Every time you play with someone new, you're bound to learn a game or two.
Blame the Chianti and cookies. Or maybe it was the Bud Light and pumpkin pie.
Something shortened my attention span during Thanksgiving weekend, making it difficult to comprehend instructions.
Yet another reason we weren't playing poker for money at our family gatherings.
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Every time you play with someone new, you're bound to learn a game or two.
Sure we started out with Hold 'Em and Stud, but before you could say, “Pass the sweet potato tarts,” we were straying off the familiar poker path.
Two games stood out, and I'll explain them this week and next as best as I can remember.
Dealer's choice: You play what you lay
I have no idea whether this is the official name of the game, but Uncle Gary kept repeating it until it stuck.
It's a seven-card game in which each player begins with three cards. Players reveal one card at a time, getting a new card after each reveal.
A round of betting follows the initial deal, then players simultaneously lay one of their three cards face-up. A round of betting begins with the highest card. After all bets are placed, each player is dealt another card face down.
Again, players choose one card to reveal — or “roll.” The best hand showing then starts the betting. Everyone is then dealt another card. This continues until everyone has been dealt seven cards, five of which have been rolled. Remember, high and low hands split the pot.
The game can shift as people roll their cards and suddenly change their objectives. What looked like a low hand can turn into three 2s. What seemed to be a straight can end up as A, 2, 3, 4, 6 — the lowest possible hand.
But remember: You can ultimately play only the five cards you reveal. So don't forget to turn over those pocket rockets.
The second time I played, I was dealt a 2, 6, 10. Hoping to go low, I rolled the 2. I was dealt another 10. Surrounded by face cards, I held out hopes for a low hand and rolled the 6. Then came a third 10. As no one was even showing a pair, I decided to unleash my three 10s in succession.
I won the hand but wasted a full house. The seventh card dealt to me was another 6. But because I had already shown the 2, I was stuck with it. After all, the cards you lay are the cards you play.
Inbox outtakes
I guess my story about kings coming on six of seven flops didn't do much for Steven:
“I was playing in a tournament at a full table of eight people, and I got pocket aces three times in a row. The fourth time I got one ace and an unsuited card. I have heard the odds of getting pocket aces once is 220 to 1, but I have no idea the odds of getting them three times in a row or getting at least one ace four times in a row.”
Can anyone help Steven figure out the odds of his remarkable run? We'll give credit next week to the first person to give us the formula and the answer. Then we'll let Steven buy our Powerball tickets.
Source: Kansas City Star
