In my mind, there is no poker game more pure than No Limit Texas Hold ‘Em. If I’m going to put big money on the line, that’s definitely the game I’m going to play.
However, when it’s six buddies around a poker table in someone’s living room, that’s a different story. Here are some of the more interesting games I like to play:
Anaconda High-Low
This has to be my personal favorite. You deal seven cards to each player and have a betting round. Each player then passes three cards to the left, and then discards two of the seven in their hand. The remaining five cards hand are laid out face down in front of each player and cards are revealed one at a time with a betting round after each card. The best high and low hands split the pot.
Ten Card Poker
This is a game we invented one night, although I’m sure there are variations out there that existed long before we started playing it. This is a game that can only be played with 5 or fewer players. Each player is dealt 10 cards. The 10-card hand is then slothoki into two five card hands and laid out face down. Each player flips a card from each had before each betting round. The best high and low hands split the pot.
Low Hole, Roll Your Own
This is a variation of seven card stud. Each player is dealt three cards face down, one of which must be flipped face up. The rest of the hand is dealt like normal seven card stud. For each player, the lowest card in the hole and each one like it is wild.That’s it for me. What are your favorites?
The World of Online Poker
Poker is exploding in America, and online poker sites like Ultimate Bet and Party Poker are now thriving. Made for TV poker has helped generate even more interest in the game, and those who wish to play often have no choice but to search online.
A graduate of Rice University recently got a chance to pick the brain of the CEO of another online poker site, TruePoker. Here’s just a taste of the 20 questions, find the rest by going to Another Rice Grad.
- What’s your background? Where’d you go to school?
TruePoker CEO: My background is middle class, Southside in Chicago. Through a combination of lax admissions policies and some study, I got degrees from the University of Chicago, Georgetown, and Yale, in Public Affairs, Law and Management, respectively.
- What business experiences did you have that led you to start an online poker site?
I tried to talk some friends out of doing so, but failed. Because I had represented casino and gaming clients as an attorney, they figured I was too vain and wasn’t smart enough to turn down the job of CEO.
- How long have you been playing poker?
About 30 years, with some breaks.
- How did you learn to play?
Trial and error. I bought a book in 1971 which showed me the really slim odds of making a straight in 7 stud if even one of your first four cards doesn’t fit.
- I know you recently played a tournament on another online poker site (I won’t say which one.) What games and limits do you play? Do you prefer tournaments or normal games?
No problem, I played a tournament with a group of posters from the Internet forum on www.twoplustwo.com, a tough crowd. These tournaments have been played on two sites, Truepoker and Poker Stars. I played on the other site, but not on ours. Otherwise, I rarely play online, except to check out the competition occasionally. I play some in Costa Rica and some in Las Vegas, strictly lower limit because I enjoy the game more than play only to win money.
- What made you decide to open a poker site?
Some friends wrote this incredible 3D poker software and asked me to run the company when we went forward with real money operations in 2001. Our software was and still is unique in its 3D presentation, so we had a different look than anything else out there. Seemed a good marketing niche.
