What non-standard games do you play in your home game? (3 Viewers)

[HughDrackman]

Hey all, I started playing poker even I was 17. I would go to my uncle’s home games, where we would get into some goofy, non-standard games I haven’t heard of outside him and his circle of friends. Guts, Points, Montana Red Dog, Baseball, 7-27, and others that made the night fun, and broke up the monotony of NLH and Omaha.

So I was wondering, what are some of your non-standard home games?

 

[Rolledupaces]

I haven't played 727 in years. So much fun.

 

[TheOffalo]

Besides NLH and PLO8 (and Big-O), we play Crazy Pineapple 8 (declare, spread limit, usually), Scrotum 8. More rare but when we feel particularly degen-y, we'll incorporate some Elevator 8, Irish Omaha (Big-O but can use 2 or 3 cards in your hand--can you say hidden boats and quads?), and other wacky games.

We used to play more wild [card] games like Baseball, Low Chicago, Queens and Follow, etc. but we've moved away from those.

A friend introduced Elevator, and I added two variants to it: "Express Elevator" which has one fewer floor so there's fewer rounds of betting, and "Fire Escape" which is Express Elevator but you can play one of the two 3-card vertical columns that make up the "building" (with 2 cards in your hand).

Check out https://www.pokerchipforum.com/resources/abby99s-mixed-game-cards.45/ for more games and https://www.pokerchipforum.com/threads/your-best-6-pl-circus-game-rotation.94430/ for a recent discussion on (pot limit, split pot) circus games.

 

[Stufflymcstuff]

In one of my home game groups 727 is about half the games chosen. We do spread limit with a 4 bet cap. I kind of want to do a PL version - would make it almost an entirely different game. But no one else seems to be interested.

 

[Poker Zombie]

Besides NLH and PLO8 (and Big-O), we play Crazy Pineapple 8 (declare, spread limit, usually), Scrotum 8. More rare but when we feel particularly degen-y, we'll incorporate some Elevator 8, Irish Omaha (Big-O but can use 2 or 3 cards in your hand--can you say hidden boats and quads?), and other wacky games.

We used to play more wild [card] games like Baseball, Low Chicago, Queens and Follow, etc. but we've moved away from those.

View attachment 1017023

A friend introduced Elevator, and I added two variants to it: "Express Elevator" which has one fewer floor so there's fewer rounds of betting, and "Fire Escape" which is Express Elevator but you can play one of the two 3-card vertical columns that make up the "building" (with 2 cards in your hand).

Check out https://www.pokerchipforum.com/resources/abby99s-mixed-game-cards.45/ for more games and https://www.pokerchipforum.com/threads/your-best-6-pl-circus-game-rotation.94430/ for a recent discussion on (pot limit, split pot) circus games.

I always have an issue with any game that says to "deal all the community cards face-down" and then start betting. I guess that would have been great when I was younger and could see the marks on the back of the cards, but other than cheating, why would ever you do that?

 

[grebe]

Anything with a wild card in it and you lost me.....there are hundreds of great games out there, why you need to debate whether 5 of a kind should beat a royal flush is beyond my comprehension.

My favorite of the circus games is Draw2maha.

 

[HughDrackman]

I also like a high/low Chicago game. It adds an extra level of strategy to 7 stud that I appreciate.

 

[TheOffalo]

I always have an issue with any game that says to "deal all the community cards face-down" and then start betting. I guess that would have been great when I was younger and could see the marks on the back of the cards, but other than cheating, why would ever you do that?

For Elevator I agree the “floors” could be dealt one “street” (to mix metaphors) at a time. There are some games that we deal where the board is a 6-card cross or plus sign, a 9-card square (like tic tac toe) or diamond, where cards get flipped not always in the same order where it’d make more sense to deal them out in full, though I guess they could also be dealt out per street.

Maybe because my guys are all older, or we try to make sure any cards that are marked are removed, but unless someone’s been doing it under the radar really subtly. I don’t think any of us (in my core group of players) have gotten any unfair advantage from having the cards dealt out.

 

[Poker Zombie]

Anything with a wild card in it and you lost me.....there are hundreds of great games out there, why you need to debate whether 5 of a kind should beat a royal flush is beyond my comprehension.

My favorite of the circus games is Draw2maha.

It's been a loooooong time since I played anything with wildcards, but I seem to remember you couldn't duplicate a card in your hand. With such a rule, 5 of a kind does not exist, it only changes the math of existing hands.

 

[jonstanley2009]

We have mixed in pineapple (might be already said above) poker into some games. Or dealers choice

 

[pltrgyst]

View attachment 1017023

What's the purpose of the burn in between dealing the hands and dealing the board, which all happens at one time?

 

[TheOffalo]

What's the purpose of the burn in between dealing the hands and dealing the board, which all happens at one time?

I guess just convention. In other home games I’m part of that have bomb pots where the flop is dealt immediately after the hole cards and people burn before the flop.

 

[Choker]

So I'm finding 727 to be an expensive game to try to learn on the fly - any tips (or links) for a beginner trying to figure out the strategy?

Thanks...

 

[HughDrackman]

So I'm finding 727 to be an expensive game to try to learn on the fly - any tips (or links) for a beginner trying to figure out the strategy?

Thanks...

Whenever I play this game, if I don’t get dealt the nuts (or within 2 possible draws of the nuts), I just fold. I’ve seen too many people lose their shirts trying to chase a 27 one face card at a time, only to bust out.

 

[Machine]

So I'm finding 727 to be an expensive game to try to learn on the fly - any tips (or links) for a beginner trying to figure out the strategy?

Thanks...

Auto Muck

@HughDrackman did you see the group buy we have going for these games?

 

[Choker]

Whenever I play this game, if I don’t get dealt the nuts (or within 2 possible draws of the nuts), I just fold. I’ve seen too many people lose their shirts trying to chase a 27 one face card at a time, only to bust out.

Thanks - I probably am overplaying too many hands. Maybe partly because in 727 it can be a long wait for the next deal?

 

[Snapplefacts]

We play where anytime there is a family pot, the next hand is dealers choice. Over time the dealers choice got more and more adventurous. We’ve played 2-7 5 card single draw, baseball, razz, badugi, badacey, PLO, and the classic single, double, or triple board bomb pots.

 

[HughDrackman]

Auto Muck

@HughDrackman did you see the group buy we have going for these games?

That is a very cool group buy! I wish I had $70 I could spare to throw my order in. Maybe next time, or maybe I can get a set in the classifies.

 

[joeyshin]

Game I played recently that I thought was interesting.

BrOmaha

It’s a 5 card Omaha split pot variant. Same is regular 5 card Omaha but second pot goes to best hand from 5 hole cards (your “bro” hand)

 

[Poker Zombie]

Game I played recently that I thought was interesting.

BrOmaha

It’s a 5 card Omaha split pot variant. Same is regular 5 card Omaha but second pot goes to best hand from 5 hole cards (your “bro” hand)

If there is a draw, that's Drawmaha (or Draw2maha)

 

[joeyshin]

If there is a draw, that's Drawmaha (or Draw2maha)

Ohh. I never played it with a draw.

 

[Machine]

Ohh. I never played it with a draw.

I think I would call that something else, like BigBrO instead of BigO

 

[Poker Zombie]

Ohh. I never played it with a draw.

IMO way better.

The draw occurs after post-flop betting is complete. If you are playing 8+ players you are limited to drawing no more than 2 cards. 6-7 players you can draw 3, shorthanded you can redraw all 5.

It creates an extra strategy layer, as your discards may have been useful. Knowing the flop before the draw gives a bit of information, and you will frequently see players "rearrange" their hand as draw option changes knowing what they could get in Omaha and what they could (or can't) get in their draw hand.

 

[allforcharity]

We do simple stuff

Pineapple
Crazy Pineapple
Omaha

double boards for above
I've seen bleeding hearts

 

[SavageLizard]

Hey all, I started playing poker even I was 17. I would go to my uncle’s home games, where we would get into some goofy, non-standard games I haven’t heard of outside him and his circle of friends. Guts, Points, Montana Red Dog, Baseball, 7-27, and others that made the night fun, and broke up the monotony of NLH and Omaha.

So I was wondering, what are some of your non-standard home games?

I'm an older dude, so I cut my teeth on dealer's choice games before NLHE started showing up on TV and that became the only thing people ever wanted to play. My home game is half and half, dealer's choice for a few hours, single table NLHE tournament the last few hours. Everyone seems to like it, and I get my fix of a variety of games.

 

[Taghkanic]

Rrrrrrrosie!

* Only played shorthanded

* Only in the final half-hour of a game that has been running 7+ hours, if you have any sense

* Everyone starts out as a dismissive skeptic but winds up a Rosie addict

 

[Mandos]

Rrrrrrrosie!

View attachment 1277068

* Only played shorthanded

* Only in the final half-hour of a game that has been running 7+ hours, if you have any sense

* Everyone starts out as a dismissive skeptic but winds up a Rosie addict

So the winners are the best 2 high hands on the 4 boards?

 

[Taghkanic]

So the winners are the best 2 high hands on the 4 boards?

No, it’s PLO8 in effect. Best high hand on any board takes half; best low gets the other half. (Quarters happen not infrequently on the low.)

Definitely a game where you need to drawing to the nuts.

And also it’s wise not to bloat the pot early, because your hand which looks so unbeatable on the flop and turn may well lose.

Only maniacs bet preflop.

We play it as a 2/5 pot limit game, with a $2 trade $10 buy on the flop/turn/river. This is because trading is so deincentivized.

 

[Mandos]

No, it’s PLO8 in effect. Best high hand on any board takes half; best low gets the other half. (Quarters happen not infrequently on the low.)

Definitely a game where you need to drawing to the nuts.

And also it’s wise not to bloat the pot early, because your hand which looks so unbeatable on the flop and turn may well lose.

Only maniacs bet preflop.

We play it as a 2/5 pot limit game, with a $2 trader $10 buy on the flop/turn/river. This is because trading is so deincentivized.

How exactly does the trading work?

 

[Poker Zombie]

Rrrrrrrosie!

View attachment 1277068

* Only played shorthanded

* Only in the final half-hour of a game that has been running 7+ hours, if you have any sense

* Everyone starts out as a dismissive skeptic but winds up a Rosie addict

...this is why we need a vomit emoji reaction.