Dealer's Choice Home Poker Game Guide - HomePokerEdge.com

DEALER'S CHOICE POKER GUIDE

DEALER'S CHOICE POKER GUIDE
Dealer's choice poker games are the heart of most home poker games. Dealer's choice allows each player to select the poker game variation to be played. They can select games to be played as high hand, high-low split or wild card. Mixing in a variety of poker game variations and styles dealer's choice keeps a home poker game fresh and interesting.

The “best” way for your own dealer's choice home poker game is the way you and your friends find the most enjoyable. This Dealer's Choice Poker Guide has lots of additional information and ideas that can be incorporated into your own dealer's choice poker game.

DEALER'S CHOICE HOME POKER GAME VARIATIONS
There are an enormous number of non-standard or invented poker game variations. Home poker players often take a basic poker game such as Stud or Omaha and make additions, innovations and combinations that create new and different variations. HomePokerEdge.com describes over 175 such poker game variations based upon Draw, Stud, Omaha, Hold'em. These are the types of games that form the pool of choices that typical low stakes dealer's choice home poker games draw from.

DEALER'S CHOICE POKER - PLAYING HIGH-LOW SPLIT POKER
Dealer's choice home poker games often include playing high-low split poker games. High-Low split poker has many appealing features and is great for a home poker game. One of its most attractive aspects is that it stimulates and increases players' participation in each hand. It is not uncommon for all or most of the players to at least initially enter a hand and they often stay in the hand longer. With more action the pots are usually larger which also encourages players to continue. With twice as many pots at stake there are more chances to win as well as the hope of "scooping the pot" by winning both the high and low hands. There is extra skill involved in reading other players' hands and declaring your own hand. All in all, high-low poker makes for a lot of fun in a home poker game.

Just about any poker game and nearly all the poker game variations we describe throughout HomePokerEdge.com can be played high-low split.
There are many additional factors that must be considered when playing high-low split poker, so we devote an entire page to it.
Our High-Low Poker Guide has far more information necessary for playing and winning high-low spilt poker games.

DEALER'S CHOICE POKER - PLAYING WILD CARD POKER
Wild card poker games are widely popular in a dealer's choice home poker game. Playing wild card poker games is not the same as playing standard poker games. To be successful in wild card poker games you must make adjustments. The adjustments required are largely determined by the number and nature of the wild cards and the realization that holding a wild card is far better than holding any other card. The average winning hands in wild card poker games are always higher than in their non-wild card versions. Since there are so many additional factors that must be considered for wild card poker games we created the Wild Card Poker Guide where you will find much more information for successfully playing and winning wild card poker games.

There is no reason that wild card poker games cannot be played as high-low split. However, as expected, wild cards make it considerably easier to draw an excellent low hand. You need to develop and adhere to very strict standards regarding the rank of a low hand you are willing to play. It will depend on the game and especially the number of wild cards, but, playing with anything less than the best possible low is often a risky proposition.

DEALER'S CHOICE POKER - PLAYING FORMATS
There are several playing formats that can be used in a dealer's choice home game. Here are some possibilities:

One dealer-one game-one time: This is undoubtedly the easiest method to employ and the most widely used format. Each dealer designates the game to be played for that one time. While this works very well for games with an ante, it works less well with games that normally use blinds, like hold’em. You can certainly play those types of games. You just have to abandon the blind format and use an ante. An additional benefit of this format is that it is very easy to try out a new poker variation. If it’s a dud you don’t have to play it again.

One game-one round: Another popular method to is to have the selected game played for an entire round of the table. This provides some consistency by repeating the same game several times and allows for players to get into the “flow” of the game a little more. It also works fairly for games that use a blind since each player will be in each position once. Your only problem is remembering who the next player is to select the next game once a round is over, since the next player to select will not actually be the next player to physically deal the first hand of that series. Use a dealer button to designate the current "selector" to help you keep track.

One game-one round + one hand: If you add one more hand to the one round-one game format the player who selects the game will deal both the first and last game of that round. This produces a rotation where the next player to select will actually be the next player to physically deal as well. A drawback is again with blind games where some players would be forced to post blinds twice during the round. Utilizing antes instead will correct that.

One dealer-one game-one session: At the beginning of the session each player selects a variation that they will be obligated to deal for the entire session. This doesn’t quite seem to live up to the spirit of a dealer’s choice game. It also tends to stifle innovation and change. But if these are games that everybody loves it's a viable option.

One game-one time period: The total poker session is broken down into smaller segments each of which might be 15 to 30 minutes long. One variation is played for the entire segment. If the overall poker session is known ahead of time (ie. there are specific starting and ending times) the entire session can be divided by the number of players. For example, with 8 players and an overall session of 4 hours, each segment would be 30 minutes. Each player determines what variation to play during one of the segments.

DIFFERENT POKER GAMES - DIFFERENT STARTING HAND SELECTIONS
When playing any version of poker one of the most important questions to ask is what are the best starting hands for this particular game? The answer is often best determined by taking a step forward and asking the question - how strong a hand will I usually need to win in this game? Resolving that question leads you to the answer regarding starting hands. The cards you start with must stand a favorable chance of turning into one of the hands you think is at least an average winner.
Appropriate starting hands are easier to define in stud poker and draw poker games. It is easier to determine if your starting hands stand a decent shot at making the strength of hand you think is necessary to win. Home poker players often have the philosophy that any starting cards can win in Omaha and Texas Hold'em style games and therefore will play just about any starting hand. While in any individual hand that may be true, in the long run thinking that way is a mistake.
Regardless of the game keep these thoughts in mind: Big cards can make good high hands. Low cards can make good low hands. Middle ranked cards never make good low hands and seldom make a powerful high hand. Additionally, coordinated cards are better: connected cards are better than not connected, suited cards are better than unsuited, pairs are better than unpaired, etc.

OPTIONAL RULES THAT CAN BE ADDED TO ALMOST ANY DEALER'S CHOICE HOME POKER GAME
One of the ways to create a new poker variation is to add or modify playing rules or options. Most changes are designed to increase player participation by such means as optimizing the strength of their hand, giving additional chances to improve their hand or inflating the pot. Here are a few that can be incorporated into your favorite dealer's choice poker games.

Roll your own: Applicable to stud poker games. Each card normally dealt face up is dealt face down (i.e., "in the hole"). Players then choose which of their hole cards to turn face up for that round. The ability to choose which cards to reveal and conceal allows players to exaggerate or hide the true strength of their hand. Examples of roll your own games: Most stud games.

Fee based roll your own: Players may choose to have a card dealt as roll your own or as a normal up card. When choosing to roll their own they must pay a fee to the pot. Otherwise, for no additional fee, their card is dealt face up.

Card replacement (twist cards): The opportunity to discard any card in your hand and replace it with a card dealt from the deck. There can be a further option to allow this to be done for free or for a fee (preferred). Replacement keeps more players in the hand since it gives them an additional opportunity to improve their hand. Examples of replacement/twist games: 5 Card Stud with Replacement.

Double handed: Each player receives 2 separate sets of hole cards. They use them separately to form 2 complete hands. Examples of double handed games: Double Handed Hold 'em.

Double board: There are two sets of common board cards. Players may use either set of board cards to make their hand. Examples of double board games: Double Omaha.

Hot board: The cards used to create the common board cards are pre-selected by the players. Each player is dealt additional hole card(s) from which they select the cards they wish to keep in their hand and card(s) they wish to discard. Rather than dealing the common board cards from the remaining deck, the discarded cards are used. Examples of hot board games: Double Hot Omaha, Omaha-5

Progressive betting: A situation where the minimum bet is increased for each betting round. For example, $1 in 1st round, $2 in 2nd round, $3 in 3rd round, etc. Examples of progressive bet games: Bummer Poker; Bummer Draw Poker.

Bring in bet: Applicable to stud poker games. The player with the lowest up card on 3rd street is required to make at least a minimum size bet. In low only games such as Razz it is the highest up card on 3rd street that must make the bring in bet. Examples of bring in bet games: Most stud games.

Forced bets: A situation in which players are not allowed to check and so must either bet, call a bet, raise or fold. Examples of forced bet games: Bummer Poker; Bummer Draw Poker.

Qualifying hands: A requirement that a winning hand must be of some minimum rank or value. Examples of games with minimum qualifying hands: Omaha Hi-Lo Eight or Better (the low hand must rank as an eight low or lower.) Jacks to Open, Trips to Win.

Buying wild cards: Applicable to wild card stud poker games. A player who receives a wild card as one of their up cards must pay a fee to the pot in order to "activate" the wild card. Only if the fee is paid will that card be considered wild. The player has the option of refusing to pay the fee, but, in that case the card is not wild. A suggested fee can be 1 or 2 small bets. Examples of buying wild card games: Most stud games.

Progressively buying wild cards: The same as the above buying option, but the fee rises with every wild card dealt. Start the fee at 1 small bet. The first wild card costs 1 small bet; the second costs 2 small bets; the third costs 3 small bets, etc.

Buy or fold: A player must either pay the wild card fee or fold his hand. Examples of buy or fold games: Baseball