How to Play Prephia Poker

Prephia is a five-card stud game in which players keep four cards up and one down. The down card and all like it are wild (if you have a four down, all the fours in your hand are wild). The game is played high/low - the high hand splits the pot with the best low hand (which is the worst poker hand - 7, 5, 4, 3, 2).

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• Card Tables
• Chairs
• Party Snacks
• Playing Cards
• Poker Chips

1. Collect the ante from each player.
2. Begin by dealing one card down to each player.
3. Deal a card face up to the player to your left. Give the player the option of taking that card face up or a card off the deck, face down.
4. Pause if the player chooses a facedown card from the deck. He will have two down cards and must choose one of them to turn face up. This is an important decision as the down card (and all like it) will be wild for that player.
5. Start a round of betting after everyone has taken a second card. The highest hand showing bets (or checks) first; the betting then proceeds clockwise around the table.
6. Deal the third, fourth, and fifth cards in the same manner, allowing players to choose from an exposed card or a down card. Each time a player takes a down card, he has an opportunity to flip either of his down cards up and, by so doing, change his wild card.
7. Finish the final round of betting.
8. Have all players declare whether they are going high or low by secretly placing one (low) or two (high) chips in their hand.
9. Count to three. All players will open their hands, showing whether they are going high (two chips) or low (one chip).
10. Determine the winners, and split the pot - half to the low hand and half to the high hand.

Tips & Warnings

• It's a good strategy to initially go for low. This allows more flexibility in your hand and the opportunity to go for high should you get a split pair (one up, one down, thus both wild).
• The high hands that win this game vary from five of a kind to a straight. The low-hand winner usually has a perfect low hand.
• Because of all the up/down variations in the dealing of the cards, this is an extremely easy game to misdeal. Be very mindful that down cards are dealt down, or you will have some angry poker players.