Tag: Poker Variations

Two Card Manila And Three Card Manila

Games

Two Card and Three Card Manila are poker games which combine the usage of “hole” cards, which are dealt faced down, and community cards, called “flops”, which are put on the board faced up. There are five community cards, and a hand of Manila is compiled by using two hole cards and three community cards.

Two Card and Three Card are played similar, and they differ only in numbers. We shall first explain how a game of Two Card Manila works, and then add shortly those rules which are unique to Three Card Manila.

Two Card Manila

There is a maximum of eleven players in Two Card Manila. The game is played with a deck consisting of 32 cards: 11 players x 2 cards = 22 cards + 5 community cards + 4 burnt cards = 31 cards. The Ace can be used only as a high card and not as a low card.

Two Card Manila is played with a blind, i.e. a set bet which the players must post at the beginning of the game.

The dealer starts by dealing two cards to each player, faced down. Each player may call, check, raise or fold. Manila games set a limit of up to three raises per round, unless there are only two players in the game.

Then the first community card is placed on the board, face up, and another round of betting begins, Before the dealer puts on the table the next community card and the others that follow, he “burns” a card. (All in all four burnt cards.) Each flop is followed by a round of bets.

The betting:

  • In $2 dollar Manila the sums of the bets for each of the five rounds are $2, $4, $4, $4 & $8, in accordance.
  • In $5 dollar Manila the sums of the bets for each of the five rounds are $5, $10, $10, $10 & $20, in accordance.
  • As can be seen, the amount doubles on the second round, stays fixed for the third and forth round, and doubles again for the last round.
  • To use an example: the blind in a $2 dollar Manila game will be worth $2. In the first betting round (after posting the blinds) the players may either call the $2 or raise by an additional $4, making the bet a total of $6. The highest raise is possible in the last round: $8.

Three Card Manila

In Three Card Manila there are three “hole” cards, though a hand is made up of two hole cards and three community cards, just like in Two Card Manila.

There is a maximum of nine players in Three Card Manila. The game is played with a deck consisting of 36 cards: 9 players x 3 cards = 27 cards + 5 community cards + 4 burnt cards = 36 cards.

Let It Ride Poker

Games

About

Let It Ride Poker, also know as Let Them Ride poker, is a very popular variation of poker, played by many both on land and online. It is based on the game of Five Card Stud Poker, so if you are familiar with Five Stud you will easily understand the rules of Let It de.

The game was originally developed by The Shuffle Master Gaming Company for the purpose of selling more automatic shuffling machines to casino houses. The game was first played in Reno, Nevada, in 1993.

A hand in Let It Ride is compiled of five cards: three which are given to the player and two which are dealer cards. As the dealer cards are revealed, a poker player needs to decide whether to stay in and “let it ride” to the next card, or whether to fold. A hand ranking from a pair of tens or higher is a winning hand. The amount of money won depends on the bets which the player makes. The game is not played against competitors or the house, but rather each player tries to make the correct bets.

One reason that people like playing Let It Ride is that it’s less risky: once you have a pair of tens or better you can simply “let it ride” by placing more bets thus increasing your winning, without jeopardizing your money.

How to play the game

On a poker Table of Let It Ride, each player has three circles located at his seating position. They are marked “$”, “1” and “2”, and there the bets are placed.

The bet in the “$” circle is the minimum bet foe the game. It cannot be withdrawn and will not be given back even if the player decided to fold his hand. The bets in “1” and “2” might be returned according to the moment of folding.

The game begins by putting an equal sum on each circle. Following this, the dealer gives each player three cards.

After that bet was made the dealer gives out three cards, faced down. He deals three cards to himself, discards one immediately, and is left with two face down cards. These two cards will make up the hand of the other players.

The players all look at their cards. If a player thinks his hand is too weak and does not have a high chance of winning, he can ask to take back his “1” bet. That bet is out of the game, and even if that player eventually wins it will not be counted. To take the bet back a player will drag his cards on the poker table (same movement as when taking a hit in a game of Black Jack).

If a player thinks his hand is strong and has a chance of winning, he will want to “let it ride”. This means that he stays in the game with all three of his bets. A player who lets it ride simply slides his cards face down under his bet.

After all the players have made their action the dealer reveals one of his cards. Now a player has four cards, and needs to act again. He can choose to take his “2” bet back or to let it ride. (This action is not dependent on the first action. A player may choose, for example, to take his “1” bet back but for the second round he lets it ride.)

After all the players made their second action, the dealer reveals his second and final card. Each player now has a full hand. A hand ranking of a pair of 10 and higher is a winning hand. The amount won depends on the bets which were left in the circle or taken out of them. There is a clear system of what the pay-out should be.

Payouts!

The ranking of the hands are the same as in regular Poker.

  1. Pair of Tens or better / 1:1
  2. Two Pair / 2:1
  3. Three of a Kind / 3:1
  4. Straight / 5:1
  5. Flush / 8:1
  6. Full House / 11:1
  7. Four of a Kind / 50:1
  8. Straight Flush / 200:1
  9. Royal Flush / 1000:1

Strategy

Recommended Let it Ride Strategy

LET FIRST CIRCLE BET RIDE if your dealt cards are:

  • A pair of tens or better
  • Three card straight flush
  • Three card inside straight flush
  • Three card double inside straight flush with two tens or better
  • Ten, jack, and queen
  • Any three cards to a ROYAL FLUSH

LET 2nd CIRCLE BET RIDE if your first four cards are:

  • A pair of tens or better
  • Any four cards of the same suit
  • Open ended straight
  • Four high cards that are tens or better

Strategy 2

On this page we will discuss an optimal let it ride poker strategy. The house edge for Let It Ride is 3.5%, assuming the player is playing optimal strategy, and taking into account rare hands like a Royal Flush or a Straight Flush. Optimal strategy involves knowing when to let your bets ride. You have two decisions to make, i.e. whether to let the first bet ride or not, and whether to let the second bet ride or not. Each decision is governed by a different set of rules, which we will discuss shortly.

Optimal strategy for letting your first bet ride

Let the first bet ride if you have:

  • A winning hand: a Pair of tens or better (high Pair or Three of a Kind).
  • A three card Royal Flush.
  • A three card open ended Straight Flush, with the lowest card being a 3 or higher (don’t let the first bet ride with A/2/3 suited or 2/3/4 suited)
  • Three cards to a Straight Flush, with one hole, and at least one high card (ten or greater), e.g. 7, 8, 10.
  • Three cards to a Straight Flush, with two holes, and at least two high cards (ten or greater), e.g. 7, 10, J.

Optimal strategy for letting your second bet ride

Let the second bet ride if you have:

  • A winning hand: a Pair of tens or better (high Pair, Three of a Kind, two Pairs, Four of a Kind).
  • A four card Royal Flush, Straight Flush, or Flush.
  • A four card open ended Straight.
  • Four cards to a Straight, with one hole, and four high cards.

Never take the bonus bet

In Let It Ride poker you are offered to place a $1 side bet, to be eligible for bonus payouts. Do *not* take this bet, because, depending on the payout table, the house edge can vary from 15% to as much as 30%.

Beware of payout limits

Sometimes a casino imposes a maximum payout limit on each game of Let It Ride. You will never win more than the payout limit, even if you get a Royal Flush. If the maximum payout limit is $60,000, there is no reason to bet more than $20 per bet. If you bet more, let all 3 bets ride, and receive a Royal Flush, you winnings will exceed the maximum payout limit. You can determine your optimal bet size by dividing the payout limit by 3000. If the optimal bet size is lower than the minimum bet size the casino is offering, then go find another casino!

Tips:

LET IT RIDE POKER TIPS: After looking at your three initial cards and the community cards are still hidden, let it ride when you have a pair of 10’s or better. Pull your bet if not. If you have four parts of a flush after the first common card is turned also let it ride. Do not chase after 4 card straights.

Game Example:

EXAMPLE OF A LET IT RIDE POKER GAME: Player has three $10 bets in the circles and is dealt 2 fives and a jack. He pulls his Circle 1 bet back. The first card the dealer turns up is a five. Now the player has three fives (a sure winner) so he lets his Circle 2 bet ride. The dealer’s other card turns out to be a nine. Player didn’t improve his hand but still has a winning “Three of a Kind”. At the 3-1 payout for this hand, the dealer pays him $30 for his $ Circle bet and $30 for his Circle 2 bet. Player wins $60.

Let It Ride Poker Hand Rankings

Hand Description
Royal Flush A hand with A, K, Q, J and 10 all of the same suite
Straight Flush A hand with all five cards in sequence and of the same suit
Four of a Kind A hand with four cards of the same rank
Full House A hand with three cards of one rank and two cards of another rank
Flush A hand with all five cards in the same suit but not all in a sequence
Straight A hand with all five cards in sequence but not all in one suit
Three of a Kind A hand with three cards of the same rank
Two Pair A hand with two cards of one rank and two cards of another rank
Pair of Jacks or Better A hand with two cards of the same rank

3 Card Poker

Games

Three Card poker is a game that can be played with a minimum of three players and a maximum of six players. The game gives an option of drawing cards, and the winning hand consists of three cards only.

How to play

  • The game begins by a face down deal of three cards to each player.
  • This is followed by a around of bets, which may be started by any one of the players around the poker table. The players must call or raise in order to continue playing in the round.
  • Then each player draws two cards, on the draw.
  • This is followed by a second and final round of betting.
  • Once all the bets have been made, the players expose their cards. The ranking of wining hands is identical to the regular ranking of poker hands, though since a hand consists of only three cards then three of a kind is the highest ranking poker hand.

Draw High Poker

Games

Draw High poker is a game that consists of only two betting rounds: one prior to the draw and the second following the draw. After the first betting rounds players may choose to replace some or all of their initial cards with new cards from the deck.

Draw High poker sets a limit on the bets; the betting limit in the second round is double the limit of the first round. Players joining a Draw High poker game need to place antes. A button is used to determine the dealers position.

How to play

The hand and the draws:

  • A hand is compiled of five cards.
  • A player is allowed to draw from the deck up to four cards at a time.
  • If a player wishes to draw from the deck five cards, and replace all his initial cards, he can draw four cards and then after all the other players finish drawing their cards he can draw a fifth card. If he happens to be the last player in the round, then after the four cards are dealt the dealer “burns” a card, and then gives him the fifth card.
  • A player may decide to change the number of cards he requested to draw providing two things. First, that the other players haven’t made an action which was based on the initial number of cards he asked for. Second, that no card was dealt off the deck following the request. This includes the card that the dealer “burns”.
  • After an action has taken place, a player which holds less than a five cards can draw cards to complete a full hand.
  • If after the draw a player does not have exactly five cards, his hand is disqualified.
  • A card that has been reveled will not be given out in a draw.

Placing the bets:

  • When there are multi-hands playing a Draw High game, there is a maximum of one bet and four raises.
  • An “opener” is a player who makes the first voluntary bet in a round. In some Draw High tables, in order to be the opener a player needs to have in his hand a pair of Jacks or a higher poker ranking set of cards.
  • After the draw the opener is the first to place a bet. If the opener decides to drop out of that hand, the person sitting on his left will open the second round of bets.
  • The players around the table have the options of checking, opening for the minimum or opening with a raise.
  • Check-raise can be made prior to the draw and also after it.
  • If a player’s chips are sufficient only for paying the ante, he may play for only that sum. If none of the other players opens and another ante is declared, that player can still stay in the game, without having to add more money.

Other miscellaneous rules:

  • If a player wishes to join a game he needs to pay the ante. If there is forfeited money in the pot he will need to wait until that money is taken and only then can he join.
  • Changing a seat between hands is forbidden if it is a game with forfeited money or a game with multiple antes.
  • A player can ask another player or the dealer what number of cards did that player draw. However, if an action has already taken place they do not have to give him an answer. If no action has taken place yet, they must answer.
  • If a player raps on the table, it is understood either that he wishes to pass or that he has a “pat hand” and does not want to draw any more cards. If a player with a pat hand who rapped the table did not notice that the pot had been raised, he is not disqualified and may continue playing that hand.

Kill Pots

Games

To “kill a pot” is not a violent act; it simply means to post an overblind – a blind which is bigger than the big blind. In most games it is a voluntary act.

When placing an overblind a player increases the stakes of the game proportionally. For instance, A “full kill” is twice the size of the big blind. If a player posts a full kill then the betting limits of the game are doubled. A “half kill” is 1.5 times the big blind, and it increases the limits of the game by 1.5.

Kill pot is frequently used in lowball games. It provides the option of joining a game straight away without having to wait for the big blind.

Rules for killing pots

  • One kill can be made for each deal.
  • Kill blinds are part of the pot.
  • In most poker games killing the pot is optional.
  • Some games obligate players to kill pots under certain circumstances. For example, in Hi/Lo split games a player who wins a pot which is larger than a set amount must kill the following pot. In some games a player who has won two pots in a row will be obligated to kill the next pot.
  • A player who must kill the pot needs to do so at his turn during that hand, even if he wishes to drop out of that hand. A player who doesn’t kill when he is suppose to will be allowed to continue playing only after he posts the kill.
  • If a player wants to join in a killed pot game he must commit to killing the following pot.
  • The player who needs to post a kill will be given a “kill button”, a marker that acts as a reminder for killing the pot.
  • A “kill button” does not belong to any of the players:
    A. During the first hand of a new game.
    B. If the player who won the pot left the game.
    C. If the pot was split (so the winners don’t have to kill the next pot).
  • If a player doesn’t know that a pot has been killed and he makes a bet that is lower than the minimum limit, he may withdraw the money and reconsider his moves only if the kill button wasn’t faced-up. If it was, he must add chips to complete the minimum bet allowed.
  • A “leg up” is a situation in which a player has won the previous pot and thus will have to kill the next pot if he wins the current pot.
  • A player who has a “leg up” and leaves the table will still need to kill the pot upon rejoining the game.
  • If player A, who has a “leg up”, wins the pot with player B and it is split between them, player A will need to kill the next pot. If player B was the kill in the prior hand, he will also need to kill the next pot.
  • The first leg, as well as the first pot, have no minimum or maximum pot size limit.
  • A player will have to kill pot after a second pot or second leg if he has won a minimum of one full bet, not including blinds.
  • If in a game of split-pot a player wins the high and the low pot, he will be required to kill the next pot if the pot is five times or more the size of the maximum limit in that game.
  • In some lowball games, players may look at their first two cards and decide according to them whether they wish to kill the pot. Once one player has received a third card, non of the players are allowed to kill the pot. In these games in order to be allowed to kill the pot a player must posses a sum of money which is four times the amount of the kill blind. When this rule is in use the player who kills is last to act in the first round of bets.

Other Poker Variations

Games

We have gone over the basic set of rules, strategies and tips for a number of the most popular variations of poker such as Texas Hold’em, 5 Card Stud, 7 Card Stud, Omaha Poker, Red Dog Poker, Deuces Wild, Poker Pai Gow, Jack or Better Poker, and Caribbean Poker.

There also exist several other variations of poker that are possibly available online. Our information is based on the most well known and popular versions of the game.