Community Card Games TOPICS Draw Poker Five Card Stud Seven Card Stud Community Card Other Fun Poker Non-Poker Games Rules of the Igloo  Variant Ideas BACK TO HOME   Got a great game? See an error? I love to get feedback! Please write me at chilcoot@mtaonline.net In most draw and stud games, each player manages his or her own private cards. In these community card games, players share some of the cards in their hands with other players. As a result, the differences between hands tend to be much less pronounced. The smart player needs to be able to discern subtle differences between his or her hand and the hands of other players.   Texas Hold'Em PLAYERS Up to 23 (assuming you stole your poker table from the United Nations). INITIAL DEAL Two cards down to each player. PLAY Bet. Dealer deals three cards face up on the table. Bet. Dealer exposes a fourth card on the table. Bet. Dealer exposes a fifth card on the table. Bet. Showdown. WINNER Player with the highest hand constructed from the seven visible to player. VARIATION Omaha Players receive four down cards instead of two. Players must construct their hands using two down cards and three from the table. Cincinnati PLAYERS Up to nine. INITIAL DEAL Five cards down to each player, five cards down in the center of the table. PLAY Bet. Dealer exposes a center card. Bet. Repeat until all five center cards have been exposed. Bet. Showdown. WINNER Player with the highest hand constructed from the ten available to player (the five in the player's hand, and the five on the table). VARIATIONS Lamebrain Pete Lowest center card and all like it are wild. Utah Final center card exposed and all like it are wild. Padre PLAYERS Up to nine. INITIAL DEAL Five cards down to each player. PLAY Bet. Dealer exposes three cards in the center of the table. Bet. Dealer exposes a fourth center card. Bet. Dealer exposes a fifth center card. Bet. Declare. Bet. Showdown. Hands are constructed from exactly two down cards and three common cards. WINNER High and low hands split, but the low must be 8-high or better (lower) or the high hand wins the whole pot. NOTES If there are not three nonmatching cards eight or lower among the common cards, a low hand is not possible and high hand wins the whole pot. Because of the rule that the low must be 8-high or better (lower), the weakest hand that is eligible to win the low half, if any, is 8-7-6-5-4. Iron Cross PLAYERS Up to nine. INITIAL DEAL Five cards down to each player, five cards down to the table arranged in a cross. PLAY Bet. Dealer exposes the three o'clock card in the cross (based on dealer's perspective). Bet. Dealer continues exposing clockwise and players keep betting after each until all four points are exposed. Bet. Dealer exposes the center card. Bet. Showdown WINNER High hand constructed from the five cards in player's hand and the three cards in either the horizontal or vertical bar of the cross. VARIATIONS High-low split. Feiry Cross Center card in cross and all like it are wild. Bingo PLAYERS Up to eight. INITIAL DEAL Five cards down to each player, nine cards face down in a 3X3 grid in the center of the table. Dealer exposes the four corner cards. PLAY Bet. Dealer exposes the three o'clock card (based on dealer's perspective). Bet. Dealer continues exposing clockwise and players keep betting after each until all four edge cards are exposed. Bet. Dealer exposes the center card. Bet. Declare. Bet. Showdown. Hands are constructed from the best five among the five in player's hand plus the three cards in any row, column, or diagonal in the center grid. WINNER High and low split the pot. A player who wishes to win both the high and low halves of the pot may take advantage of different three card series in the center grid. NOTE A different Bingo game may be found on the Non-Poker Games page. Good Versus Evil PLAYERS Up to eight. INITIAL DEAL Five cards down to each player, then two rows of five face down in the center. One center row is designated the good row, the other row is designated the evil row. PLAY Bet. Dealer exposes one card in the good row and one card in the evil row. Card in the good row is a community card and may be used by anyone as part of their hand. If a player has a hole card with the same rank as the newly exposed card in the evil row, that card is dead and player must turn that card face up in front. Cards with the same rank as a card in the evil row may not be used in evaluating hands at the showdown. Once a card is considered evil, that rank is always evil. If card in evil row is the same rank as a previously or subsequently exposed good card, good card is moved to the evil row and is considered evil, as are all of similar rank. Bet. Dealer exposes another good card and another evil card. Players holding hole cards with same rank as evil card must again turn those cards face up in front and not consider them in constructing final hands. Bet. Continue alternating bets with the exposing of center cards until all ten center cards are exposed. Bet. Declare. Bet. Showdown. WINNER High and low hands split. Hands are constructed based on the remaining hole cards plus the community cards in the good row. VARIATIONS Gaguine Corollary If a player loses all five cards because they all match cards exposed in the evil row, the game is immediately declared over and that player wins the whole pot. Use and Lose Pot is split between the player with the high hand as above, but the other half goes to the player with the lowest total score among his or her hole cards. For the low half, faces are worth ten, aces one, and all others worth their pip value. NOTES This game has LOTS of different names. Good Card, Bad Card. Heaven and Hell. Up and Down the River. Yin-Yang. Build 'Em Up, Tear 'Em Down. Dump 'Em. The Bad and The Beautiful. In Between. Some of my friends call it Between the Sheets, but I think Between the Sheets is actually a different game based loosely on Acey Deucey. If you know what I should call this beast, let me know.