Fun Games for Total Novices

Can anybody suggest some entertaining, relatively easy to learn, poker-type games for novices. A friend of my girlfriend wants to start a game with her friends for loose change, purely for fun and a pastime. She asked me to suggest games she can pass on to her friend.

I sent on a web site with stuff like Baseball, Follow the Queen, Chicago etc described, as well as HE and Omaha, but perhaps I can pick up some more games from the erudite folks here (wish I knew what erudite means).


Thanks for all suggestions


Graham

Spin the bottle is always good. Particularly if they are all girls and you get to "oversee" the game.


But other than that if playing purely for fun get into games with wildcards (I despise them) or games like 3 card lou, or 7-27 which are not poker, but can be pretty fun.

Adding simultaneous declaration hi-lo can add some nice spice to a lot of games. It only works if you have enough people, but simultaneous decl hi-lo Omaha should give everyone a reason to see a lot of flops, which is what people generally want in these kind of games.


Another good "just for fun" game is Crazy Pineapple. It's plays like Hold'em Hi-Lo (again, I recommend simultaneous declaration for just-for-fun games) except that everyone is dealt four cards, but must discard two after the flop (but before the post-flop betting round).

Unfortunately, I'm barred from playing, but I like the way you're thinking...!

I dislike wild card games too and never call them though the good thing about them is that when you're dealt a monster you can raise to your heart's content and always be paid off at the end.


But much, much worse than wild cards games are those games which force your weak opponents to play somewhat correctly. What kind of moron would deal Jacks-or-better-to-open/trips-to-win in a home game? And then insist that the bet maximums remain the same throughout the game.

I played pass the trash the other night. It was great.


It's a high/low split pot game. Each player is dealt seven cards. You pass three of those cards to the player on your left, then two cards to the same player, then one card. Then you place your cards in the order you want them to be seen by your opponents. Everybody flips a card over and then bets. This is repeated three more times until the showdown. The end result is kind of a seven-card-stud hand. Three cards in the hole, four cards showing.


I was in the enviable position last night of sitting between a player on my right who hated going low (hence I received all of his babies) and the player on my left who hated going high (he received my high cards). Me, I don't care which way I go but it's great to have advance knowledge of which direction I SHOULD go.

in my home game, everybody LOVES a game we play called 54. it is dealt like omaha only difference is that you can use all 4 hole cards. all other 'normal' rules apply. you can even play a low-spade-in-the-hole-splits-the-pot version. you get so many opportunities to draw to great hands. plus a high flush is a minimum for usual winning hands. low boats have to be careful.


roll 'em hi-low is good too.

played like 7cs hi-low, except the dealing is a bit different. hole cards are dealt, but then the first guy to be dealt a door card gets to choose the next card from the deck, or to 'roll it' and take whatever comes off the deck. if he keeps the original card, the next guy gets the same option on the top card in the deck. if the first guy 'rolls it' the next guy gets a crack at the same card, or he can 'roll it' as well. fun game, lots of draws. go low or start real big. screw your neighbor's flushes and pairs. its fun. river is still dealt facedown of course.