What is Pokey Joe?
Pokey Joe is a fast-paced, nerve-tingling "bluffing" card game where any hand can win!
Who Can Play Pokey Joe? Pokey Joe is recommended for play by anyone from 8 years old to adult: Kids get a kick out of playing the "grown-up" game of Poker, but without the complicated rules about the ranking of the hands. Parents are pleased that their kids can enjoy themselves playing for fun, not for money. Ideal for adults at dinner parties. After a good meal, guests may not feel like exercising their brains much. Pokey Joe provides just the right balance of competitiveness and light-hearted frivolity. For Poker players who prefer a quick-fire game, rather than the slow, long, drawn-out process of a hand of Poker, Pokey Joe provides the solution. Pokey Joe is ideal for playing when travelling, because it's not necessary to carry betting chips. Serious players can play Pokey Joe for chips, which can change hands very quickly. In this case the rules are slightly different. Up to six players can play Pokey Joe with one pack. Four players is recommended. Multiple packs can be combined for more players or to make the game longer. |
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The Game
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Equipment 1) One or more packs of special Pokey Joe cards (60 cards in each pack); 2) If Pokey Joe is played as a gambling game, chips (or counters), representing the betting unit; otherwise, no betting tokens are needed, because the dealt cards are themselves used for betting. |
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Objective Each player tries to win all the cards either by holding the highest of the cards currently in play, or by successfully bluffing that he has. |
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The Deal Dealer can be determined by any method. The special "Dealer" card is placed in front of the Dealer, who deals out all the cards. Because there are 60 cards in each pack, all players will start with the same number of cards. The Dealer begins play, which proceeds clockwise around the table. |
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Play The cards are kept face down on the table, and each player looks at the top card of his deck and lays it face down next to the deck, being careful not to reveal it to the other players. This is the equivalent of the "hole" card in Poker. |
The Dealer starts by bidding at least one card from his deck (or chip, if they are being used), and placing it in front of him near the centre of the table as his stake. Each player in turn must then either "fold", "match" or "raise" the current level of bidding.
A player "folds", if he prefers not to participate in this round, by placing his "hole" card in the very centre of the table. Such cards accumulate and are awarded to the eventual winner of the round.
A player "matches" when he bets the same amount as the previous stake. He stays in the round, and the option then moves to the next player.
A player "raises" when he matches the previous stake and immediately raises the stake to a higher amount. Every other player must then either "fold", "match" or "raise" the higher level of bidding.
Play continues thus until only one player is left in the round because all the others have "folded", or there is a "showdown". A "showdown" occurs when all the remaining players have "matched" the current level of bidding, that is, there are no more unmatched "raises". The cards staked are moved into the centre of the table. All the remaining players then show their cards, and the player with the highest card wins the "pool" of cards.
Certain rules apply in the case of tied cards. The full set of rules is included with each pack of Pokey Joe cards.
Tactics By bluffing well, you can win even when you do not have the highest cards. If you never bluff, you'll be relying on luck alone. Don't be predictable. If you have the same reaction every time you have good cards, your opponents will soon learn from your facial expressions, body language or the way you play. Likewise for bad cards. When playing for chips, good card-counters should know which cards are still to come when nearing the end of their decks. Variants Players can decide whether or not the winner of each round should shuffle the cards in his deck before the next round is begun. It can make a difference to clever players. Pokey Joe against the clock. Set a time limit, and then count the cards to see who won. Multi-player tournaments. Organize a tournament like those on TV. Special stake rules should be applied. Full details are available to Pokey Joe owners. |
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Pokey Joe Parties
Pokey Joe parties are simple and a lot of fun. Free help with planning and conducting Pokey Joe parties is available to owners of Pokey Joe cards.
| Per Pack: | UK £4.99 |
EUR €5.75 |
US $7.25 |
plus | P&P to UK, Europe, Rest of World | |||||||
Packs |
UK 2nd class |
UK 1st class |
Europe |
Rest of World |
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1 |
£4.99 |
€5.75 |
$7.25 |
plus |
£1.51 |
£1.72 |
€1.80 |
$3.44 |
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2 |
£9.98 |
€11.50 |
$14.50 |
plus |
£1.95 |
£2.24 |
€2.73 |
$5.72 |
||||
3 |
£14.97 |
€17.25 |
$21.75 |
plus |
£1.95 |
£2.24 |
€3.60 |
$7.84 |
||||
4 |
£19.96 |
€23.00 |
$29.00 |
plus |
£1.95 |
£2.24 |
€4.43 |
$9.92 |
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5+ |
Special order - Please enquire | Your details are secure with PayPal | Choose the colour of each pack (red, blue) on the PayPal payment page. | |||||||||
Pokey Joe is manufactured in the United Kingdom and is shipped world-wide.