How to Play Alternating Guts Poker

Alternating Guts Poker is another one in the family of Guts Poker games. It is a fun game because it makes what would normally be a useless Guts Poker hand one that has the potential to be a great hand. In Alternating Guts Poker, players are able to combine any two of their cards that are non-sequential and just missing one card between them and use the two as a single wild card. This can improve your hand in Alternating Guts Poker significantly over standard Guts Poker.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

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

1. Organize a home poker night. The best way to organize a home poker night with games such as Alternating Guts Poker is to declare the night as “Guts Variations Only” for your poker night. This will result in quick hands and pots that can grow quickly.

2. Ante into the pot if this is the first hand of the night, or if only one person “gutted” on the previous hand.

3. Deal five face down cards to each player. Each player may look at their own cards after all the players at the table have received five cards.

4. Instruct players that they may combine two of their cards that are sequential just missing the card in between them and use the two combined as one wild card. Each player needs to form their best three card poker hand. There are no flushes or straights in Alternating Guts Poker.

5. Explain to each player that they indicate if they will play the hand or “gut” by putting a poker chip in their closed fist and holding their fist over the table. If they do not wish to play their cards, they can fold by not putting a chip in their closed fist over the table. After everyone has their fist over the table, fists are opened to indicate who “gutted” and is playing the hand.

6. Compare hands between everyone that “gutted.” The player who has the best hand and declares it correctly collects the money in the pot. Any other players that “gutted” and lost must pay a penalty equal to the amount of that pot into the new pot.

7. Collect everyone’s cards and deal a new hand. The pot continues to be replaced each time there is more than one player that “gutted.”

Tips & Warnings

• If only one player “guts,” that player wins the pot. Since there is no losers that “gutted” the pot is now empty and starts again by each player anteing. Some people play that each time players have to ante, the ante increases.
• Middle pairs in Alternating Guts Poker are almost always a losing hand, unlike standard Guts Poker. Remember, it’s likely someone that “guts” at the table will have a wild card combination they can use in Alternating Guts Poker.