Faldo Says “Yay” or “Nay” to Common Dealer’s Choice Games – Part XI

There are other poker games besides what is dealt in casinos and tournaments. The casino games are there because of their speed and simplicity in dealing. More hands equal more rake for the house.

But there are some fun, entertaining and challenging poker games you can deal in a home game, which make you have to think outside “the flop” sometimes.

The description of the following games in this series is Faldo’s opinion only. Other may like my take on a game and some will not. That’s fine. It’s all good. Here we go:

Proctor and Gamble

Each player receives four down cards. Betting round. Then three window cards are placed on the board, and turned over one at a time with a betting round in between each flip of a card. The last card flopped and all like it are wild.

It is a pure gambling game as you won’t know how many wild cards you will have in your hand until the end, but you do know you will have one.

Faldo says ‘Nay’. Exciting game but too much gamble for Faldo.

Push

This is a high-low game. Every player receives a down card. Then the player on the dealer’s left gets an up card. If he wants it, he keeps it. If not, he can push it to his left and gets the next card. Obviously it would probably help you if the person on your right was going in the opposite hand direction of you. Only the up cards can be pushed.

If the dealer pushes a card, it goes in the muck. Betting starts after everyone has their first up card. This continues until everyone has four up cards. Then, there is one ‘buy round’ or exchange option, where every player can throw away a card and ‘buy’ a replacement. Ah yes, a chance to get rid of the down card! Although you can replace an up card if you decide that is what you want to do.

Then a final betting round and a then a showdown or a ‘declare hi or low’ – dealer’s choice.

Faldo says ‘Yay’ to this one. Sounds like fun for a group of semi-drunk friends to rip on each other for cards passed or kept.

Round the World

Same game as Omaha Hi-Lo except there is only a four-card window and the cards are turned over one at a time, with a betting round after each one. This might be a game of choice should your table swell to nine players or more and you don’t wish to break up the table. The number of cards dealt to each player could be reduced also – from four to three.

Faldo says ‘Yay’, but standard Omaha Hi-Lo is just as good a game. But this game will make you learn to appreciate ‘the flop’.