My entry for the PCA 2+2 Choice Contest

HoldemOpen!

6 or 9 players
1. Deal just like holdem except there is a dummy hand and the BB has one card exposed.

2. after deal and before any action BB can choose to swap cards with dummy hand

3. play continues as normal

4. at showdown dummy hand plays, if it wins, some percentage of the pot(usually 50%) gets rolled over to the next hand

wrap your head around the extra info the BB has.

Indian Hold'em (or blind man's bluff, for those trying to be politically correct)

played just like regular holdem, only each player doesn't know their own hole cards...they just know all of the other player's cards. this is accomplished by holding your hole cards up to your forehead after the deal so all the other players can see them, but you cannot. betting and everything else ist eh same as normal holdem.

*if you take your cards off your forehead or try to look at your hand in any way your hand is declared dead


i've played this a few times before and everyone had a blast, basically a big leveling game to try to get people to fold good hands, and also fun trying to figure out whta you have by what people do

My entry for the PCA 2+2 Choice Contest
Second best hold'em (Limit)

I'm pretty sure this is self explanatory.

My entry for the PCA 2+2 Choice Contest:
Midget Porn Hold'Em

This is something we play in our home game. Is essentially pot limit hold'em with forced double straddles. I'm actually proposing a variation to that which I will call Ugly Midget Porn Hold'em, where it's pot limit hold'em with forced double straddles, but the second best hand wins.

My idea, one that we've messed with at home games, is Reverse PL Pineapple.

Basically, the game begins with the board, entirely. Then one card is dealt, followed by a round of betting. Then a second card is dealt, followed by a round of betting. Then, a third card is dealt, at which point the player will discard one card to form their best two card hand, and bet on the same hand.

This could also be no-limit or even fixed, but I think Pot-Limit is the best format.

My entry for the PCA 2+2 Choice Contest

Show One, Show All

A variation on HE where players are dealt 3 cards, then after a round of betting and prior to the flop each player still in the hand exposes one of the 3 cards. The flop, turn and river are played as per standard HE game and exposed cards are folded face down should a player fold mid-hand. If the hand is resolved without a showdown, the winner of the hand must then expose one more card in order to collect the pot.

This game can be played as a Limit, No Limit or Limit Pre/NL Post game to incite action.

PLO-HI/LO-TRIPS
A new twist on an old game.........
Pot Limit Omaha hi-lo
Best Low wins half (no 8 qualifier on the lo)
Must have trips or better to win the high
If no one has trips, the low scoops!!!!!

Good idea man... too bad I posted it first

My entry for the PCA 2+2 Choice Contest

PL 5 Card Draw Hi/Lo

Must have a pair to qualify for high, must have no pair to qualify for low (aces count as high).

My entry for the PCA 2+2 Choice Contest

The basic idea is "Live teaming and multi-accounting".

The game is normal NL Holdem to appeal to everyone.

Teams of 4/5/6 each wearing a different colour T-shirt so they are clearly identified, sharing any cashes equally.

Example: 100 players start, teams of 5, so 20 teams in the competition. so green team, yellow team, red team etc etc.

1. They can soft play live if at the same table to help out thier team and get one anothers average chip stack up.

2. They can swap seats with a team mate at any time, however the chip stack remains on the table and thier replacement uses it. So if Player A on team green luckboxes thier way to a huge Mercier Mountain sized stack but may not be good enough to take advantage, they can swap seats with Player B on team green who is good in this situation. The Player A who built the stack can go sit where Player B was and take over the smaller stack.

3. You can also swap seat with a team mate who is on the same table, giving position on other players/teams and so another form of advantage. Table breaks would be random the same as any other tournament.

4. Once the final table is reached, teams must change players after every bust out hand. so if 8 start, once a player is eliminated a new team member plays untill 7th place busts out. This means that a) it stops you getting Ivey in your team and letting him play out the FT b) gives everyone a chance to be at a final table c) finds the need for a team strategy; who is the best full ring player; who plays when it get short hand; who plays the heads up portion. Depending on team sizes the final table will be 8 handed if teams of 4 or 10 handed for teams of 5 so every player must play twice.

If there were 100 starting the tournament, and teams of 5, then you have 20 teams. This means some tables will have one team member, whilst some have 2 or even 3. The dynamics get more interesting as players are eliminated and stack sizes differ. The bigger the tournament the better.

The idea is to turn the rules on thier head and promote everything that is against the terms and conditions of online sites but which cannot be enforced, i.e. teaming, colluding and multi-accounting. It also means the final table will have a great rail because team mates will be watching and playing.

My entry for the PCA 2+2 Choice Contest

Four handed Chinese Poker

Stack size and blind structure can be a number of good combos. The dealer can deal with two decks for speed (one in play, one being shuffled/dealt). I think It would be popular because most already know how to play, and a bunch of time wouldn't be waisted with rules and explanations. I've never seen it as a tournament, nows our chance!

Everybody loves Chinese!

My entry for the PCA 2+2 Choice Contest:

Binglaha

This is a pot-limit Omaha variant. It's normal PLO pre-flop and on the flop. After the betting on the flop is over, a die is rolled: if it comes up 1, 2, or 3, the hand is played as PLO8; if it comes up 4, 5, or 6, it's PLO (high only).

This is by far my favorite PLO variant (from BARGE).

My entry for the PCA 2+2 choice contest

SWINGO
Rules of Swingo:

Pot-limit game played with two equal blinds. Everyone is dealt five cards and there is a round of betting. After the betting closes, each player chooses two of his cards to place face-down as his hole cards. Once hole cards are down, players expose the remaining three cards, forming a board resembling Fifth street in stud.

The exposed cards ("the Board") remain in play unless the hand holding them folds, wherein they are mucked. (Note: folding without action pending is not allowed) There is another round of betting, starting with the best board showing (as in stud) After the betting is closed, a single community card, "the river," is dealt and there is a final round of betting, starting with the best board showing (not including the community river card). The best five-card hand wins.

Here's the good part: A player may use any one of the other players' exposed cards (the Board, not another player's hole cards) in his hand. More than one player may use the same Board card. Any player may use the river card in his hand. Players are not required to use any board cards or the river card to make their hands. A player must use a minimum of three cards from his original five-card hand.

---- [hole cards] board cards
Seat 1 [K K] 9 7 T
Seat 2 [A K] J Q 5
Seat 3 [9 5] 5 9 K

River: 7

If all three players see showdown, Seat 1 has Kings full of Sevens, Seat 2 has an Ace-high heart flush and seat 3 has Nines full of Fives.

If seat 3 folds before showdown, Seat 1 has two pair Kings and Sevens, and Seat 2 has Broadway.

If Seat 2 folds, Seat 1 has Kings full of Sevens and Seat 3 has Nines full of Fives.

If seat 1 folds Seat 2 has a flush and seat 3 has Fives full of Nines.


The thing that makes Swingo so great is that betting and raising have different functions than in any other poker game. Often it will be obvious that a card from player A's board completes some big hand for player B, so player C needs to structure the action in a way that forces A to fold, because he will then beat player B. Because the betting is pot limit, these situations are complicated by the potential size of a bet or raise. Certain hands require bigger pots in the beginning so a bet or raise later in the hand can punch harder, while certain hands need other boards in play, so value can be gotten once the hand is made. In some instances, there is a fine line between betting your hand for value and risking an opponent folding a card you need.

In the example hand, river betting would start with Seat 3, who would bet with impunity, having several ways to make a full house. Seat 1 may not be able to raise if he fears seat 2 cold-calling and seat 3 folding. If seat 2 realizes from seat 1's flat that seat 3 makes a big hand for seat 1, his best play is to re-pot, which may force a fold out of seat 3, winning him the pot.

Albini all up ITT. If Swingo wins, I may fly to Bahamas just to play with Steve.

Oh, also, for side pots in Swingo all hands tabled are part of the board (even all-in hands not involved in the side pot). That is all.

Chicago probably closer.

Awesome, was going to dig up the rules of "Swingo" from Albini's episode so SA could enter by proxy.

My Entry for the PCA 2+2 Choice Contest
"POTS"

Similar to HORSE in that there are several different games played in rotation. POTS includes the following games:

Pineapple
Big O
Triple Draw 2-7
Southern

Pineapple - Texas Hold em, except that players are dealt 3 cards and discard one on the flop. Plays just like Hold Em.
Big O - 5 card Omaha hi/lo. Same rules as traditional Omaha hi/lo, but with one extra card.
Triple Draw 2-7 - Traditional 2-7 triple draw.
Southern - 3 Card Omaha high only. Same rules as Omaha high, but with only 3 cards.

This would be a 6-max tournament with a deep structure. Also, the game would be played limit until the last round of betting, at which point the game would be pot limit. So, for example, if blinds were 25-50, pre-flop and flop (or on the deal and first draw in 2-7) betting increments are 50 with a 4-bet cap. On the turn (or second draw in 2-7) betting increments are 100 with a 4-bet cap. On the river (or after 3rd draw in 2-7), players play pot limit and may bet or raise any amount up to the size of the pot.

I believe Steve D said PokerStars would determine the structure, so I will leave that up to them. Games can be rotated by time level, or by number of hands (perhaps Kirbynator would like input here).

My Entry for the PCA 2+2 Choice Contest

Ok, decided i'd throw my game into the mix.

I call it Muck'em (Can be changed).

The basic structure is the same as hold'em. 9 players, SB, BB etc..

Each player is giver 5 cards pre-flop, the last of which is given face up. There is a round of betting. Before the dealer burns and turns the flop, each player left in the hand must muck one of their cards (starting left of the dealer). Once the flop is out, there is another round of betting, and another card is mucked once this is done. Then the dealer burns and turns the turn. The same is done on the turn card. This leaves the player with 2 cards (one face up) at the river to bet/check... on the river. The hands plays out like a normal hold'em hand on the river.

It's No limit on every street.

My entry for the PCA 2+2 Choice Contest

" loldonkaments "

My entry for the PCA 2+2 choice contest

Thermonuclear Pineapple

8-max game, played like limit Pineapple except each player is dealt 5 cards, and must discard one before the flop, turn, and river. Players are thus left with 2 hole cards if they see showdown of which they can use 0, 1, or 2 for their 5 card hand.

Big time action game despite its limit betting structure, and has been DPC tested and approved for the last 5 years or so.

*Note: I take no credit for originating this game, but the genius/action junkie who invented it no longer posts here.

My entry for the PCA 2+2 Choice Contest

Colorado Hold'em

This is agame that is similar to Texas Hold'em but with a twist on the river.

The game starts with a big blind and a small blind.

Each player is dealt two hole cards followed by a round of betting. A normal 3 card flop is dealt, followed by another round of betting. A turn is dealt followed by a round of betting.

So far so good? Here is the twist. Instead of the river card being dealt on the board, a card is burned and each player gets a private river card and the last round of betting happens.

In the end, there will be four community cards and each player has three hole cards.

Each player will make his best five card poker hand using any combination of the four community cards and three hole cards. ( one hole card, four community cards .. Two hole cards, three community cards ... Three hole cards, Two community cards )

The game is best played limit or pot limit, but no limit is fun too. I have even played it as a high low split pot game, but think the high only pot limit version is best.

Aka Tecumseh, aka river-down hold 'em. I will attest that this is a great game, but think it is best played PL hi-lo8. Very confusing boards for O8 players.

My entry for the PCA 2+2 Choice Contest:

Semi-shootout + Knockout, NLHE/PLO Rotation.

The tournament starts as a freezeout, but when 45 players remain, remaining players are divided into five tables (with the 5 biggest stacks being split up). Each of these tables plays down to two players, both of whom will stop play, and advance to the final table when other tables are completed (final table of 10 players).

It is also a Knockout tournament, whereby a portion of the buy-in (20%) will become a bounty on each players head (represented by a 'Bounty' token chip, or equivalent). When Player 'A' eliminates Player 'B', Player 'B' forfeits his own 'Bounty' token to Player 'A', while keeping other tokens he may have earned for redemption of bounty.

It will be a No-limit Hold'em/Pot Limit Omaha rotation game, with the game changing every blind level (or if blind levels are particularly slow, twice per blind level).

My entry for the PCA 2+2 Choice Contest:

Ok, I just made this sh*t up, so here goes nothin'!

In honor of the poker awesomeness that is 2+2, I've created a game that, from start to finish, revolves around the almighty deuce!

"2+2 Hold 'em!"

1) It starts off like a traditional hold'em game with a button, a small blind, and a big blind.

2) Each tournament entrant starts with 2 stacks.

3) Can be played FR or 6-max, but 6-max would probably be faster. (More on that later.)

4) Each player at the table gets dealt two hold'em hands, one hand for each stack.

5) Pre-flop betting round is pot-limit.

6) Flop, Turn, and River are no-limit.

7) Each street is exactly 2 cards, versus the traditional 3-1-1 format of NLHE or PLO, for a total of 6 board cards!

8) This is a double board game! On the "flop," the dealer will deal two cards for the first board, and two for the second, right beneath the first. Same for the turn and river.

9) Betting occurs as in traditional hold'em: pre-flop betting round, flops, betting round, turns, betting round, rivers, betting round, showdown.

10) Now here's the kicker. In keeping with the "Two" theme...deuces are wild!!! Any deuce in a player's hand is a wild-card, as well as any deuce on the board. (This screws everyone's maths up, and levels the playing field for most players. Can you say, "AA AIPF no good?")

The blinds rotate as in normal hold'em, from one "player" or hand to the next, in a clockwise fashion. So, if the hand to the right of your TWO hands is the button, your two hands will be both the small and the big blinds. The following hand, your hand #1--the right-most of your two hands--will be the button and hand #2--the left-most of your two hands--will be the SB, and hand #1 of the player to your left will be the BB.

You are not required to play both of your hands at the same time. When the action gets around to you, you may play your hands entirely independent of one another, if you so choose. (Example: My hand #1 is the cutoff and hand #2 is the button. I therefore have the TWO best positions at the table for this hand. When the action comes around to me, I may pot hand 1 from the CO, and I may re-pot with hand 2 from the button. I could instead pot from the cutoff and min-raise the button. If you have big enough stacks, you could, essentially, have no-limit powers pre, even though pre-flop is pot-limit. Of course, as the hands are played independently, you could fold from the CO and 3x from the button, or do any other combination you choose.)

The two independent chip-stacks of each player adds a whole new level of strategy never seen in any poker game--unless, of course, you're multi-accounting or colluding. Because you've seen four cards, even if you've only decided to play 2, you have tons more information about how you should proceed! If you're dealt a 6c6h in hand 1, and 6h6d in hand 2, you might as well forget about trying to set-mine yeah? Or if you've got JsTs and Ks9s, obviously you'll be a lot less likely to flop a monster draw against that nit pre-flop raiser to your right who only raises pre with AK/QQ+. On the other hand, let's say you're dealt 99 and 88 and you know that pre-flop raiser is only going to raise with the same range...all of a sudden, you're calling just about any raise he can throw at you cuz the chances of you hitting a set on at least one of the boards have just gone through the roof! Also, in this format, you could totally bust out on your "hand 1" and triple up on your "hand 2!" How weird would that be? Maybe make it to HU at the FT with Jungleman and use your two massive stacks to pulverize his single stack???

The two boards also messes things up significantly. It makes it INCREDIBLY difficult for you to read what your opponent is doing, because aside from pre, you don't know which board he's playing! Also, similar to the four hole cards you've seen, you get to see two independent boards, and can eliminate possibilities accordingly! Essentially, each board acts as exposed cards for the other board. If you're hoping to hit that nut flush spade draw on board 1, but board 2 has four spades on it, well...you get the idea. It also adds a split element to the game. You may hold the nuts on the top board, but your opponent has you crushed on the bottom board.

And the wild cards?!?!?! Forget it. I don't even need to go there, I don't think.

Anyway, I think the horse is beaten to a bloody pulp, so I'll wrap it up. I think this could be a really fun, strategic, and CRAZY, ACTION-DRIVEN game for the PCA, and I hope it gets chosen! Thanks and gl all!