why 5 community cards

[jdl22]

My guess is that it comes from 7 card but I'm not sure. Why are there 5 community cards in Hold'em?

Has anybody played with more or less cards? Thought of this when I was playing and really wanted to see 6th street. Of course it goes the other way and at times I would like fourth street to be the last card.

[bdk3clash]

If hold'em were played with four community cards instead of five, losing players would whine about being sucked out on on on the turn.

[MicroBob]

"why 5 community cards"


because it's pretty and symmetrical.

[jdl22]

Symmetrical? Sure if you cut the center card in half.

[JTG51]

Because seven cards makes for a good poker game. Enough good hands to have lots of action but not so many that you need a monster to win.

[Tosh]

I guess its just because it gives more good hands. Theres so many variations of poker though so theres probably a version with 3 community cards somewhere.

[Peter Harris]

our university poker society had a talk by a bloke called Jesse May [who commentates some poker games in the UK].

He says the most compelling argument he heard is that old hustlers didn't like seven card stud - while they could fix the deck so they knew what the other players' hole cards were, the "river card" was an unknown parameter.

So, Hold 'em comes in, where the two hole cards can be fixed and all other cards are face up. Hurrah! the cheats win again.

Just an interesting anecdote, i imagine, but it has some elements that are rather compelling...

Peter Harris

[Spyder]

You know, I've been wondering exactly what kind of game would evolve with 3 down cards and 4 community cards (two on the flop).

I think it would be similar to hold'em but would allow the player a lot more power. The game would begin to be more about cahones than about the cards. What do the experts think about the type of game that would evolve from this style of play?

Spyder

[MicroBob]

doesnt crazy-pineapple involve 3 hole cards (but 5 community)??
not sure on this one.

i think they have pineapple on UB

[Dynasty]

[ QUOTE ]
You know, I've been wondering exactly what kind of game would evolve with 3 down cards and 4 community cards (two on the flop).

I think it would be similar to hold'em but would allow the player a lot more power. The game would begin to be more about cahones than about the cards. What do the experts think about the type of game that would evolve from this style of play?

[/ QUOTE ]

The potential for monster hidden hands (pocket trips and three flushes) will kill the action of the game.