PLAYING TIPS for TRINITY POKER
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HOW TO PLAY TRINITY POKER:
Deal each player 3 hole cards. Six cards are placed face down on the table in a hexagonal or roughly circular shape. A seventh card is place in the middle, and it is a wild card. See diagram below. Additionally, any card of that same rank that appears on the board or is present in a player's hole cards is also wild. 3 cards are revealed at a time followed by a round of betting. With card 1 at the top, reveal cards 1, 2 & 3, then cards 4, 5 & 6. The middle wild card is revealed last. Players make their hand by choosing any one of the 3 card combinations that can be made by making a straight line passing through the wild card. There are 3 such 3 card combinations (1W4, 2W5, 3W6) along with exactly 2 of their hole cards. May be played high-low split. 1 6 2 W 5 3 4 |
SUMMARY of ACTION
Deal 3 hole cards to each player. Arrange board cards. Bet Reveal cards 1, 2 & 3. Bet Reveal cards 4, 5 & 6. Bet Reveal middle common wild card. (W) Bet High only or Hi-Lo Cards Speak: Showdown High-Low Declaration: Declare Bet Showdown |
PLAYING TIPS for TRINITY POKER
As in most wild card poker games, especially those using a common wild card, the winning hand for Trinity poker usually must be excellent. For high, expect a high 4 of a kind to be the minimum needed to win. Occasionally, even middle to low quads may win if there are few players in the hand and no raising. For low, the nuts or second-best hand, with much depending on the common board cards. Low board cards also make a tie for the low more likely.
STARTING HAND SELECTION
As with most high-low split games you want to have been dealt hole cards that gives multiple possibilities of winning so combining elements of good starting low and high hands gives you the best shot. The best opportunities are afforded by hole cards that include an ace with the other 2 cards being coordinated to it (e.g. K2A suited), or a pair of aces and a suited low card (e.g. A♣A♦2♦, A♣A♦3♦).
For high having one pair is a good start. (You have about an 17% chance of being dealt a pair.) Ideally, your pair will be high and your 3rd card a suited connector to one of the cards of your pair (e.g. J♣J♠T♠).
Trips in your hand in this game are worthless since you can only use 2 cards.
For low either 2A, 3A or 32 is the best start. With the wild card, each of these hands starts as 32A. Any 4-low is playable, though you will need help from the common board cards to make the nuts. But, with other 6 common cards, there is a decent chance that will happen. Unfortunately, when you have only 2 low cards in your hand there is a pretty good possibility that one of them will appear on the board. That does not always mean your low is counterfeited as one of the other rows may save you. But you must check the board carefully to determine if it is or not. For that reason, a protected hand with 3 low cards like 32A, 42A, 43A, or 432 is a far better hand. As you can see, there are numerous starting hands that could end up as the best low, so ties for low are not an uncommon occurrence.
As in most wild card poker games, especially those using a common wild card, the winning hand for Trinity poker usually must be excellent. For high, expect a high 4 of a kind to be the minimum needed to win. Occasionally, even middle to low quads may win if there are few players in the hand and no raising. For low, the nuts or second-best hand, with much depending on the common board cards. Low board cards also make a tie for the low more likely.
STARTING HAND SELECTION
As with most high-low split games you want to have been dealt hole cards that gives multiple possibilities of winning so combining elements of good starting low and high hands gives you the best shot. The best opportunities are afforded by hole cards that include an ace with the other 2 cards being coordinated to it (e.g. K2A suited), or a pair of aces and a suited low card (e.g. A♣A♦2♦, A♣A♦3♦).
For high having one pair is a good start. (You have about an 17% chance of being dealt a pair.) Ideally, your pair will be high and your 3rd card a suited connector to one of the cards of your pair (e.g. J♣J♠T♠).
Trips in your hand in this game are worthless since you can only use 2 cards.
For low either 2A, 3A or 32 is the best start. With the wild card, each of these hands starts as 32A. Any 4-low is playable, though you will need help from the common board cards to make the nuts. But, with other 6 common cards, there is a decent chance that will happen. Unfortunately, when you have only 2 low cards in your hand there is a pretty good possibility that one of them will appear on the board. That does not always mean your low is counterfeited as one of the other rows may save you. But you must check the board carefully to determine if it is or not. For that reason, a protected hand with 3 low cards like 32A, 42A, 43A, or 432 is a far better hand. As you can see, there are numerous starting hands that could end up as the best low, so ties for low are not an uncommon occurrence.