08/08/2006 v1.3

CS Lounge World Poker Tour House Rules - BOSTON

• Game buy-in is limited to five dollars. Players can buy in again only when busted out.
  
  
• Usually, we play ring game Texas Hold 'Em with .5/.10 blinds for about half the night, and then play Dealers Choice with a five cent ante for the rest of the night. That's when things get retarded.
  
  
• All rules for Dealers Choice are subject to modification by dealer if explictly and clearly stated before dealing.
  
  
• Players may skip hands at their discretion (i.e., if the dealer chooses a retarded game) and not ante up. But this should not be abused to skip paying blinds. When not playing, players are encouraged to drink heavily.
  
  
• Chip values are:
  • Black $1.00
  • White $0.50
  • Red $0.25
  • Blue $0.05
  
  
• Standard five-card hand order is (from least to greatest value):
  • high-card
  • pair
  • two pair
  • three of a kind
  • straight
  • flush
  • full house
  • four of a kind
  • straight flush
  • five of a kind (with wilds only)
  
  
• All games are no-limit and unstructured betting. Any player can bet any amount at any time (unless specifically called otherwise by the dealer). Betting five cents into a huge pot is encouraged.
  
  
• Players that bet all-in (bet all their money at the table) must overturn their cards when all betting on that hand is complete, regardless if they are all in from calling or betting. Bets above an all-in are segregated in their own pot amongst the remaining players (the main, and so-called 'short pot').
  
  
• Suit rank (highest to lowest):
  • Spades
  • Hearts
  • Diamonds
  • Clubs
  Rank is generally not considered when evaluating a hand. Identical hands with different ranks split the pot, if there is a remainder it is added to the pot for the next hand. When visible high-cards are used to determine who bets first (such as in stud games), suit is used to break ties.
  
  
• In games with more than five cards, the players hand is the best five. Specifically, of note, in community-card based games, unless otherwise specifically stipulated, players need not use their personal cards at all.
  
  
• In games with wildcards, if two hands are the same value with differing wildcards, then they are considered equal and the pot is split (i.e., synthetic hands are of equal to natural hands).
  
  
• Default high-low rules are; of the players cards, two separate hands are fabricated (in a five-card game, there is only the one hand). The high hand consists of the best five cards. The low hand consists of those five cards that make the lowest valued standard five-card hand (i.e., straights and flushes count as straights and flushes, and aces are high or low as would make the best hand).
  
  
• Humiliating busted out players with the donation of ante (making them all-in on the ante) from the wealthiest player at the table is encouraged but optional. Guilt is mandatory.
  
  
• Players all-in on the ante or from humiliatingly short stacks are required to exclaim "ALL-IN!" in their manliest voices whenever their bet comes around in order to make them look more ridiculous. Bonus if they don't have a worthwhile hand to boot. Extra bonus if exclamation is in Klingon: "HOCH EL!"
  
  
• Should any player quadruple his or her buy-in and have a stack of $20 worth of chips at any time during the night, this player, while not being obligated in any contractual sense to do so, would be really lame if he or she didn't buy everybody pizza right then.
  
  
• In the case of an exposed card (a card which the dealer intended to deal face down but accidentally dealt face up), the exposed card will be mucked face up.
  
  
• Dealers who call Omaha will be shot.
  
  
• Dealers who call Omaha and survive being shot, will be shot again.

Common CS Lounge and Lounge-specific poker games

• Nothing Stupid

  A.K.A. no-limit Texas hold-em, with unstructured betting with five and ten cent blinds. This is the standard ring game, typically played at the beginning of the night before everyone gets drunk.

• Five Card Stud

  This is the most basic of all poker games. It's what they played in the old west. Each player is dealt one hole card and one up card followed by a round of betting which is lead by the person to the dealers left. Three subsequent face up cards are dealt with betting after each (making five total). At the end, there's a showdown and the winner is the one not shot to death.

• Shady Five Card Stud

  This is the default version of five card stud at the shadyhouse. Otherwise identical, the final two cards dealt together, one face up and one face down, for a total of two hole cards and only three rounds of betting.

• Chicago

  Seven-card stud, with the pot split between the highest hand and highest spade in the hole (face down). In the event of tie high hands, the high-hand half-pot is divided. Players can win both halves of the pot if they have both the highest spade in the hole and high hand. Remainder nickels from the pot splits are added to the following hand.

• Newark

  Similar to Chicago, except the pot is split with the highest prime number valued card in the hole (regardless of suit). Jacks are counted as 11 and Kings as 13 (aces can be high or low, but neither 1 or 14 are prime anyway).

• Chicago

  The town of Skokie is a suburb of Chicago. It's much cheaper to live in Skokie than to live in Chicago, while still being able to work in and visit Chigago regularly. Similarly, the game of Skokie offers much of what the game of Chicago offers, while being cheaper to play. The play is very similar to Chicago, except that instead of getting dealt cards one at a time as in traditional seven card stud, each player gets three cards, two down one up followed by a round of betting, then two more up cards followed by a round of betting, and then one up and one down card, followed by the final round of betting. The spade in the hole play is the same as in Chicago.

• Mutany

  Mutany is a variant that can be applied to any other variant of poker. A mutany game is one in which the player with the best hand loses. All other players who have not yet folded, split the pot.

• Cowboy

  Not technically a poker game, but a quick deal. Each player is dealt a single card face down. A round of betting commences beginning with the dealer (who would otherwise be at an advantage if betting last). After betting, the high card wins. In heads up play, the looser eats a bullet.

• Indian (wo-wo Indian, not dot-on-the-forehead Indian)

  Also not technically a poker game. Must be played in a room with no mirrors or reflective surfaces. Each player is dealt a single card face down, then all at once, each player holds his/hers card to their forehead without looking at the card. Now everyone can see everyone else's card, but not their own. A round of betting commences beginning with the dealer (same reasons as cowboy). Players after folding can look put their card down and stop looking like a fool. though they should refrain from giving away hints. After betting, the high card wins.

• Punjab 5 or 7 Card

  Because Vince didn't think Indian is bizarre enough. Also must be played in a room with no mirrors. Each player is dealt a single card face down. Enough community cards are then dealt face down to raise the total number of dealt cards to six for five card and eight for seven card (as such the maximum number of players is five and seven, wherein there is only one community card). Then, like Indian, each player holds the card to their forehead without looking at the card. A round of betting ensues starting with the dealer. After the first round, the community cards are turned face up. A second round of betting ensues with the dealer first. The winner is the player who can view the best five-card hand. Players can only use the cards they can see in their hand, so, specifically, they cannot use the card on their forehead, only the cards on everyone else's forehead and the community cards.

• Texas Fucknut & Blacknut

  A game best played at the end of the night when everyone's tired and drunk. And this is a game best play drunk. Fucknut games are all red cards wild and Blacknut is all black cards wild. Players are encouraged to review the rules section on wild cards. Texas Fucknut or Blacknut is the typical incarnation; no-limit unstructured Texas hold-em with red or black cards wild.