Non-Poker Variations

These games are card games that do not use the standard ranking of poker hands to determine the winner.

• Boo Ray

  • Players:

    4-10

  • Initial deal:

    5 cards down to each player.

  • Play:

    Top card of the deck is flipped over, and the suit of the flipped card becomes the trump suit for the hand. Players secretly put a chip in their fist if they want to stay in, or form an empty fist if they don't. Players open their fists simultaneously. Players who stayed in may then exchange cards (as many as can be allowed by the remaining deck size and number of players who stayed in). Boo Ray is a trick-taking game. The lead player (which rotates each hand, starting with the player to the dealer's left) leads by playing a card from his hand. All other players do the same in turn. If they can, players must play a card of the same suit as the card which began the trick. If a player has no cards of that suit, he may play any card. The highest card of the led suit takes the trick, unless a card of the trump suit is played in which case the highest trump card wins the trick. The winner of the trick begins the next trick. Whoever takes the most tricks wins the pot. Anyone who stayed in but took no tricks must pay the Boo Ray amount ($1.00, $2.00, or whatever you agree on at the start of the game) to the pot. If tricks are split 2-2-1, nobody takes the pot. The game continues, with new hands dealt to all players, until the pot is gone.

  • Winner:

    Taker of the most tricks

• Numbers

  • Players:

    4-8

  • Initial deal:

    five cards to each player and seven down cards on the table

  • Play:

    A card on the table is turned over. Anyone holding cards of the same rank must discard them. There follows a round of betting (each round uses a rotating lead, beginning with the player to the dealer's left). After each round another card is flipped over and like cards discarded. If a card of the same rank as a previously flipped card is turned over, a new card is flipped from the top of the deck until an undiscarded rank is revealed. Thus, seven different ranks will always be discarded. If anyone loses all his cards, they instantly win the pot. Otherwise, after all cards have been turned up and the last betting round concludes, players declare high, low or both and have a showdown. Aces are worth 1 or 15, face cards are worth 10, and all other cards are worth their face value.

  • Winner:

    Highest and lowest totals split the pot.

• Screw Your Neighbor

  • Players:

    4-8 (more possible, but it would be a LONG game)

  • Initial deal:

    1 card down to each player.

  • Play:

    This game has no ante. Instead, each player places three of the highest-ranking chips in front of him. The lead begins to the left of the dealer and rotates with each hand. Each player in turn may opt to keep his current card or exchange it with the player to his left. If someone tries to take your card and you have a King, you must stop him from doing so by revealing your King. The last player may keep his card or exchange it for the top one from the deck. When all players have chosen to stand or exchange, everyone reveals their cards and the lowest card (Aces are low) tosses a chip into the pot. If multiple players tie for the lowest card, then they all pay one of their chips to the pot. When a player runs out of chips, they are out of the game.

  • Winner:

    The last player remaining gets the pot. When it is down to 2 or more players and all players have the same card and one remaining chip, then a push ensues and the next round is played. If all players have the same card and multiple remaining chips, then payment to the pot is accomplished as normal. If one or more players have only one remaining chip and another player has more than one remaining chip, then the single-chip player(s) are out and the multi-chip player(s) are still in the game.

• Seven Twenty-seven (7/27)

  • Players:

    4-10

  • Initial deal:

    one cards down, one card up to each player

  • Play:

    The object is to get as close to 7 or 27 as possible. As in Blackjack, Aces are worth 1 or 11 and numbers are worth their face value. Face cards, however, are worth half a point (.5). The player to the dealer's left is the lead player. Each round, each player starting with the lead has the opportunity to take one additional card. The lead then starts a round of betting. This continues until nobody takes an additional card. After a final betting round, players declare high/low/both and hold a showdown.

  • Winner:

    Closest to 7 and closest to 27 split the pot. 5-A-A (because Aces are one or eleven, or in this case one and eleven) wins a share of both 7 and 27. If multiple players are equidistant from a target number (like 6 & 8), the player with the lowest count gets the pot share for that target number. If multiple players have the same count, then they each get an equal pot share for that target number. So, for example, if one player has 26 1/2 and two players have 7 and $20 is in the pot, then the 26 1/2 player get $10 and the 7 players each get $5.

• Thirteen Thirty-three (13/33)

  • Players:

    4-10.

  • Initial deal:

    One cards down, one card up to each player.

  • Play:

    The object is to get as close to 13 or 33 as possible. As in Blackjack, Aces are worth 1 or 11 and numbers are worth their face value. Face cards, however, are worth half a point (.5). The player to the dealer's left is the lead player. Each round, each player starting with the lead has the opportunity to take one additional card. The lead then starts a round of betting. This continues until nobody takes an additional card. After a final betting round, players declare high/low/both and hold a showdown.

  • Winner:

    Closest to 13 and closest to 33 split the pot. A-A-A (because Aces are one or eleven, or in this case one and eleven) wins a share of both 13 and 33. If multiple players are equidistant from a target number (like 12 & 14), the player with the lowest count gets the pot share for that target number. If multiple players have the same count, then they each get an equal pot share for that target number. So, for example, if one player has 32 1/2 and two players have 13 and $20 is in the pot, then the 32 1/2 player get $10 and the 13 players each get $5.

• Two Twenty-two (2/22)

  • Players:

    4-10.

  • Initial deal:

    One cards down, one card up to each player.

  • Play:

    The object is to get as close to 2 or 22 as possible. As in Blackjack, Aces are worth 1 or 11 and numbers are worth their face value. Face cards, however, are worth half a point (.5). The player to the dealer's left is the lead player. Each round, each player starting with the lead has the opportunity to take one additional card. The lead then starts a round of betting. This continues until nobody takes an additional card. After a final betting round, players declare high/low/both and hold a showdown.

  • Winner:

    Players closest to 2 and closest to 22 split the pot. A-A (because Aces are one or eleven, or in this case one and eleven) wins a share of both 2 and 22. If multiple players are equidistant from a target number (like 21 & 23), the player with the lowest count gets the pot share for that target number. If multiple players have the same count, then they each get an equal pot share for that target number. So, for example, if one player has 21 1/2 and two players have 2 and $20 is in the pot, then the 21 1/2 player get $10 and the 2 players each get $5.