We invented few interresting poker variants. These variants are tested in our home games. Surprisingly, these games are actually simpler than they sound. Pots can be splitted with average mathematical skills.



Blackjack Chicago hi/lo Seven-card-Stud hi/lo or simpler just "Monkey Stud"

First, everyome is dealt one hole card and two cards face up. Antes just like normal stud games. Worst hand pays bring-in. If two or more players have equal hand, the player next to button is forced to bring-in.

First Betting round

After betting round, player chooses to take his 4th card either face up or face down.

Second betting round

Again player chooses to take his 5th card either face up or face down

Third betting round

.....6th card face up/face down

Fourth betting round

......7th card face up/down

Fifth betting round

Showdown

The pot is split between the best 7stud hi hand, the best 7stud lo hand, the highest-ranking spade in hole, the lowest ranking spade in hole and the best BlackJack hand with open (face up) cards. 1/5 of the pot each.

Qualifiers:
The "low hand": eight-or-better
Chicago hi: Jack or better (JQKA)
Chicago lo: 5 or better (5432)
BlackJack: 18 or better



Variants:
Reverse monkey stud: Similar, but BJ is dealt in hole and players are dealt two hole cards at the beginning.

Super Monkey Stud: Like above, but if your BJ hand busts, your hi/lo/chicago/chic.lo hands bust as well.

Gorilla Stud:
The pot is sliced to six pieces. Hi, low, chicago hi, chicago low, BJ with face up cards and BJ with hole cards
First everyone gets 4 cards (2 face up and 2 face down). After every betting round, player can:
1) ask for one card face up
2) ask for one card face down
3) stand pat

There are 5 betting rounds, so players get 4-8 card each.

So, post Black Friday (and FTP freeze), I want to test interest in this again.

I'd like to try any variant that involves deep multi-way decision making. I quite like my first creation, Democratic Poker, but I'm not stubborn about playing only my ideas.

Thoughts on Democratic Poker:

(Cliffs: Players select community cards by majority vote).

Voting decisions should be meaningful as frequently as possible. This implies it may be good to have some of:


a) More hole cards, e.g. Omaha. If you have A:c:K:d: as the first to act on the first betting round and the cards to choose from are 7:s: and 6:c:, you don't have any real reason to pick one over the other. However, there is likely to be a modest difference in equity for an Omaha hand.

b) No betting rounds at the start. This ensures you always have an odd number of voters, and especially avoiding heads-up.

c) A betting round at the end. If your hand has no hope by the river, why do you care what way you vote?

d) Hi/Lo split. With more ways to win some part of the pot, each card is more likely to matter.

e) "Tournament" style distribution of the pot, in place of a hi/lo or a betting round. For example, the pot could be distributed as: 40% for 1st, 30% for 2nd, 20% for 3rd, 10% for 4th and 0% for 5th. Even if your hand is quite weak, your voting might help you get 3rd or 4th. Relative to a betting round, there is the bonus that all hands get to showdown, which gives more information.

f) Allowing and encouraging discussion and alliances. Though secret collusion (particularly the sharing of hole cards) would be frowned upon, attempting to sway the votes of others would be entertaining. Works especially well with (e), since it is easier for multiple players to gain equity from a single card. For example, three players (in a five player game) with diamond flush draws could collude in an attempt to bring out three diamonds. However, since all alliances would be non-binding, a player could easily lie about having diamonds in order to double-cross the diamond voters later.

40 or Nothing


In this game you try to make the best four card hand with a possible total of 40.

A=1
2=2
3=3
etc.
T=T


So TTTT is the nuts, TTT9 is the second nuts, etc.

The face cards of J,Q,K are all worth 0. But if you have four face cards in your hand for nothing you negate any high hand and win half the pot. Game is played pot limit or limit with double or triple draws.

From my experience (1K home games played), best dealer's choice poker games are :


1. Rescue 911.
an hilarous draw variant from the book "dealer's choice" (Ernest, Foglio, Selinker).

2. Night Baseball of the living dead.
awesome stud variant from the book "dealer's choice" (Ernest, Foglio, Selinker).

3. Royal Hold'em.
Texas Hold'em played with a stripped deck (20 cards).
Can be played online for free on NLOP.Com
A very good game for expert players as :
- it is stronger to flop a set than a straight.
- it can be better to flop top two pairs than the lower set !
- it can be better to flop top pair with ace kicker than two pairs !
- TT and JJ are awfully bad starting hands.
- flopping a set (or trips) warrants you to hit a straight (or better) on the river.


4. Swiss Hold'em.
Probably the best Hold'em variant ever invented. Position is negated in this variant. You'd better be UTG than dealer !
rules can be found there :
http://www.pagat.com/poker/variants/...red.html#swiss

^ Ultimate Bet used to offer Royal Hold'em, years ago.

I never saw much action at it though, and only played it once for play money myself.

bump

http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/21...e-fun-1162051/

nothing fancy, just another Omaha-8 variation I came up with:

same thing, only after the flop betting round and before the turn card every player left devides his 4 cards into 2 groups of two cards (doing it visibly, of course), leaving him with 2 two card combinations to work with.

in 5-card Omaha-8, it can be done with the extra card (in the middle) being able to play in either group, for a total of 6 two card combinations (like in regular Omaha-8).

another option is that the middle card has to play, so that there is a total 4 two card combinations.

if it already exists, then i'm sorry...

Two Pair

Super basic but could be a fun game to gamble with. Just thought of it now so any additional rules you guys think of are welcome. If it's already a game (could be, like I said: super basic) then ignore this post

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Rules:

Players: 2-6 (probably 2-4 would be ideal)

1. Each player antes the decided bet before any dealing.

2. The dealer deals each player 4 cards, face up.

3.* If anyone is dealt a pair, they are allowed to double the bet. The remaining players can fold or call the raise. If two+ players players are dealt a pair, the player with the lowest pair is given first option to raise. The player with the higher pair can then double the bet again (4x the ante) if he/she wishes. If they are equal (e. both with 77) the player on the dealers left is given first option. You are not required to raise at all if you don't want to.

*(not sure about this doubling rule but it would make gambling a bit more interesting. leave it out completely if you want.)

edit: If anyone is dealt 2 pair initially they take down the pot. Standard.

4. Each player, starting on the dealers left, now discards 1 card and is dealt a new one. This continues until someone makes 2 pairs. As soon as someone has made 2 pairs, each player is allowed 1 last discard to try and catch up. If someone else makes 2 pairs, the person with the highest pair (or second pair if top pair is equal) takes down the pot.

5. Repeat

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Notes:
This could be played with the cards face down completely, or with the hole cards face down but all discards face up. This would eliminate the possibility of the 'double ante' rule at the beginning of the round. Playing with all cards face down would reduce the strategy of counting outs. It could also add in the opportunity to bluff: the round could end with someone 'knocking' and doubling the ante. Anyone who wants to see 1 last discard would have to call the raise and at this point 1 pair or high cards could come into play if the 'knocker' is actually bluffing.

If no one makes 2 pairs before the entire deck is dealt, you could start a new round and add the last pot in for a larger jackpot. If this occurred and the 'double ante' rule was allowed, I would just play the round normally and the last pot would be extra but not count towards the doubling amount in any way.

I also think if anyone makes 4 of a kind it would be the nuts, 3 of a kind however shouldn't count for anything (4 of a kind = 2 pairs, just the same one twice)

You could also play where any time someone makes a pair, theyre allowed to raise (say ante $5 pre and each raise could be $5). That would be a good way to play since someone may make a pair of 8's and raise, then someone makes a pair of J's and raises, etc. Could allow the game to get HU and juice up the pot more than a single ante 'preflop'. Im just dealing out some test hands and keep thinking of additional rules etc

Hopefully that's clear, it seems like a really easy game/idea but it could be a fun way to degen it up while having some beers or something.

I was dealing some test hands and made a few changes but just ran out of time to edit my post again. If any mod sees this will they delete my post above please (and if they want, this top line out of this post ). Here is my post with the changes I tried to make:

The Game: Two Pair

Super basic but could be a fun game to gamble with. Just thought of it now so any additional rules you guys think of are welcome. If it's already a game (could be, like I said: super basic) then ignore this post

-------------------------------------------------------------

Rules:

Players: 2-6 (probably 2-4 would be ideal)

1. Each player antes the decided bet before any dealing.

2. The dealer deals each player 4 cards, face up.

3.* If anyone is dealt a pair, they are allowed to raise the bet (the size of the initial ante). The remaining players can fold or call the raise. If two+ players players are dealt a pair, the player on the dealers left is given first option. You are not required to raise at all if you don't want to.
*(not sure about this rule but it would make gambling a bit more interesting. leave it out completely if you want.)

edit: If anyone is dealt 2 pair initially, they take down the pot.

4. Each player, starting on the dealers left, now discards 1 card and is dealt a new one. *Any time someone makes a pair, they have the option to raise (the size of the initial ante) leave this rule out if you want* This continues until someone makes 2 pairs. As soon as someone has made 2 pairs, each player is allowed 1 last discard to try and catch up. If someone else makes 2 pairs, the person with the highest pair (or second pair if top pair is equal) takes down the pot.

5. Repeat

-------------------------------------------------------------

Notes:
This could be played with the cards face down completely, or with the hole cards face down but all discards face up. This would, however, eliminate the raising rule. Playing with all cards face down would reduce the strategy of counting outs. It could also add in the opportunity to bluff: the round could end with someone 'knocking' and raising. Anyone who wants to see 1 last discard would have to call the raise and at this point 1 pair or high cards could come into play if the 'knocker' is actually bluffing.

If no one makes 2 pairs before the entire deck is dealt, you could start a new round and add the last pot in for a larger jackpot.

I also think if anyone makes 4 of a kind it would be the nuts, 3 of a kind however shouldn't count for anything (4 of a kind = 2 pairs, just the same one twice)

Hopefully that's clear, it seems like a really easy game/idea but it could be a fun way to degen it up while having some beers or something.

Bumping the variant thread.
A friend of mine playing in a home game described a game they called "drop." Everyone antes and gets three cards. Everyone decides whether they want to stay in or fold, and this is revealed simultaneously (folders drop their cards on the count of 3). If no one stays in, everyone matches the pot. If one person stays in, then they have to beat a random hand on top of the deck to take the pot; otherwise they have to match it. If multiple people stay in, best hand wins the pot and losers (not the folders) match it. I don't know what the short stack rules are, if you have less than a full pot in front of you, how long you can continue to stay in by dropping every hand, etc.

I'm wondering if it has a name or has been discussed elsewhere. It seems like kind of a boring game, so this is mostly just curiosity.

omg can't go more degen than that lol

There have been some good threads on this game. Some interesting math, etc. Search 'Man or Mouse' or 'Shuck 3' (or maybe just plain 'Shuck') here and in Poker Theory. There was a good thread started by Clakmeister or El Diablo, or one of the old-time greats... maybe around 2004 or 2005.

Nice, thanks, I'll take a look. I did some math myself and found an equilibrium and a few exploitative strategies for him, but it didn't seem that complex since the strategies are all basically "keep 55T+" or similar. Could be I'm missing something though.

Oh, it looks like this is Guts with a dummy hand. Man or Mouse is similar but seems like a more interesting game since you act in turn.