How to Play 7-27 Card Game

The card game 7-27 is an interesting combination of poker and blackjack. Even though the betting is conducted in a manner similar to poker, the goal is to get closest to the point total of either 7 or 27. In this game, aces can be used as a 1 or an 11, just like in blackjack. The face cards in the card game 7-27 are all worth 1/2 point each; the same is true for 10s. The rest of the cards are all worth their face values. This is a split-pot game. That means the pot is split by the person with the total closest to 7 and the person with the total closest to 27.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

1. Gather your friends together for a night of card games. The card game 7-27 can be played during a poker night, but you should only call it if your friends allow nonpoker games at the poker night. The card game 7-27 works best with five or six players. You should never player with fewer than five, and seven should be the most allowed in a game of 7-27.

2. Deal one card face up and one card face down to each player. Players may view their own face-down cards after everyone at the table has received their face-up and face-down cards.

3. Conduct a betting round. This begins with the player with the highest face-up point total at the table.

4. Conduct a round of dealing one card to any player who would like to receive a new card. Each player will be trying to get their total close to either 7 or 27. Announce to all players that if you pass in a round, you still might be able to accept a card in a future round. If a player turns down the opportunity to receive an additional card three times during the game, he will no longer receive the option to take an additional card.

5. Conduct another betting round if any player requested a new card during the dealing round. Once again, the player with the highest face-up point total at the table begins the wagering.

6. End the wagering if nobody at the table requests a new card during the dealing round. Repeat Steps 4 and 5 until this occurs.

7. Reveal your cards and declare if you are going for 7 or 27. The player closest to 7 and the player closest to 27 split the pot.

Tips & Warnings

• There is a “magic hand” in the card game 7-27. That hand is two aces and a 5. This would give the player a low total of 7 using aces as 1 and a high total of 27 using aces as 11. If any player at the table has these exact three cards and no other cards in their hand, they win the entire pot automatically.
• To avoid arguments and pots being split multiple ways, you must determine tie-breaking procedures first. The typical ways are that if someone involved in the tie went over the number they declared, they lose to the player who was below it. If that does not settle the tie, the player with the highest cards in her hand wins that half of the pot.