Home Game... u know Crazy style games dealers choice

[Scotty O]

I know everyone has been in this situation before, dealers choice, games changes, next game, game changes again, next game.... you get my point.

When we play games, no matter which one it is (I can list at least 200 variant of games) the dealer will ante for the entire table $2-$5. Even for games that work great with a blind structure, blinds are not used. I am a proponent of playing one game for an entire orbit for the following reasons
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The game can be played properly. (Stud with and ante, and the appropriate bringin, Holdem with blinds, etc.
The players can get into a grove for 5-10 hands in a row
Consistancy is better for the game
Possible to eliminate the CRAZY games (Baseball, Low spade in the hole, etc.)
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How do others run their home games? 1 game, dealers chioce, H.O.R.S.E style similar to what I have proposed above?

Scotty O

[Gbob]

Well, with the exception of the inevitable "follow the queen" game called about twice a night, our table is relativly stable. It's dealers choice in both the game and the blinds.

The key is to use social pressure rather than laying down rules. If people refuse to play a game, then the game won't be called. If someone wants to play "baseball" or some other nonsense, the majority of the table simply folds and makes a joke about the game that was called. Eventually everything settles down.

[Hedge Henderson]

We do rounds in our game, Scotty. We started about a year and a half ago and it's worked out very well. I sometimes miss the crazy games, though, at least the ones that required skill. We do a dealers choice night once or twice a year for old times' sake.

[ QUOTE ]
The key is to use social pressure rather than laying down rules. If people refuse to play a game, then the game won't be called. If someone wants to play "baseball" or some other nonsense, the majority of the table simply folds and makes a joke about the game that was called. Eventually everything settles down.

[/ QUOTE ]

Depends on who you're playing with, of course. I remember getting eye rolls and negative comments back when I started calling hold 'em ("nothing wild?") and I was called all sorts of names when I introduced Omaha/8 a few months later. Of course, they're our two favorite games now.

[kodonnell]

We play dealers choice and we play a lot of the "crazy" games. The craziest being follow-the-queen baseball...typically 16 wild cards. We also play holdem with wild cards (I can hear the collective gasp from here) and double-flop hold'em. I'll tell you, if you are out for a good time rather than playing serious cards, the "crazy" games are a lot of fun. Where else can your royal flush get beat by five-of-a-kind? Don't get me wrong, we play a lot of games with no wild cards, but overall, most of our players will call wildcards. When you are playing next, call follow-the-queen baseball, try it, you may like it.

[smoore]

At my game it's casino poker only. If it's not dealt in a casino (b&amp;m or online) somewhere it doesn't get dealt at my table. The wildest game we have is crazy pineapple. We go choice for one orbit not one hand and use a dealer button to figure out where the "choice" is. I'll probably have one engraved with the word choice at some point.

If I'm somewhere else and people play the nutty ones all night I just bust out 5 card stud or deuce to seven lowball on them and put the smack down! /images/graemlins/wink.gif If you're a good lowball player and you're in a "crazy game" situation just call deuce to seven whenever it's your turn and you can make your money back (and then some).

[Scotty O]

I would love to limit the games. Play 1 full round or Time limit based. The problem is, if I do not host, It will be crazy games.

I would love to just play the following:
Pot Limit
HE
Stud (where 4th and 5th street come out at the same time)
S/8 (where 4th and 5th street come out at the same time
O/8
O High
Triple draw low (if we are short at 6 players)

Stud can be played at pot limit or no limit well if 4th and 5th street come out at the same time. If this does not happen its more of crap shoot with 5 betting rounds

Pot limit is in my opinion the best for a home game at low or high limits. Its the low limit Fix style of play that the, in the end, the winner of the night is ussually the luckiest, not the most skillful.

Anymore thoughts about this format. Similar to the Casio style "smoore" posted

[Spook]

There is a home game I go to that will sometimes do a dealers choice.
So if someone wants to call a screwy game they can, but the condition is that it is only dealt once, where the normal games go for a full round.

[Duece Three]

We have a rule that you cannot call the same game twice in a row. It seems to help decrease the amount of the wild card type games a bit...

[Jay36489]

The home game I go to is dealer's choice. Some of the games people call are the poker equivalent of russian roulette (completely skilless). I can't stand some of these games, but its the same 5 ppl (plus some extras) that have been playing it for years and there's no changing their minds now. For instance, we have a buy in of $30. It's ridiculous because half the players have to rebuy during the average game. I think they just like to tease the first person to rebuy, even though the buy in is too small to account for normal variance.

Here's my least favorite game. Louie Louie! 2s and 3s are wild. Everyone antes, then gets 3 cards face down. You decide wether you want to play or not. Everyone holds their cards over the muck, and the dealer counts 1-2-3 drop. You either drop or stay. I think these are called guts games, but I'm not sure. Can anyone confirm? Everyone in turns thier cards up, and gets dealt two more. Then Louie gets 6 cards off the deck. If you lose you pay the pot, if you win, you win it. I hate this game so much. The only skill is deciding how many wilds to wait for to stay in, then it is all just luck. I also dislike how the pots grows exponentially. We've had a $120 pot at this game and we only buy in for $30. We have other games like this as well. Does anyone know what these types of games are called (where you pay the pot and it grows exponentially)?

[Arsene Lupin III]

call holdem every deal and you have the advantage of position.

you should play an orbit+1 hand or an orbit-1 hand of the game.