As indicated on the Draw and Stud Poker Variants pages, the range of variations permitted under Dealer's Choice is too wide, confused and transient for definitive enumeration. Major lines of variation are sketched here under several headings for convenience, but even they are not mutually exclusive: rules of one type may be combined in the same deal with features from one or more others, and the result may have several different names. It is up to the dealer to specify the rules of his choice and the name of the game.

One or more cards may be designated wild. Originally the Joker was added as a 53rd card, which could be used to represent any other. Later, its use was restricted: as the Bug it may represent an Ace, or be used to fill a straight flush. Nowadays it is more usually dropped in favour of specified wild cards. Good balance is achieved by nominating one rank as wild, typically Deuces. Also popular are specified court cards, such as those which are 'one-eyed' (i.e., depicted in profile), or those wearing moustaches (usually three Kings and two Jacks, rarely Queens), or those facing left (varying from pack to pack). Games in which all twelve court cards are wild, or even all thirteen cards of one suit, are not so much wild as lunatic. In Spit variants wild cards vary from deal to deal.

A player may be permitted to count as wild the lowest rank he holds, or any other of his cards.

In Stud Poker he may count as wild his hole card and any others he holds of that rank. Obviously, the greater the proportion of wild cards is, the less skill and more chance come into play. Four or five wild cards are usually enough.

Several games have been devised in which a player may pass on unwanted cards to an opponent, a generic title being Pass the Garbage or Trash. Typically, each player receives seven cards, passes three face down to his left, and similarly receives three from his right, then selects five of the seven as his playing hand. In a variant called Anaconda, these are then played as at Laino or Roll 'Em.

One or more ranks, usually from Deuces upward, may be stripped out to shorten the pack to 48, 44, 40, etc., cards, or the game may be played, as in Europe, with standard short packs such as the 40-card Italian or 32-card French pack. The fewer the cards, the rarer flushes become, though this is not always taken into account in the relative ranking of hands. One of the earliest forms of Poker was played by four players with only 20 cards (A, K, Q, J, T), flushes and straights being ignored. In Pinochle Poker, the 48-card Pinochle double pack is used. In this, five of a kind is the top hand, a flush without duplicated ranks is beaten by a flush with one pair, and that by a flush with two pairs.

The following may be noted in addition to Stud played with six or more cards.

There is no draw (unless the dealer specifies otherwise), and the highest rank wins, or splits with the lowest in High-Low.

May be played Stud or Draw; it is known as Hurricane, if played High-Low, and Dynamite, if with wild cards. A pair beats a non-pair, a higher rank a lower.

As Two-Card Poker. Three of a kind beats a flush, but not a straight flush.

As above, but four of a kind beats a straight flush.

Two-Card Stud with a draw. Deal one down, one up. Each in turn may draw one card at a time as often as he wishes, dealt up or down to match the card rejected. When all are satisfied, there is a betting interval.

Non-standard or unorthodox Poker combinations are listed below in order of ranking from highest to lowest, together with standard hands to show which they beat. Any of these may be acceptable in Dealer's Choice, though some are more recognised than others. In so-called Canadian Poker the four-straight and four-flush are accepted as showdown hands, as well as qualifying for openers, and Big and Little Cats and Dogs were devised for Blind and Straddle particularly. (Cats are alternatively known as Tigers.)

Three pairs In six- or more card Stud, a sixth card may be be kept to form three pairs, which beats everything.

Five of a kind Accepted in any form of wild-card Poker.

Straight flush Standard. In some circles a royal straight flush beats five of a kind.

Skeet flush A flush hand containing 9, 5, 2 and two intervening ranks.

Skip flush A flush hand with alternating sequence, e.g., J-9-7-5-3.

Blaze fours Four Jacks, Queens or Kings plus another court card, but beaten by four Aces.

Four of a kind Standard.

Big bobtail Four-card straight flush. If the fifth card makes a pair, the hand beats any unpaired bobtail.

Blaze full A full house consisting entirely of court cards.

Full house Standard.

Double Ace flush Non-straight flush containing an Ace and a wild card representing the same Ace.

Flush Standard.

Big cat Non-flush hand with King high, Eight low and no pair.

Little cat As above, with Eight high and Three low.

Big dog As above, with Ace high and Nine low.

Little dog As above, with Seven high and Two low. (Dogs sometimes rank above cats: agree beforehand.)

Five and ten As above, with Ten high and Five low.

Straight zebra A straight in suits of alternating colour (e.g., 9 - 8 - 7 - 6 - 5).

Straight Standard.

Round the corner straight Lower than 5-4-3-2-A is 4-3-2-A-K, then 3-2-A-K-Q, and 2-A-K-Q-J lowest of all.

Skip or Dutch straight Non-flush alternating sequence, e.g., Q-T-8-6-4.

Skeet or pelter Non-flush hand with 9, 5, 2 and two different intervening ranks.

Kilter or pelter Non-flush hand with 9 high, 2 low and no pair.

Zebra or striped straight Non-sequential unpaired hand in which colours alternate from high to low (e.g., K - 9 - 8 - 4 - 2).

Blaze threes Five court cards forming not better than three of a kind.

Three of a kind Standard.

Little bobtail A three-card straight flush. If tied, highest top card wins; if still tied, hand with more pairs wins, or highest odd card if no pairs.

Flash Hand containing one card of each suit plus the Joker, when used, representing an imaginary fifth suit.

Blaze Five court cards forming not better than two pairs.

Two pairs Standard.

Four-flush Four cards of the same suit but not in sequence. If the fifth card makes a pair, the hand beats any unpaired four-flush.

Four-straight Four cards in sequence but not flush. If the fifth card makes a pair, the hand beats any unpaired four-straight.

One pair Standard.

High card = no combination (standard).

Seventy-five Non-flush 7-5-4-3-2, the lowest possible hand in High-Low Poker when strict rules apply.

Swinging Ace low Non-flush 6-4-3-2-A, the lowest possible, if it is permitted to count Ace high or low ad lib.

Wheel or bicycle 5-4-3-2-A, the lowest possible hand in Lowball, in which Ace may count low, and straights and flushes are ignored.

Yet other methods of comparing hands are employed in some games acceptable as Dealer's Choice; see Miscellaneous below.

The following are not strictly forms of Poker at all, but are recorded as acceptable by Dealer's Choice.

Each player is dealt five cards in a face down pile. The first player faces his top card, and a betting interval ensues. The second player turns his top card. If it is not higher than the previous player's, he turns his second, and so on, until he reaches a higher card. If he reaches a higher card, a second round ensues. If none of his five is higher, he drops out of play. Each in turn does the same, turning cards until he reaches one higher than any before, followed by a betting interval, or dropping out otherwise. The last player in wins the pot.

Draw Poker, in which only flushes and part flushes count. The best hand is the one with the greatest number of cards of the same suit. If equal, highest rank decides.

Cards are dealt one at a time face up around the table. When a second card of the same rank appears, it is given to the player who received the first. He initiates a round of betting, in which players may drop, check, stay or raise. More cards are dealt, starting with the player who was next due for a card when the duplicate appeared. The pot is won by the last left in, or the first to receive four of a kind.

Played like Knock Rummy, with five cards each, a stockpile and a waste pile. As soon as one player is satisfied with his Poker hand, he knocks after discarding. Others are permitted one more draw and discard, and the best hand wins. As there is no betting, the players or (preferably) dealer alone should previously ante.

Played like Draw Poker, but without Poker hands. Instead, cards have a point value: Ace 1, others face value, court cards 10 each. Red cards count plus value, black cards minus. The best hand is the one with the highest total point value. Often played High-Low.

(Spelled with an 'e' if Irish or Bourbon, without if Scotch.) In this version of Commerce played with Poker hands, five cards are dealt to each player and to a dummy hand — the widow — face down on the table. After anteing and looking at his cards, each player in turn from the left around may take the widow up, and lay his dealt hand face up in its place. As soon as somebody does so, this privilege ends, and play proceeds from the player on his left. If no one exchanges, dealer turns the widow face up, and the player on his left begins. At each turn a player may exchange his whole hand for the widow, or any number of cards between the two. As soon as he has made an exchange that gives him a satisfactory hand, he knocks. The others have one more turn each, after which there is a showdown, and the best hand wins the pot.

Draw Poker, in which hands count only if they are zebras (alternating in colour from high to low; see Freak Variants above). The one with the highest top card wins, or second highest, etc., to break a tie.

From 'The Penguin Book of Card Games'
© David Parlett 1979