Games & Gambling!
While we obviously cannot condone playing any sort of games of chance, it has been strongly rumored that on some rare occasions during the Second World War, some nefarious military personnel may have occasionally indulged in gambling (oh, horrors!).
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Given that, we thought it would be interesting - purely for scholarly research, you understand - to include some of the games that were rumored to be popular with the troops.
Craps
If you have a pair of dice, a solid surface, and a couple of friends who want to have fun, it’s time to play some craps!
The rules are pretty straightforward. You need a shooter to roll the dice and some participants to place wagers on whether the shooter will roll a specific number. Other than that, you don’t need anything.
Game Basics
You play craps with two dice, shot by a single player each time. An unlimited number of others can participate.
Before starting the game, the players will roll the dice to decide the shooter (high roll is shooter).
Now the onlookers will start betting on whether the shooter will be able to pass or crap out.
A pass is a roll of 7 or 11; to crap out is to roll a 2, 3, or 12. Needless to say, if the shooter craps out, the round ends, the onlookers win their bets, and the dice pass to the next shooter.
To start, the shooter places a bet or "stake". The onlookers must then "fade" (match) the stake for the game to continue. If they can’t match the stake, the shooter has to lower it and then proceed.
Point Values
When the shooter doesn’t pass or crap out on his first roll, the rolled number becomes the "point". In this case, all other dice numbers become meaningless except for 7 and the point.
The shooter now keeps rolling the dice until he rolls either 7 or the point.
Pass bets win if the shooter rolls the point again before rolling a 7.
Don’t Pass bets are the exact opposite and win if the shooter rolls a 7 before rolling the point.
The round ends when the shooter rolls a seven or the point value.
Vocabulary
Here are the essential terms to know:
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Ante Up: placing money in the pot to be considered for shooter
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Shooter: the player controlling the dice
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Stake: the bet placed by the shooter
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Fade: onlooker bets that cover the stake
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Come Out: the first roll in the game
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Pass: to roll a 7 or 11 in the come-out
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Crap Out: to roll a 2, 3, or 12 in the come-out
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Seven Out: to roll a seven before rolling the point value
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Point: to roll any number between 4 and 10 in the come-out
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Pass Bet: shooter rolls the point again before rolling a 7
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Don't Pass Bet: shooter rolls a 7 before rolling the point
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Some slang for dice rolls:
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Two 1s:
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Snake Eyes​
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Two 2s:
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Hard 4
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Ballerina
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Two 3s:
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Hard 6
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Tre Tre
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Two 4s:
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Hard 8
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Painting Windows
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Two 5s:
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Hard 10
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Puppy Paws
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Tw 6s:
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Boxcars
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Midnight
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All The Dots
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1 & 2:
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Ace Duece
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Ace & a Duck
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Cross Eyes
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Ace Caught a Duece
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1 & 3:
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Ace Tre
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Abbott and Costello
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Little Joe
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1 & 4:
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Fever
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Fever Five
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1 & 5:
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Sixie from Dixie
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The Time Out
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1 & 6:
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The Devil
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Six one, you done
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2 & 4:
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Jimmy Hicks
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Two by Four
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2 & 5:
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Skinny Dugan
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Benny Blue
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Cinco dos, adios
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2 & 6:
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Easy Eight
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3 & 4
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Natural
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7-In (on a Come Out roll)
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7-Out (on a Point roll)
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Skinny McKinney
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Big Red
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3 & 5:
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Easy Eight
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Eighter from Decatur
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3 & 6:
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Lou Brown
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Nina from Pasadena
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4 & 5:
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Jesse James
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Revolver
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Railroad Nine
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4 & 6:
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Easy Ten
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Tennessee
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5 & 6:
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Six Five, No Jive
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Yo-Leven
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Start the Game
The game starts when the players ante up, which is basically throwing some money in the pot to be considered for the position of the shooter.
The next step is rolling to see who the shooter is. Everyone who anted up will roll, and whoever rolls the highest number becomes the shooter.
The shooter will bet either pass or crap. The other players then have to match the shooter’s bet and then start placing side bets. Players who anted up earlier can either bet on the side or throw in to match the shooter.
Next, the shooter rolls the come-out. On the Come Out Roll, if the shooter rolls:
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7 or 11, they "pass", win the pot, and keep the dice.
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2, 3, or 12, they "crap out" and lose the pot, but keep the dice.
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Any other number becomes the shooter's “Point”, and to win, the shooter must roll that number before rolling a 7 (which loses the pot).
If the come-out is a pass or a crap-out, the game ends, and the bets are distributed. If it’s a point, all crap-out bets become bets on whether the shooter will seven-out. All the pass bets turn into point bets.
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Betting involves knowing the odds of making the roll you want to bet on. Each roll has a different percentage of success based on the number of possible combinations that can add up to the desired roll.
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For a bet to be fair, you have to account for the odds. For example, if you want to bet that a 4 will be rolled, there are 3 ways that could happen. The shooter needs a 7 and there are 6 ways that can happen. That means there are twice as many ways the shooter can win so the odds are 2 to 1 in the shooter's favor. So, if you bet $5.00, to be fair, the shooter needs to cover it with $10.00. That's a fair bet. If you want t to bet that a 12 will be rolled, there is only 1 way that could happen (6:1 odds) so you might bet $5.00, and it would be covered by $30.00. That's a fair bet.
Shooting Dice
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To shoot, hold the dice between your thumb and forefinger, then swing your arm as a pendulum would move and release. The dice will then be shot in an arc. The fewer rotations they make, the better, so try not to add any spin.
Both dice should also stay close together as they move in the arc otherwise, they’ll bounce in different directions as they land, which slows down the action. The dice should hit the back wall, then bounce on the table. That’s why you need a solid surface with a back wall for craps. The perfect roll should cause the dice to hit the wall, jump once on the table, and stop.
Summary Wrap Up
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To play craps, first determine the shooter by rolling dice. The shooter rolls the come-out, aiming for a 7 or 11 (pass) or avoiding 2, 3, or 12 (crap out). If a point (4-10) is rolled, the shooter continues rolling until they hit the point again (a win) or roll a 7 (seven-out), ending the round. Players bet on these outcomes throughout the game.
Ups, Downs, & Aces
Ups, Downs, & Aces is a very fast dice game played with two dice. There are three possible pots: “Ups” – the sum of both dice is 9 or 10; “Downs” – the sum of the dice is 4 or 5; “Aces” – the sum of the dice is 2. Dice rolls totaling 3, 11, and 12 are Nulls and play continues with no winner.
The dealer wins all pots if the sum of both dice is 6, 7, or 8, but the dealer must cover all bets!
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The dealer will continue to roll the dice rapidly until one of these results comes up.
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Players can only bet prior to each roll and must either PASS (place no additional bet) or bet into the same pot (“Ups”; “Downs” or “Aces”) as their initial bet. The pots build until someone wins.
There are two possible winning odds in Ups, Downs, & Aces: Players that bet on Ups or Downs win even money. If Aces comes up, all players lose, except those betting on Aces and they win 40 to 1.​​​​​​
Pig
If you have one die and two people, you have everything you need to play Pig. This quick game has players battling it out to reach 100 points with repeated rolls of the die on a single turn. But there’s a trick to the game. If you roll a one, you lose all your points from that turn. This turns the game into a gamble — when do you roll again, and when do you decide to take the points and pass the die?
What You Need
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Two dice
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Score card
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At least two players
How to Play
One player rolls the dice, tallying up points with every roll.
This player can roll as many times as they’d like on a single turn; however, if they roll a double, they lose all the points from that turn.
If you’ve rolled multiple sixes, for example, you may decide to hold, rather than risk rolling a double and losing your points.
When a player decides to hold, the die goes to the next player, and the cycle repeats.
The first player to reach 200 points is the winner!​​​​​​
Acey-Duecy Poker
In Acey-Duecy Poker, everybody antes some amount (let's say $1 each with 5 players) and places it in the pot.
Cut the cards to see who goes first (high card starts).
Each player is dealt two cards and can bet as much as they like (bets must be in some reasonable increment size, maybe 25 cents in this case, and you may bet zero, i.e., pass) up to the amount in the pot. You are betting that a third card will fall between the two cards you have already been dealt.
If you win, you take your bet from the pot. If you lose you add your bet to the pot. Then it is the next person's turn. Players must turn their cards face down when their turn is over.
The only additional two rules are these:
If a player gets dealt a pair, they put another ante into the pot and their turn is skipped.
If a player's third card makes a pair with either of their two initial cards, they have "been buggered" and they pay double their bet into the pot and it's the next person's turn.
The game must be played FAST! Boom-boom-boom! You only get 1-2 seconds maximum to announce your bet. The table can "shout you out" if you're too slow. This is to make it harder to count cards (although everybody tries to do it and it's part of the skill here).
Sometimes the game is anti-climactic and the whole pot is won by the first person. Every handful of games however the cards are CRUEL. If you like seeing your friends squirm or pushed to their limits, wait until they get A-2 and bet the entire pot only to get buggered.
You may wish to pre-decide on a number of rounds to be dealt before a reshuffle, or you can play the deck all the way through. You can also play until the pot is emptied or stop after a pre-determined rounds and split the remaining pot evenly amongst the players.
Texas Hold 'Em
Texas Hold 'em is the most popular variation of poker. It is a community card game where players share some of their cards to make the best possible five-card hand. Players are dealt two “hole” cards and then take turns betting on the strength of their hands as they are dealt three face-up “community” cards and two additional face-down “pocket” cards which can be used in combination with the community cards. The player with the best five-card hand wins the pot at showdown.
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The basic rules:
The game is usually played with a minimum of two players and a maximum of ten.
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Each player is dealt 2 hole cards face down. This is followed by a round of betting where players can call, raise, or fold their hands.
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Three community cards (the flop) are then dealt face up in the middle of the table for all to see. Another round of betting takes place before the fourth community card (the turn) is revealed and yet another round of betting occurs after that.
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Finally, the fifth community card (the river) is revealed, and one last round of betting occurs before all remaining players go to showdown and reveal their hands to determine who has won the pot.
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The different hands from highest to lowest are:
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Royal Flush – A, K, Q, J, 10 all of the same suit
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Straight Flush – Any five consecutive cards of the same suit
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Four of a Kind – Four cards of the same rank
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Full House – Three-of-a-kind and a pair
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Flush – Any five non-consecutive cards of the same suit
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Straight – Five consecutive cards in any suit
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Three of a Kind -Three cards with identical ranks (e.g., three 7s)
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Two Pair – Two sets of pairs (e.g., two jacks and two 9s)
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One Pair –Two cards with identical rank (e.g., two 4s)
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High Card – A card that is higher than any other card in your hand but does not form part of any winning combination (e.g., an ace)
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Seating positions:
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Small Blind – The player seated to the left of the dealer who is required to make a bet before any cards are dealt.
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Big Blind – The player seated two seats left of the dealer who is required to make a larger bet than the small blind before any cards are dealt.
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Under-the-Gun (UTG) – The first player to act after the blinds have been posted.
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Middle Position (MP) – Players seated in between UTG and late position.
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Cutoff (CO) – The player one seat right of the button.
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Button (BTN) – The last position at the table. This seating position has positional advantage over everyone else at all times. The button will also serve as the dealer when there is not a dedicated dealer.
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LoJack or Hijack – The third seat from the button.
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Early Position (EP) – These players act earliest in each hand and thus often put themselves at a disadvantage by not having as much information about their opponents’ hands as those in later positions do.
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Late Position (LP) – The last few seats at the poker table, usually near to and right of the dealer button. Players in late position have an advantage as they can see how their opponents act before deciding whether or not to bet, raise, or fold. This gives them a better idea of what their opponents may be holding, allowing for better decision-making when it comes time for betting and the showdown.
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Betting:
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Call – Match the current bet.
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Raise – Increase the current bet by double or more.
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Fold – Leave the game without making any additional bets.
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Check – After the pre-flop, players have the option to check, which allows them not to place a bet but to remain in the game only if previous players have also checked.
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All-In – A player places all of their chips into the pot. However, if subsequent players continue to raise, the all-in player will only win the number of chips in.
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Game Play:
Starting the Game
Before any cards are dealt, the players in the small blind and big blind positions must place mandatory bets. The small blind is usually half the big blind bet. For example, in a $5/$10 game, the small blind bet is $5, and the big blind bet is $10.
Next, the dealer will shuffle the cards and deal two hole cards to each player face down starting with the player seated in the small blind position. Deal continues around the table clockwise until each player has their two cards.
Pre-Flop
The first round of betting takes place after all players have been dealt their two hole cards. Players are allowed to look at their cards before placing their bet. Betting starts with the person seated to the left of the big blind player. Players may choose to call (match the current bet), raise (increase the current bet), or fold (give up any chance at winning that particular pot).
The Flop
Once all betting has been completed, the game moves to the flop stage. This is where the dealer deals the first three community cards. They start off by dealing the top card face down onto the table, which is called burning a card. Next, they deal three cards face up on the table.
Another round of betting begins with the player to the left of the button player and goes around the table clockwise. During the flop stage, players can now check (remain in the game without betting) as long as no other player has called or raised. Should a player call or raise after a player checks, the player who checked will need to call, raise, or fold when play comes back around the table.
The Turn
Following the flop, the dealer burns another card, and the fourth community card is revealed. Players will progress through another round of betting with similar rules as before.
The River
The river is where the dealer will burn another card, and then reveal the fifth and final community card. All players left in the game, at this point, will progress through the final round of betting.
The Showdown
All players still in the game after the river now flip over their two hole cards. Their objective is to make the best possible five-card hand using their two hole cards and the five community cards. Whoever has the best winning hand wins the pot.
All cards are collected from the table and shuffled. The button, small blind, and big blind positions all move one player to the left. So the small blind player becomes the button, the big blind player becomes the small blind, and the player to the left of the big blind player is now the big blind. Then, the next hand begins.
What Happens When There Is a Tie?
Should two or more players have the same five-card hand at the showdown, the pot is split evenly between the players. However, if players are tied with less than five cards, for instance, two pairs, then the player who has the kicker — the highest hole card that is not part of their hand — wins the pot.
In the event there is still a tie because the players do not have a kicker or their kickers are the same value, then the pot is split between the players.
5-Card Stud Poker
Antes and the Bring-in
Most stud games use a structure involving antes and a bring-in. The small blind/big blind system used in games like Texas Hold 'em isn't used in 5 Card Stud.
For this example, let's say we're watching a 5 Card Stud game played at $5/$10 limits, with six players at the table. At $5/$10 limits, each player might put in an ante of $0.50 before the hand. Any amount can be used for the ante, but it's generally a small fraction of the small bet.
After the antes are posted, each player is dealt two cards, one face down and one face-up. The dealer begins with the player on his/her immediate left, and deals all players a face-down card, moving clockwise around the table. The second card dealt to all players is a face-up card, known as the door card.
The player with the lowest-ranking door card (from deuce to ace) must post the bring-in. The bring-in is usually half of the small bet, which is $5 in our $5/$10 game. So the bring-in for this game is $2.50.
Initial Betting Round
The player with the lowest-ranking door card is obligated to post the bring-in, but this player can also choose to complete, betting the full amount of the small bet ($5 in this game).
After the first-to-act player either posts the bring-in or completes, the next player on the immediate left has the option to either call (match the bet), raise, or fold. This option of call, raise, or fold goes clockwise around the table until each player has had an opportunity to act. In the first betting round, all raises must be $5 (the small bet). The maximum number of total raises is capped at three, and at that point subsequent players can only call.
For example, let's say the bring-in is posted, and the next players completes to $5. The next player raises to $10, the next to $15, and the next to $20. At this point, other players can only call the $20 bet, as the raises are capped after that.
Third Street
After all players have acted in the initial betting round, the dealer deals another card, face-up, to all players still in the hand. The player with the best face-up hand showing starts the betting round and can either check (put no money in the pot and pass the action to the next player), or bet $5 (the small bet). If this player has a pair showing, they can bet $10 (the big bet).
Subsequent betting commences clockwise around the table, and all players left in the hand can either check (if no one has bet or raised), bet (if the player before them checked), raise, or fold. Raises are again capped at three, meaning the max bet on third street is either $20 or $40 depending on whether the small or big bet started the round.
Fourth Street
The process repeats itself after third street is dealt, with all remaining players dealt another face-up card. This fourth card is appropriately called fourth street.
Another betting round takes place, and this time the big bet is always used as the opening bet size. Once again, the player showing the best hand can either check or bet, and all subsequent players can either check (if checked to), bet, or raise.
Fifth Street
After fourth street, a final face-up card is dealt to each player. This card, known as fifth street, precedes the final betting round. Once again using the big bet as the opening size, the action starts with the player showing the best hand, then clockwise around the table.
If on any street a player bets or raises, and all other players fold, the player who bet or raised wins the hand, without a showdown.
If two or more players make it through fifth street without folding, a showdown commences, and each player reveals their hole card. The player with the best five-card hand, according to poker hand rankings, wins.
Draw Game Dominoes
Draw or "the Draw Game" is one of the two basic forms of the game of dominoes, the other being "the Block Game," and most characteristic domino games are elaborations of the Draw Game."
Initially each player draws seven tiles from a double-six set.
The first player places a tile on the table which starts the line of play.
The players alternately extend it with one matching tile at one of its two ends.
A player who cannot play must draw tiles until a tile is found which can be played or the stock consists of exactly two tiles. The pip count of the remaining stock (at least two tiles) is added to the pip count of the player's remaining tiles to form the score of the game.
Block Game Dominoes
Block or "the Block Game" for two to four players is the simplest basic domino variant and gives its name to the whole family of 'block games'. It requires a double-six set, from which each player must draw seven tiles for each round; the remaining tiles form the stock.
The first player sets a tile on the table which starts the line of play. The players alternately extend it with one matching tile at one of its two ends. A player who has no play passes.
A round ends when one player dominoes by playing their last tile, thus winning the hand, or when the game is blocked because neither player can play. All tiles from the round are set aside and another round of tiles is drawn from the stock.
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The game ends when all tiles have been played.
A winner who has dominoed a round, scores zero. The remaining players score the total remaining pip count of their individual hand. The winner of a blocked game is the player with the lowest pip count.
Chickenfoot Dominoes
The game must include at least two players but is better with four to eight players. It's played with one standard set of double-nine dominoes. For games with more players, a set of double-12, double-15, or double-18 dominoes may be needed. The goal of Chicken Foot Dominoes is to have the fewest points at the end of the final round.
Setting Up the Game
Shuffle the dominoes, face-down, on the table. Each player takes seven dominoes and stands them on edge so that they can see the faces (the side with the pips) but their opponents cannot.
The remaining dominoes are left on the table face down. This supply is generally known as the boneyard, though In Chicken Foot, the boneyard is often referred to as the chicken yard, and the tableau is often referred to as the farmyard.
The Start Player and The First Tile
The player who drew the highest double starts the first round by placing that tile in the center of the table. For example, if you're using a set of double-nine dominoes, the double nine is the highest double.
Each later round starts with the player who has drawn the next-lowest double. For example, the player who draws the double-eight in the second round starts that round. The final round begins with the player who draws the double-blank.
If there is a situation in which no player has drawn the tile required to begin the round, players take turns drawing from the chicken yard until it is found. In the case of the first round, the player who draws the start tile begins the round.
Gameplay
All dominoes must be played on one of the tableau's arms, with ends matching as in most domino games. (Example: If the start tile is a double-nine, the end of the domino the first player places near the start tile must be a nine. The other end can be anything at all.) Play proceeds as follows:
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Play proceeds in a clockwise direction.
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Dominoes must be added to all four arms of the start tile before a second domino is added to any of the arms.
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If a player has no legal play, he must draw a tile from the chicken yard at his turn. If that tile can be played, the player may do so immediately. If no tiles remain in the boneyard, any player without a legal play simply misses a turn.
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Double Tiles
Any time a player adds a double tile to the tableau, it is placed crosswise against the arm. The player doing so must announce "chicken foot," indicating that the following special rules are now in play. These rules are as follows:
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The next three tiles played must be played as "chicken toes," completing the chicken foot, before a tile can be played anywhere else.
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The toes are played against the double tile so that they are tilted away from the center of the tableau (doing so is what makes it look like a chicken foot).
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When the chicken foot is finished, gameplay proceeds normally. Players may add tiles to any open arms, including the three new chicken toes.
Ending the Game
When one player places his final domino, or when no player has a legal play, the game ends. At this point, scores are calculated. The players each receive points equal to the total number of pips remaining in their hand.
The double-blank tile is worth 50 points.
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The player with the fewest points wins. If there is a tie, the player who scored the most zero-point rounds wins. If there is still a tie at this point, the player with the lowest total in a round, other than zero, wins.