down to each player.
5. There is a fifth and final round of betting.
6. Showdown. Each player uses the best five cards out of his seven.
7. At the beginning of the game, nothing is wild. However, there are
four potential wild card ranks -- 3's , 5's, 7's and 9's (for Babe
Ruth, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris). As soon as
one of those four shows face up in anyone's hand, that rank
becomes wild. It remains wild until a different potential wild card
shows up. For example, if a 7 shows up first, then all 7's are wild.
If a 3 shows up later, then all 3's are wild, and 7's are not wild. The
last of these four ranks to show face up in anyone's hand is the final
wild card rank. If none of the four ever shows face up, then nothing
is wild.
8. A face up 4 buys an extra downcard for a quarter, as long as the
recipient says, in honor of Lou Gehrig, "I consider myself the
luckiest man on the face of the earth."
9. The Queen of Hearts Option: The Queen of Hearts is Marilyn
Monroe. If anyone gets her face up, all face-up 5's must pay her
holder fifty cents for the roses.
* * *
May 2018
Trump is Wild –- a six-card stud poker game.
Up to seven natural born Americans can play, with an extra hand dealt into the middle for King Donald, aka “The Pot”. At the end of the game, there might be a wild card, and the pot might win.
The Rules:
First, everyone antes.
Next, the dealer deals one card face down to each citizen, beginning with the first person to his left. When every human has a card, King Donald in the middle gets one card face down as well. Now each player gets one card face up, including Donald, and there is a round of betting started by the (flesh and blood) player with the highest upcard.
Three more rounds of upcards are dealt. Each such round is followed by a round of betting initiated by the person with the highest poker hand. By the way, Donald doesn’t bet – he just accumulates money.
Next the dealer deals one last card face down to each player, and one card face down to King Donald. Each player who hasn’t dropped out by now has six cards, two down and four up. A round of betting follows this sixth card.