How to Play the Poker Variation Pig

Are you looking for a poker game that combines both stud poker and draw poker? Well, then Pig Poker is your game. Pig Poker combines the standard play of five card stud poker with a little twist. Just when you think the game is about to reach the showdown, you pick up all your cards and play draw poker. It leaves your opponents guessing if you still have the cards they saw earlier in the hand.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Playing cards
• Poker table, poker table top, or standard table
• Chairs
• Opponents
• Poker chips

How To Play Pig Poker

1. Gather your opponents around the table. Considering that Pig Poker combines both 5 card stud and draw poker, you should not play with more than six players at the table. This makes Pig Poker a nice game for small home poker games.

2. Deal three face down cards to each player at the table. It is up to the dealer if they want to have a betting round at this point, or wait until the next step. If you have a betting round at this point, the player to the left of the dealer begins the betting.

3. Deal one face card up to each player. After each player receives their one face up card, there is a betting round. The player with the highest face up card begins the betting round.

4. Deal a second face up to each player. Once again another betting round is held. The player with the best face up hand starts the wagering in that round.

5. Pick up all of your cards. Each player picks up all give of their cards. Keep in mind everyone at the table knows two cards in your hand, at least at this time they do.

6. Discard up to three cards from your hand and receive an equal amount from the dealer's deck of cards. At this point it is possible you still have both cards your opponents saw, one of them, or neither of them. You can use this knowledge to aid in bluffing against your opponents.

7. Conduct one final betting round. After each player has discarded up to three cards and received their replacement cards a final betting round is held. This is started by the same player that began the last betting round.

8. Reveal your hands and declare the winner of the hand. After the final betting round, all players that have not folded reveal their hand and a winner of the pot is declared based on the best five card poker hand.

Tips & Warnings

• When choosing which cards to discard from your hand, keep in mind all the cards you have seen face up. Knowing which cards you can't get from the dealer's deck can help you decide which cards to discard.
• If you have seen one or two opponents with Aces face up and you have one as well, don't fall in love with it. Remember, there is only one more at the most left in the dealer's deck.