Bored with Hold'em? Try these variations!

Every now and then people can get bored playing the same game over and over. Lord knows by the end of a home session I want to play something else. So here is a link I found with an extensive listing of different poker variations. Cheers! Razz

And if anyone else knows of a different variation not listed. Please, by all means add it here to the thread. I know Crazy Pineapple was one.

Poker Variations

If you want to play one of those variations, Crazy Pineapple, they offer it on Paradise Poker.

There is also Pineapple which differs from Crazy Pineapple in that your third hole card is discarded before the flop instead of after seeing the flop. I've seen some old timers playing Crazy Pineapple high-low split (8-or-better), but every time I've played it has simply been high hand wins.

Yeah. I like playing CP. It's interesting. I e-mailed the guy and told him to add it to his link.

Basically for those wondering.

Crazy Pineapple is a Hold'em variation. All players are dealt three hole cards instead of two. Preflop bets are made just like regular Hold'em. After the flop, one of the three hole cards are discarded. Then the rest of the game is played like Hold'em with a turn and river.

I think I want to give Iron Cross a try too. Wink

Here's a new hold 'em variation a guy brought to our last home game. He said it was called Irish. Similar to Crazy Pinapple, but each player gets dealt 4 cards, and has to discard 2 after the flop. It was an interesting change of pace once in a while. It really messes with your head though to muck a pocket pair when the flop hits your other cars instead.

Egad I just read it and Iron Cross is what I played.

Look at Criss Cross -- that look horrible! Nine community cards? Nine betting rounds?!?!? WTF?!!?!?

criss cross is a horrible game that my stupid friends always make me play. it gets unbelievably expensive and you need 5 of a kind to win.

ChezJ

One variation i play now and then is 'reserve card' hold em. Deal two to everyone like normal, then deal a 3rd to everyone, face down, that no one looks at - the reserve card. Deal and bet as normal, and at showdown, flip over the reserve card, and if it improves your hand, its take the place of an original pocket card. ACtually is pretty fun, dont know how many times ive gone from losing to taking down a pot when i turn over the reserve card. My most memorable, the board has 4 clubs, and at showdown my friend shows a 5 of clubs, ive got none. We turn over the reserve cards, his doesnt help, but mine is the 6 of clubs.
Certainly isnt a game to take entirely seriously, but its got pretty good entertainment value.

I have a new hold 'em variant invented by me. We haven't tried this out yet, so this is the rough draft form. I think it may be fun though.

The game is called Assassins. Initially each player is dealt three facedown cards - his hole cards. Betting ensues. Then community cards are dealt, the number being two cards plus one more for each player that is still in the hand. So if four are playing and haven't folded, six community cards are dealt.

At this point a round of assassination happens. Assassination is when each player has the option of playing a hole card against one of the board cards and killing it - i.e. removing it from the board. When this occurs, the hole card is flipped faceup on top of the board card, and both are removed from the board. This is optional, players may choose not to. After this round ends, then a round of betting occurs.

Next another single community card is dealt. A round of assassination occurs. This is the last chance for any player to deploy their assassin. They can hold on to all three hole cards if they wish, but there is no assassination round on the river. In other words you would only do this if you had a two-way draw, or a made hand plus a strong draw involving all three cards somehow. After this ends, there's a round of betting again.

The final community card is dealt. Another round of betting ensues. Players then show down two of their three hole cards in coordination with the board, just like in hold 'em, to try to make the best hand.

The game is designed more for short-handed play... two to six players. More than that would result in enormous starting boards and really confusing play.

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Bored with Hold'em? Try these variations!

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Bored with Hold'em? Try these variations!