House Rules for Poker (Last Modified on 12/08/2005) I. Betting/Ante 1. The Ante & Betting amounts are stated by the dealer at the beginning of the game. 1a. The dealer is responsible for ensuring all players ante. 2. A 3 bet maximum per betting round is in effect unless otherwise specified (1 bet, 2 raises). 3. Maximum burn for all games is $30.00 per wager unless otherwise specified. 4. Pennies are not considered legal tender. 5. Items of value may be used as legal tender if a value can be agreed upon and the item accepted by all players into the pot. II. Penalties A. Penalties Paid To The Pot 1. Penalty for a penny in the pot is $0.25. 2. Penalty for passing the deal is $1.00. 3. Penalty for a misdeal by the dealer is the price of ante. 4. Penalty for holding cards after card collection is $0.25. 5. Penalty for ashing in the pot is $0.25. 6. Penalty for a phone call from a wife/girlfriend is $1.00. 7. Penalty for late arrival (after 9pm) is $1.00 (to be paid at the start of the next dealer's game). 8. Delay of game penalty is $1.00 (called at the commissioner's discretion). 9. Penalty for malicious knock down of another player's stacked coins is $1.00. B. Penalties Paid To The House Fund 1. Penalty for a minor spill on the felt table is $2.00 2. Penalty for a substantial spill on the felt table is $4.00 3. Penalty for any burn mark or major spill on the felt table is $8.00 III. Game Play 1. Gametime begins around 7pm Thursdays and concludes at 11pm. 2. The first black Jack determines the opening dealer; The deal passes to the left after each game. 3. The dealer calls the game. 3a. Cards are to be shuffled before each deal. Cards must be shuffled "face down". "Stacking" of the deck is not permitted. 3b. After the shuffle, a cut is offered to the player to the dealer's right. 3b1. The cut must be more than 7 cards deep with no less than 7 cards remaining ("no whorehouse cuts") 4. Cards call themselves. The best five card poker hand wins. 5. Inclusion/Exclusion of Jokers is determined by the dealer. 6. Five of a Kind (with a wild) is the highest hand. 7. Spades is the highest suit. Clubs is the second highest suit. Diamonds is the third highest suit Hearts is the lowest suit. 7a. Wild cards are considered neutral and have no rank or value when used in determining a winner by suit. 8. Number of non-wild (natural) cards determines winner as last resort. 8a. Identical hands split the pot. 9. Game rules may not be changed once a pot has been established. 10. Pots may not be divided equally among players without the consent of the players whom have the highest stakes in the pot. 11. Game play can only be halted upon the completion of a game when the deal is being passed to the next dealer. 12. Players may willingly show any or all of their cards to all participants before the game is completed. 13. Card trading is not permissible. 14. Teaming is not allowed. Every player must play for themself. 15. If a player is not called and wins the hand, they do not have to show their cards unless specified at the beginning of the game; This includes guts games that do not have a ghost called. 16. In the event of a misdeal where a single card to a player is inadvertently shown to all players, the player may choose to keep the card, or call for a redeal. The penalty for the misdeal applies regardless of the player's choice. 17. Sidebets between players based on the card game played are permitted. IV. Deductions 1. 5% of all winning pots is collected in a house fund to benefit all players. 2. A dealer whom wins their own game must pay 20% of the winning pot to the house fund. 3. Tipping of the dealer is encouraged, but not mandatory. 4. There are no house fees accepted or collected. V. Markers (IOUs) 1. Markers are accepted from reputable players for reasonable amounts. 2. Markers are understood to be personal debt between players. 3. Outstanding markers from other players is not considered legal tender and may not be wagered. 4. Markers are understood to be paid in full within 2 weeks time unless otherwise arranged when the marker is initially won. 5. Players that are default on markers are not eligible until the marker has been cleared. a. Default players should be brought to the attention of the commissioner prior to gameplay. VI. Between Deals Wagering 1. Wagering on dice rolls or other activities between deals is acceptable. 2. Wagers of $4.99 or less may be made exclusively between players seated immediately next to each other. 3. Wagers of greater than $5.00 must be announced and made available to all participants at the table. 4. No dice game may be started once the deal has begun. However, games may be concluded. 5. Dealers can not initiate wagers, but can participate if all players at the table are participating, or if the betting amount is greater than $4.99. 6. There are no house fund deductions from between deals wagers. 7. The person calling the game or the person that last won must go first and the order goes to that player's left. 8. Funds may be confiscated and placed into the house fund if play begins after cards are dealt. VII. House Fund 1. House Funds are to be used for the benefit of the participants. 2. The Custodian of the House Fund is entrusted with maintaining and appropriation of house funds. a. House Funds may be used for (but not limited to): New cards, plates, paper towels, delivery orders for the group, table resurfacing, beverages, or intoxicants VIII. Popular Games and Normal Rules/Variations A. Games 1. 5-Card Draw - Can draw 4 cards with an Ace or wild. 2. 5-Card Draw Guts - No betting round. Losers match the pot. After the draw, players must show their highest card. The player with the lowest high-card then declares whether they remain in the game or fold. There is a $0.10 penalty for folding. The round continues to the left around the table until all players have declared their intentions. The game ends when only one person does not fold. Otherwise cards are redealt to all players. 4. 7-Card Stud - 2 cards down, 4 cards up, last card down. Betting rounds occur on cards 3 through 7. 5. High or Low Chicago - Same as 7-Card Stud but the person with the highest or lowest spade (as called by the dealer) in their down cards splits the pot with the poker hand winner. 6. Texas Hold-em - 7 card stud where everyone shares the same four up cards. Bets occur on cards 3 through 7. Each player receive their last card down. Variation: Tournament style - Dealt as two cards down to each player and a betting round occurs. Three cards are turned up in the middle (the flop) and a betting round occurs. A fourth (the turn) and fifth (the river) card is then turned up in the middle with a betting round following each. Players share the cards in the middle. The best five cards wins. Dealers are encouraged to call "Natural beats Wild" in this game if wild cards are used. 7. Chase The Bitch/The Dirty Whore - 7 card stud with all queens wild. If a queen is turned up, the card following it and all like cards of the one that followed are wild. If a second queen is turned up, the card following it is wild. The card which followed the first queen would then no longer be wild. If the queen of spades is turned up, the cards are redealt and all players must re-ante. If a player folds, they may not return to the game if the queen of spades is turned up. Variation: Chase The Queen - Queens are not wild, but the card that follows the queens and its like cards are wild. The queen of spades does not end the hand. 8. Moe The Banker - 7 card stud with two cards dealt down to all players. Dealer then flips three cards. Players may purchase these cards at the rate of $0.10 for the first card, $0.20 for the second card, or $0.30 for the third card (or larger amounts as specified by the dealer). Players may also take a free card from the top of the deck. A betting round ensues after each card purchase round. In the final card purchase round, the rates for the displayed cards are doubled, but the last free card is dealt down. Cards 3 through 6 are dealt up as in normal 7 card stud. Variation: Tracking of card purchases to ensure that all players are given one opprotunity only to purchase each card. Variation: Wild cards cost a a larger sum which is set at the beginning of gameplay. 9. Roll Your Own/Low In The Hole - 7 card stud where players are dealt three initial cards and choose to flip one card. The lowest card which is held in their down cards and all of its matches are wild. One card is dealt down in rounds four through six and the players flip a card while maintaining two down cards. On the last card, the players are given a choice of taking the card down (which could possibly change the low card in their down cards), or to take the card up which would not affect the wild. The dealer may set a price for taking the last card down before dealing. Betting occurs after cards three through seven are dealt. 9a. Roll Your Own Banker Style - A combination of games 8 and 9. 10. Iron Cross - Players are dealt 4 cards down. 5 cards are then dealt down on the table in the form of a cross. Players make their best poker hand from the four cards in their hand combined with either the the three verticle or horizontal cards. The usage of three outside cards is not permitted. The four outside cards are turned up one at a time in a clockwise or counter-clockwise rotation with a betting round occurring after each. The final card turned up is the center card. The center card is wild and all of its like cards are wild. 11. Midnight Baseball - Players are dealt 9 cards down at which they are not permitted to look. Dealer flips the top card of the deck and the player to the left of the dealer must beat that card. Once the card/hand is beat, the player may bet. There are no raises permitted. This continues around the table with the players flipping cards in turn to make a poker hand which beats the previously high hand. An extra card may be purchased when a nine is flipped for the price of $0.25. Variation: Midnight Softball - played with seven cards instead of nine. 12. Two Card Guts - Players are dealt 2 cards down. A pair of aces is the highest hand. Players hold their cards a few inches above the table. On the verbal command "Drop", players who wish to fold drop their cards. Losing players who do not drop their cards must match the pot. The game ends when only one player does not drop their cards. 12a. Three Card Guts - Same as Two Card Guts with three aces being the highest hand. Variation: Calling the lowest possible hand as the highest hand (ex: a 2 & 3 would beat a pair of aces). 13. High-Low/Acey Deucy - Dealer flips two cards from the top of the deck. The player may then bet any amount up to the value of the pot that the next card's value will be between the two displayed cards. If an Ace is flipped first, the player must call it as a high ace (greater than a King), or a low ace (less than a two). A second or third ace is always high. In the event that the two flipped cards match, the player owes twice the ante. If the third card matches one of the first two flipped cards, the player owes double their wager. An ace called low will never match a flipped ace in the middle. Variation: Split The Middle - Allows bettors to wager $0.50 to win up to $5.00 on a single card possibilty (example: dealt cards are three and five, the single card possibility would be a four). Variation: Keep it Continuing: Player continues to bet after each win until he loses or is unable to bet. 14. Screw Your Neighbor - Each player starts with a set amount of funds wagered (example: 2 stacks of $1.00 each). Each player receives a single card. The player to the left of the dealer may trade cards with the player to his left, or decline to trade. This continues around the table to the dealer. The dealer has an option of holding their card, or taking a card off of the top of the deck. A player must trade their card unless they hold a king. The lowest card in this game is an ace or joker. Jokers are counted as equal to aces. Multiple players can lose on the same hand. If the final two players match cards, all players may re-enter the game with a single stack of the amount wagered. Dealing: The deal begins to the left of the dealer for the first hand, and then two to the left of the dealer for the second hand, three left of the dealer for the third hand, etc. A marker is used to keep track of where the deal is to begin for each hand. 15. Dirty Schultz - A seven card stud game where the dealer flips a wild card on any occurance of a natural pair in a player's four up cards. The card displayed is not used in players' hands. However, all matching cards of the displayed card are wild. (example: dealer flips a 7, all 7s are wild). The last card may be taken up or down. There is a $0.50 charge for taking the last card down. A pair of jokers is considered a "natural pair". Bets occur on cards three through seven. 16. Touch Your Nose - A five card draw guts game where players are dealt four cards. A fifth card is flipped in the middle. The displayed card is wild and all matching cards to the displayed card are wild. The displayed card is used as the fifth card in all players hands. After a draw, the cards are held a few inches above the table. On the verbal command "Drop", players who wish to fold drop their cards. Losing players who do not drop their cards must match the pot. The game ends when only one player does not drop their cards. 17. Kings and Little People - A five card guts game with no draw where players are dealt four cards. All kings and deuces are wild. Players hold their cards a few inches above the table. On the verbal command "Drop", players who wish to fold drop their cards. The dealer gives the remaining players a final card. Losing players must match the pot. The game ends when only one player does not drop their cards. Variation: Kings and Low Hold - instead of deuces, the lowest card in your hand is wild. 18. 2-2-1 Draw - Five card draw game where players receive two cards and a betting round occurs. Two more cards are dealt and a second betting round takes place. The fifth card is then dealt to all players and a betting round happens. Cards may then be drawn before the final betting round takes place. 19. Anaconda - Seven card stud game where players are dealt 7 cards down. After a betting around, players must pass three cards to their left. A second betting round occurs, and two cards are passed to the left. After the third betting round, one card is passed to the left and the final betting round occurs. 20. Blackjack - Normal Vegas Rules apply. a. Jokers are considered as aces, but do not count towards a blackjack. It would count as 21. b. Dealer must offer insurance when showing an ace. c. Dealer must flip their cards immediately if they have blackjack. d. Dealer does not have to flip their cards if they have 21 with a joker. e. Surrenderring is allowed but costs half of the player's bet. f. Blackjack pays 1.5 times the player's bet. g. When splitting aces, you may only take one card on each ace. h. Only one card is given when doubling down. i. You may continue to split or double down on split cards. j. Exceeding 5 cards is not an automatic win. k. The game is normally dealt once through the deck. k1. The dealer may halt the game between new deals if they have taken excessive losses. l. The dealer may opt to double the maximum wager for the last deal. m. If the dealer runs out of cards, ALL bets are off and the game is concluded. B. Global Variations 1. With a Ghost - In a guts game, if only one player stays, their hand must beat the top cards off of the deck. The number of cards which the ghost receives is specified at the beginning of the game. 1a. Pay the Ghost - If you lose to the ghost, you must match the pot. 2. Number of Wins - In a guts game, it may be specified that multiple hands must be won to win the pot. Players place markers in front of themselves to indicate the winning of a hand. 2a. Markers may not be dice, lighters, garbage, or loose items which might be picked up and moved/discarded during between deal activities. 3. Wild Cards Cost - Any game in which cards are flipped to be shown to all players may have a rule where a flipped wild card costs an amount specified at the beginning of the game. 4. Death Card - Any game which has cards individually flipped up to individual players may have a death card assigned. This card eliminates the player whom receives it from the game or current hand. IX. Etiquette 1. Talking during gameplay should be kept to a minimum. 2. Cards should be kept above the table in view of all players at all times. 3. It is inappropriate to discuss folded cards while gameplay is still in progress. 4. Permission must be obtained for a player that folded to view another player's cards while gameplay is still occurring. 5. Bending or mangling of cards is prohibited. 6. Players obtaining change from the pot should announce their actions before "playing in the pot". X. Amendments 1. Amendments may be made to the rules with a majority vote. Majority vote is considered to be 1 vote over half of the currently listed active players on the roster. Auxillary players may vote when in attendance. 2. The roster is maintained by the commissioner. XI. Current Roster of Players Active Players: 1. Birdman 2. Chad L. 3. Depree 4. Erock 5. Louie 6. Markel 7. Moe Green 8. Tolemac Auxillary Players: 1. Chad C. 2. Easymoney 3 Gusro 4. Hitlow 5. Kibbs 6. Marat 7. Mookie 8. Neighbor Mike 9. Nipp XII. Roster Additions 1. New players must be sponsored by a current active or auxillary player and approved by the host. One-time players are generally discouraged unless the need for players is great. XIII. This is a friendly game. 1. Moe Green has assumed the role of poker commissioner. 2. Birdman is Custodian of the House Fund. 3. It is the dealer's responsibility to ensure gameplay is continuous. Delays of gameplay should be brought to the attention of the commissioner. 4. Disputes are taken to a vote and majority rules. 5. These rules are subject to changes and additions. 6. Firearms are not permitted. 7. Knife play is to be limited at the table. EOF