Poker Variations

Seven card stud poker

Game summary
Of all the poker games most commonly played in public cardrooms, Seven Card Stud is probably the most popular. In this game, each player is dealt seven cards of their own: two cards in the hole and one face up, followed by an opening bet. Then three cards face up, with a betting round after each card dealt, and a final card in the hole with a final bet. (CC) C bet; C (bet); C (bet); C (bet); (C) bet. The player makes a hand using any five cards from the seven dealt. The highest hand wins the pot.

Caribbean Stud Poker

Game summary
A casino table game based on the standard 5-card stud poker game played on a Blackjack-type table. Some casinos also offer a progressive jackpot paid to high ranking hands. This table game is played with one deck of cards.

Here the player competes against the dealer's hand. Each player makes the opening bet called 'ante'. Players then have the option to bet $1.00 to participate in the progressive jackpot. Players win all or part of the progressive jackpot with a Royal Flush, Straight Flush, Four of a Kind, Full House or Flush.

Players place the opening bet 'ante'. Then the dealer deals in turn giving five cards each face down, including himself except for the dealer's fifth card, which is face up. After examining the cards, the player must decide on one of two options:

Either place a bet on the 'play' mark equal to the 'ante' amount and continue the game, or
Fold and withdraw from that round and forfeit the 'ante' wager.
Once all the players made their decisions, the dealer will open his or her cards. The dealer's hand must contain an Ace-King or better to qualify and challenge the players hands, otherwise the dealer folds and only the 'ante' wagers are paid, at 1:1 irrespective of ranking. The 'play' bet is returned to the player.

If the dealer's hand qualifies with an Ace-King or better, then the players cards are opened and compared against the dealer's. If the dealer's hand is better than the player's hand, then the player loses both, the 'ante' and 'play' wager.

If the player's hand is better than the dealer's, then the dealer pays the player for both wagers; the 'ante' and the 'play'. For the 'ante' the payoff is fixed at 1:1 irrespective of the hand ranking. For the 'play' wager the payoffs vary according to the ranking of each player's hand.

The payoffs may differ between casinos but basically they are as follows:

Let it Ride Poker

Game summary
Let it ride is a poker variation. The object of the game is to get a pair of 10s or better using three cards dealt to the player and two "community" cards given to the dealer. In this game everyone plays against the casino.

To start with, each player makes three bets of equal amount. Then the dealer gives each player three cards and takes two community cards placed face down. After seeing their first three cards each player has the choice to take one of their three bets back or to leave it out and 'let it ride'.

Then the dealer turns over one of the two community cards, which apply to all hands on the table, and each player has the option to take out another bet or to 'let it ride'. The player may leave their bet in or take it out the second time irrespective of their first decision.

The dealer then shows the second community card. Winners are paid based on hands which have a pair of 10s or better with a pair of 10s paying even money, as follows:

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Pai gow poker

Game summary
Pai Gow Poker is a mixture of the ancient Chinese game of Pai Gow with classic American poker. It's played with a standard 53 card deck, including a Joker. The Joker can only be used as an Ace, or to complete a Straight or a Flush.

The game is one-to-one, the player (or players) plays against the banker, each competing to make the best possible hand. Due to a rather slow pace and a lot of ties pai gow poker is less intense than most casino games and a modest bankroll can usually last a long time.

Each player is dealt seven cards. The cards are arranged into two hands: a 2-card hand and a 5-card hand. Rankings are like the classic poker. The highest 2-card hand is Aces and the highest 5-card hand is a royal flush.

The 5-card hand must be higher than the 2-card hand. For example, if the 2-card hand is a pair of fours, the 5-card hand must contain a pair of fives or better.

The object of the game is for the player to have both hands to rank higher than those of the banker. If the player wins on one hand but loses on the other, it's a push and no money changes hands. If one hand ranks the same as the banker's hand, it's a tie but in this case the banker wins. Winning hands are paid even money, less a 5% commission. Losing hands lose the amount wagered.

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