3 Card Poker Rules
2, 3 or 4 players: Stud Poker in any form. Usually, with so few players, only the very experienced play Draw Poker and they will often use a stripped deck, which is a pack with cards removed, such as all the deuces (twos) and treys (threes). 5—8 players: Any form of Poker, either Draw or Stud. 9 or 10 players: Five-card Stud Poker.
- How to Play 5-Card Draw Poker. If you have played any other form of poker, 5-card draw rules are similar in that the aim of the game is to make the best five-card poker hand.
- In poker, players form sets of five playing cards, called hands, according to the rules of the game. Each hand has a rank, which is compared against the ranks of other hands participating in the showdown to decide who wins the pot.
Community card poker refers to any game of poker that uses community cards (also called 'shared cards' or 'window cards'), which are cards dealt face up in the center of the table and shared by all players. In these games, each player is dealt privately an incomplete hand ('hole cards'), which are then combined with the community cards to make a complete hand. The set of community cards is called the 'board', and may be dealt in a simple line or arranged in a special pattern. Rules of each game determine how they may be combined with each player's private hand. The most popular community card game today is Texas hold 'em, originating sometime in the 1920s.
In home games, it is typical to use antes, while casinos typically use only blinds for these games. No limit and fixed limit games are most common, while spread limit and pot limit games are less common. The betting format and stakes can vary by region as well as time of year and volume (casinos often change games on weekends to accommodate increased customer demand). Later betting rounds often have a higher limit than earlier betting rounds. Each betting round begins with the player to the dealer's left (when blinds are used, the first round begins with the player after the big blind), so community card games are generally positional games.
Most community card games do not play well with lowball hand values, though some do play very well at high-low split, especially with ace-to-five low values, making it possible to win both halves of a pot. When played high-low split, there is generally a minimum qualifying hand for low (often 8-high) and no declaration is needed.
Community cards[edit]
Often, several community cards are dealt to the table, shared by all players, and subject to variant-specific rules about how many, and which of the cards may be used in each player's hand. Such a set of community cards is often called a 'board' or 'window' (though this latter term is inconsistent with its use in other card games). The board is usually dealt in a simple line, but some games may have elaborate layouts of community cards with special rules about what combinations can be used. For example, Texas hold 'em ends with each player holding two cards in his individual hand, and a board of five community cards in a simple line shared by everyone; each player then plays the best five-card hand in any combination. In Omaha hold 'em, game rules restrict players to using exactly three (no more and no fewer) of the five community cards, combined with exactly two of the four cards dealt to each player, to make a hand. In Tic-tac-toe, the board is a 3x3 array of nine cards, and players must use exactly three cards from a row, column, or diagonal of the board.
Texas hold 'em[edit]
This is the most popular community card game today. Each player is dealt two private 'hole' cards, after which there is a betting round. Then three community cards are dealt face up (in no particular order or pattern) to form the 'flop', followed by a second betting round. A fourth community card (the 'turn') is followed by a third betting round. And finally the fifth community card (the 'river') is followed by the final betting round. At showdown, each player plays the best five-card hand he can make using any five cards among the two in his hand and the five on the board. This is the key difference from Omaha hold 'em; the player may use both, one, or none of his hole cards in the final hand (though a hand that plays the board is guaranteed to be able to 'chop' the pot at best, since every other player still in the hand at showdown has access to those same five cards). Note that in current practice, before each community card round (the flop, the turn, and the river) first a card is 'burned' and placed in a discard pile. This was implemented to prevent card-cheaters from 'marking' cards and knowing what the card on the top of the dealer's deck was.
Double-board hold 'em[edit]
For double-board hold 'em, two separate five-card boards are dealt, and the high hand using each board takes half of the pot. For example, after the first betting round, three community cards are dealt to each of two separate boards; after the second round, another community card is dealt to each board; and before the final round, a fifth community card is dealt to each board (so there will be in total ten community cards, comprising two separate five-card hold 'em boards). It is possible for one player to have the best hand on both boards and thus 'scoop' the entire pot.
This variant of Texas hold 'em is sometimes called 'double-flop hold 'em', which is a bit of a misnomer, since there are not just two flops, but also two turns and two rivers.
Greek hold 'em[edit]
Greek hold 'em follows the same rules as Omaha, except that each player is only dealt two cards, same as in Texas hold 'em. In Greek hold 'em each player must use both hole cards along with 3 of the total available community cards to make the strongest five card hand, unlike Texas hold 'em where each player may play the best five card poker hand from any combination of the seven cards available to them.[1][2][3]
Irish Poker[edit]
In Irish poker, each player is dealt four cards before the flop. After the betting round on the flop is completed each player must discard two cards. From this point the game is played exactly like Texas hold 'em with betting after the turn and river. At showdown, each player uses their remaining two cards along with the board to construct a hand.[4]
No river hold 'em[edit]
Players are dealt three hole cards instead of two with three betting rounds: pre-flop, flop and turn. Players can use any number of hole cards to make the final hand.[5]
Royal hold 'em[edit]
Royal hold 'em is a variation which is played using a stripped deck. In royal hold'em, the deuces through nines are stripped from the deck, thereby only leaving the tens through aces.[6][7]
Royal hold 'em can only be played with a maximum of six players because there are only 20 cards in the deck. With 5 community cards, 3 burn cards, and 2 pocket cards per player, a six-player table will use all 20 cards in the deck.[8] The strategy for royal hold 'em varies from other forms of poker, since the odds of certain hands are greatly increased.
Six-plus hold 'em[edit]
Six-plus hold 'em, also known as short-deck hold 'em, is a variation in which the cards valued 2 through 5 are removed from the deck.
Omaha hold 'em[edit]
Another hold 'em variant is Omaha hold 'em. Each player is dealt four cards to his private hand instead of two. The betting rounds and layout of community cards is identical to Texas hold 'em. At showdown, each player's hand is the best five-card hand he can make from exactly three of the five cards on the board, plus exactly two of his own cards.
The high-low split version of Omaha is called many different names, such as 'Omaha Eight or better', 'Omaha HiLo' or 'Omaha8'. Each player, using the above rules, makes a separate five-card high hand and five-card low hand, and the pot is split between the high and low (which may be the same player). To qualify for low, a player must be able to play an 8-7-6-5-4 or lower. A few casinos play with a 9-low qualifier instead, but this is rare. In high-low split games, aces count as both high and low.
The low hand is unavailable if the board cards do not include cards of at least three different ranks of 8 or lower (with aces counting as low). Paired cards lower than eight don't qualify.
When high hands only are used, the game is generally called 'Omaha high' to avoid ambiguity.
Omaha can be played fixed limit, pot limit (where it is often called 'PLO') or no limit. It is sometimes played where each player gets five cards instead of four. The same rules apply for showdown: each player must use two of his cards with three of the community cards.
Courchevel[edit]
A variant of Omaha hold 'em (5-Card Omaha) very popular in Europe, where instead of betting on the initial four cards and then flopping three community cards for the second round, the first community card is dealt before the first betting round, so that each player has five private cards and a single community card on his first round of betting. Then two more community cards are dealt to complete the Flop, and then play proceeds exactly as in Omaha.
Pineapple variations[edit]
Pineapple hold 'em exists halfway between Texas hold 'em and Omaha hold 'em and has been very popular in Australia and South America, specifically in Medellin, Colombia, where it was first introduced in a private poker room since 2010. Players are initially dealt three cards. Each player then discards one of the three cards (Pre-flop, Post-flop or at Showdown), and the game proceeds exactly as in Texas hold 'em.[9] In some regional variations, five cards are dealt, and one is discarded after flop, turn, and river, otherwise proceeding as usual Texas hold 'em.
Pineapple[edit]
Players discard their third (unwanted or unneeded) card pre-flop, before the first betting round.
Crazy Pineapple[edit]
Players discard their third (unwanted or unneeded) card after the flop, before the fourth community card is dealt.
Tahoe (Lazy Pineapple)[edit]
Players discard after the final betting round or at showdown so they may not use all three of them to make a hand. Each player may use none, one, or two cards from his hand (never three cards) combined with those on the board, to make his final five-card hand, just like in Texas hold 'em.
In the variant known as 'Super hold 'em', players can keep all 3 private cards throughout the play and may use all three cards to determine high hand.
Manila[edit]
3 Card Poker Rules 6 Card Bonus
Manila is played with a stripped deck in which all cards below the rank of 7 are removed (leaving 32 cards). Each player is dealt two private cards, and a single community card is dealt face up, followed by the first betting round. Then a second community card is followed by a second betting round, a third community card and a third betting round, a fourth community card and a fourth betting round, and finally a fifth community card and fifth betting round. On showdown, unlike Texas hold 'em (and more like Omaha), each player makes the best hand possible from both of their own hole cards with exactly three of the five community cards.
Because of the stripped deck, a flush beats a full house. Also, an ace may not be played low for a straight (that is, the hand A-7-8-9-10 is not a straight in Manila). Manila and its variants are rarely played high-low split (in fact, very few stripped deck games are ever played low).
Common variations involve dealing three cards to each player, one of which can either be discarded at some point (like Pineapple, above), or else held to the end, but maintaining the requirement that players play exactly two of their own cards with exactly three of the board. The three-card variant is sometimes played with 6s being restored to the deck, making it 36 cards.
Pinatubo[edit]
Because Manila has five betting rounds, it does not play well at no limit or pot limit. This can be easily modified by eliminating the betting round between the second and third community cards. So, each player is dealt two private cards and a single community card is dealt to the board, followed by the first betting round. Then two community cards are dealt, followed by a second betting round. Then a fourth community card and third betting round, a fifth and final community card and fourth betting round, followed by a showdown as above.
The three-card variant can be played this way as well (as with Manila, the players must use exactly two of their three-hole cards with three of the board cards to make a hand).
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^Dario De Toffoli (23 January 2013). Superpoker. Sperling & kupfer. pp. 11–. ISBN978-88-7339-769-4.
- ^Turner, Robert (4 November 2014). 'Casino Games: Robert Turner credited with inventing Omaha Hi/Lo poker'. Gaming Today. Retrieved 28 August 2017.
- ^Doyle Brunson's Super System. Cardoza Publishing. ISBN978-1-58042-475-2.
- ^'Irish Poker Rules & Game Play'. Pokerlistings. Retrieved April 6, 2017.
- ^'Archived copy'. Archived from the original on 2013-02-10. Retrieved 2009-09-14.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- ^'NLOP Royal Hold'em'. Archived from the original on 2009-09-26. Retrieved 2018-08-12.
- ^'NLOP.com Launches No River Hold'em and Royal Hold'em Poker Games'. Marketwire. 2008-12-16. Retrieved 2018-05-31.
- ^'Poker pour Mobile – Les meilleures applis poker mobile'. Pokerlistings (in French). Retrieved 2018-05-31.
- ^Pineapple hold 'emArchived 2012-07-29 at the Wayback MachineMind Sports Olympiad webpage on Pineapple Hold'em, retrieved 13 July 2012
Introduction
Stud poker first appeared as early as the 1860's in America. Formerly all poker games had been 'closed' - the cards were known only to the player to whom they were dealt. Stud poker is an 'open' game in which most of a player's cards are displayed on the table. Therefore players can form an idea of the strength of other players' hands and bet accordingly, although each player has at least one 'hole' card which remains concealed until the showdown. Since poker is a five card game it is natural that the earliest form of stud poker was five card stud. In this game each player's first card is dealt face down and known only to the owner, but the other four are dealt face up with a betting round after each.
Although Five Card Stud was overtaken in popularity in the late 20th century by Seven Card Stud and community card games such as Texas Hold'em and Omaha, it is still played in some places.
This page assumes some familiarity with the general rules and terminology of poker. See the poker rules page for an introduction to these, and the poker betting and poker hand ranking pages for further details.
Players and Cards
A standard 52-card pack is used, and since only five cards per player are dealt, it is possible for up to 10 people to play.
The Play
The sequence of events is as follows (as usual the cards are dealt clockwise one at a time):
- All players place an ante in the pot.
- Each player is dealt one card face down and one face up, and there is a betting round.
- Each player is dealt a third card face up. There is a second betting round.
- Each player is dealt a fourth card face up. There is a third betting round.
- Each player is dealt a fifth and card face up. There is a fourth betting round.
- Surviving players show their cards and the best five-card hand wins the pot.
The concealed card - the first dealt to each player - is sometimes known as the 'hole' card.
Order of Betting
Traditionally, each betting round is begun by the player with the best hand showing. For this purpose pairs, triplets, two pairs and quads count in their normal poker order - so for example with three cards showing 3-3-3 is higher than 7-7-8, which is higher than A-K-Q. Incomplete straights and flushes do not count. If there is a tie it is resolved by comparing the suits of the highest cards in the tied hands using the ranking order clubs (low), diamonds, hearts, spades (high).
Some play that in the first betting round, the first player must place a compulsory bet, called the bring-in. In this case there may be no ante, though an ante is usually paid as well.
Some play that the first betting round starts with a compulsory (bring-in) bet by the player showing the lowest card. This is now the normal rule in formal games hosted by American casinos. The subsequent betting rounds are begun by the highest hand showing as usual.
Size of Bets
This is of course for the players to agree. Five Card Stud is often played as a fixed limit game with the following arrangements.
- A small bet and a big bet size are determined - say for example $5 and $10.
- When there is a compulsory bring-in bet, the ante amount is generally much smaller than the small bet - say $0.50 in the example.
- The compulsory bring-in bet is normally less than the small bet but more than the ante - say $2 in the example.
- The player who opens the betting has the option to place a full small bet ($5) instead of just the compulsory minimum $2.
- If the opener just places the minimum bring-in, subsequent players have the option to complete the bet to a small bet ($5), to call the bring-in ($2) or to fold. Only if someone completes the bet are later players allowed to raise. If the opener chooses to begin with a full bet ($5), subsequent players can raise.
- In the first betting round no big bets are allowed.
- If there is no compulsory bet in the first betting round, then a larger ante should be used, and only full small bets are allowed in the first betting round.
- Only one bet and a maximum of three raises are allowed in any betting round, if there were more than two active players at the start of the betting round. A bring-in of less than a small bet does not count as a bet for this purpose - after it is completed there can be three raises.
- In the second betting round, when players have two face up cards, big bets ($10) are allowed if any player has a pair (or better) showing. In this case anyone can place a big bet or raise, even if they do not themselves have a pair.
- Note that if the rule is played that each raise must be at least as large as the last bet or raise, then after a player places a big bet, only big raises are allowed in that round. However, many home poker games do not have this rule, in which case a player may respond to a big bet with a small raise, thereby 'using up' one of the three raises and limiting the potential size of the pot.
- Some play that in the last two betting rounds, after players are dealt their fourth and fifth cards, only big bets are allowed. This is the normal rule in casino hosted games, but not in home poker games.
Variations
Sometimes Five Card Stud is played with the fifth card dealt face down, so that in the last betting round each player still has only three cards showing. In this case the final betting round will be begun by the same player who began the previous round.
3 Card Poker Rules
Lowball
Five Card Stud can be played low (lowest hand wins). This game is sometimes called Lowball, though this name is also used for Draw Poker played for low. Any of the low poker ranking systems can be used. In American casinos ace-to-five ranking would be most usual. Many home poker players prefer ace-to-six ranking. Deuce-to-seven ranking would also be possible.
In the formal casino version, the player with the highest card showing (Ace counting as low) starts the first round of betting with a compulsory bring-in bet. Subsequent betting rounds are begun by the player with the lowest hand showing. Since a pair is not a good hand in this game, a player with a pair showing is not entitled to place a big bet. The remaining rules are the same as in ordinary Five Card Stud, as described above, except that in the showdown the lowest hand wins.
Five Card Stud High-Low
The deal and betting are mostly the same as in ordinary five card stud. Some play that in high-low games, a pair showing does not give players the option of a big bet or raise.
In the formal version of this game, at the showdown, the pot is split equally between the highest and lowest hands, the odd chip going to the high hand if the amount cannot be divided exactly by two. Any of the possible low hand ranking methods can be used - see low hand ranking on the poker hand ranking page.
In home games, Five Card Stud High-Low is often played with declaration. After the final betting round each player has to declare either 'high', 'low'. This can be done either in sequence around the table or simultaneously - see the section on declaration methods on the poker betting page. Usually players are not allowed to dealer 'both' in Five Card Stud High-Low. Even if it were allowed it would be unusual, unless perhaps you were playing ace-to-five ranking (uncommon in home games) and a player had (or pretended to have) an A-2-3-4-5 straight which is good for both high and low.
In the showdown, the highest hand among the players who have declared 'high' shares the pot with the lowest of the players who have declared 'low'. See the section on the showdown in split pot games on the poker betting page for further details and variations.
Five Card Stud High-Low with a Buy
This home poker variant is exactly like Five Card Stud High-Low except that after the fifth card is dealt, each player in turn has the opportunity to 'buy' a card. The player discards one card and the dealer deals a replacement card, face up if the discarded card was face up but face down if the discarded card was face down. A player who buys a card must pay an agreed amount to the pot - for example one large bet. After everyone has had a chance to buy, the final betting round, the declaration and the showdown follow.
This game can be played with two rounds of buying, the second round being more expensive than the first.
Sökö
In Finland, one of the most popular poker games is Sökö. Elsewhere it is sometimes known as California Stud. It is the same as 5-card stud except for the hand ranking: there are two additional hands, ranking below a pair.
A 4-straight consists of four cards of consecutive rank and an odd card. When comparing 4-straights, compare the straights first: if they are equal the rank of the odd card decides.
A 4-flush consists of four cards of one suit and one card of a different suit. First compare the four flush cards in descending order and if the these are all equal compare the odd card.
The rank of hands from lowest to highest is:
- high card
- pair
- 4-straight
- 4-flush
- two pair
- three of a kind
- straight
- flush
- full house
- four of a kind
- straight flush