How to Play Merry Christmas Poker

Merry Christmas Poker is actually a variation of Pass the Trash Poker. This one is a split-pot game, which is always popular because players can stay in the game longer than in other hands. What's particularly nice about Merry Christmas Poker is that the player who has been passing cards to the winner of the hand also wins half the pot. That makes it a little less painful when, at the end of the game, you have to pass that card you really don’t want to get rid of. If the cards you have been passing to the other player have been helping him, you still might win.

Things You'll Need

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

Instructions

1. Gather your friends for poker night. Unlike traditional Pass the Trash Poker, this version is played with seven cards instead of five. That limits the number of players in Merry Christmas Poker to seven players.

2. Deal seven cards face down to each player. Once all the players have received their face-down cards, each player may view his own cards.

3. Conduct a wagering round, with the player to the left of the dealer being the first player to bet.

4. Instruct each player to pass three cards to the player to her left.

5. Conduct a second wagering round, with the player two seats to the left of the dealer being the first player to bet.

6. Instruct each player to pass two cards to the player to his left.

7. Conduct a third wagering round. This time, the player three seats to the left of the dealer is the player who makes the first bet.

8. Instruct each player to pass one card to the player to her left.

9. Conduct the final wagering round. This time, it is begun by the player four seats to the left of the dealer.

10. Reveal your hand and declare. Each player shows his cards and declares his hand. The pot is split between the player with the best poker hand and the player who is seated immediately to that player’s right .

Tips & Warnings

• This game reverses the traditional order of exchanging one to three cards in Pass The Trash Poker. The ability to share the pot with the player to whom you are passing the cards makes the game interesting, as you actually have two chances to win instead of one. Even if your hand is bad, you might not want to fold.

• Placing large wagers in this game isn't always a good idea. Someone might get that last card she needs for a flush or higher hand on the last trade. Given the split pot, you would also rather have more players wagering to build up the pot.