How to Play Psycho Poker

Looking to spice up your evening of 5 Card Draw? Give Psycho Poker a try. It is a variation of 5 Card Draw Poker that actually combines 5 Card Draw with 7 Card Stud Poker. It reduces the luck of 7 Card Stud by using the draw option from 5 Card Draw. Meanwhile Pyscho Poker avoids the limitations of 5 Card Draw by allowing a player to make their best poker hand from a total of 7 cards. This combination of poker games manages to make Psycho Poker a great “change of pace.”

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Playing cards

1. Gather 5 players for a game of Psycho Poker. Psycho Poker is a great choice when you only have a small number of friends to play with, or you are waiting for others to arrive.

2. Deal 5 face down cards to each player at the table. The players at the table may look at their own cards once everyone has received 5 cards.

3. Conduct the first wagering round of the game. The player to the left of the dealer begins this wagering round.

4. Discard up to 2 cards from your hand. Each player may discard up to 2 cards from their hand.

5. Deal a number of face down cards to each player that is equal to the number of cards they discarded. Once each player has received these cards they may view their 5 cards that make up their hand. Direct each player to place any 3 cards from their hand that they wish face up.

6. Conduct a second wagering round. The player with the best face up hand begins the wagering for this round.

7. Deal a face up card to each player. At this point each player will have 2 face down cards and 4 face up cards.

8. Conduct another wagering round with the player with the best face up poker hand beginning the wagering.

9. Deal a face down card to each player that has not folded, as their seventh card in the game.

10. Conduct a final wagering round. The same player that began the last wagering round begins this one. If that player folded, the next player remaining in the game to the left of that player begins the wagering.

11. Reveal your hand. Each player reveals their poker hand and declares their hand using 5 of the 7 cards they were dealt. The best poker hand wins the pot.

Tips & Warnings

• This game tends to have larger pots than some others as there are 5 wagering rounds in the game.
• This game cannot be played with more than 5 players in it’s standard variation. If you wish to limit the players to discarding 1 card in the 5 card draw segment of the game, you can play with 6 players.