Quote:
Originally Posted by golddog
Lowmaha
357
Some kind of ante to have a pot.
Each player gets three cards. First round of betting, threes are wild. From the button, each player in turn announces if they're in or out.
If there is more than one player in, the "in" players exchange cards, decide who had the best hand, and the losers pay the winner one bet. If only one player is in, he gets a marker; first player to three markers wins the pot.
(Straights and flushes do not count in the three-card round).
If only the button stays in, go around the table again, giving players a second option to stay. Just trying to lower the incidence of obvious steals.
Second round, button moves, two more cards to each player, now fives are wild. Same setup, only losers pay winners two bets.
Third round, buttons moves, two more cards to each player, now sevens are wild. Same procedure, only losers pay winners three bets.
After sevens, re-deal a new hand.
Each time the button hits the dealer, everyone re-antes, and the losing bets go up by one unit (i.e., from 1/2/3 per hand to 2/3/4 and so on). Optionally, some games have every "not in" player ante each round of betting. Might play this with anteing/moving up losing payments each hand, rather than each time around the table.
Probably want your antes to be low relative to the "in" loser's payments, so people don't do too much calling with a sure loss, trying to hang on for the pot.
This is one of my easy, go to DC games, but we structure a little different. To begin, everyone Antes 1 unit. Deal everyone 3 cards facedown.
1st round - 3s are wild. Dealer gives everyone a few seconds to look at their cards. Then everyone holds cards at arms length (faces of cards still down so no one can see what you have). Then Dealer counts out loud: 1, 2, 3. On 3, if you are "out" for the round, you drop your cards on the table. If you are staying "in", you keep your cards in your hand. If only one person stays in, they scoop the pot, and everyone re-antes. If multiple people stay, they pass their cards face down to each other, and once all "in" players have reviewed the others hands, determine the 3 card round winner. The loser or losers must match the pot, and the winner of the hand scoops the initial pot (so if 3 people stay in, the 5 wild round will start with double the initial pot due to two players matching the pot for losing).
2nd round - each player is dealt one additional card, and 5s are the only wild. Again, Dealer counts to three, drop cards if out, hold cards if staying in. If only one stays in, they scoop the pot and everyone re-antes. If multiple people stay, exchange cards and determine winner, with loser(s) matching the pot. If no one stayed in, everyone adds an additional ante to the pot.
3rd Round - each player is dealt one additional card (now each player has 5 cards). 7 is the only wild card, but now Straights and Flushes play. Same Dealer count to 3.
If only one person stays here and they scoop, then game is over. If no one stays, everyone adds an ante to the pot. If there is a showdown, loser(s) match the pot. Dealer takes all cards, reshuffle, and starts back on 1st round rules and keep playing until you have a round where only one player stays and scoops the pot, then game is over.
If in any round, someone holds on three but then drops late, we call it out and bust their chops, tell them that was their one grace, and next time they are forced to stay in.
In some instances, we've put a cap of like $100 match for losing, super rare to happen, but important if initial ante is larger than $1.00. Also, want to announce before you start, or if seeing you might be getting to that level (or adjust a cap/max match based on size of game).