How to Play Count Your Diamonds Poker

The popularity of split pot games is growing considerably in home poker nights across the country. This is because it makes the games more friendly, and keeps more players in the pot longer. Pure poker strategists might not enjoy poker games such as Count Your Diamonds Poker, but for the casual player it is very appealing. The pot in Count Your Diamonds Poker is split among the player that has the best poker hand in the game, and the player that has the highest face value of diamond suited cards in their face down cards, or hole cards.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

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

1. Gather your friends together for a home poker game. Count Your Diamonds Poker is best played with a group of casual to moderately serious poker players. Poker players that typically get frustrated with games that have multiple wild cards, or split pot games, will not enjoy Count Your Diamonds Poker. The maximum number of players is seven, and the recommended number is between five and seven players.

2. Deal two cards face down to each player and one card face up to each player. Allow each player to view all three of their cards, but their two face down cards must remain face down so others can not see them. Explain to each player that half the pot will be won by the high hand and half the pot will be won by the player with the highest face value of diamonds in their hole cards combined.

3. Conduct the first wagering round. The player with the highest face up card begins the wagering.

4. Deal a face up card to each player. Conduct another wagering round, with the player that has the best face up hand starting the wagering.

5. Repeat Step 4 two more times so each player has four face up cards. Conduct the fourth wagering round using the standard method of the player with the best face up hand starting the wagering.

6. Deal the final card face down to each player that has not folded. Conduct the final round of wagering, with the same player beginning this round that begun the fourth round of wagering.

7. Reveal the cards and declare the hands. At this point each player that has not folded reveals his cards and declares his hand. The player with the best poker hand wins half the pot.

8. Determine the winner of the second half of the pot by each player comparing their three hole cards. The player with the highest combined face value of cards in the diamond suit, which is why it is called Count Your Diamonds Poker, wins the other half of the pot.

Tips & Warnings

• When calculating face card value for the diamond suit, Aces count as 14, Kings count as 13, Queens count as 12 and Jacks count as 11.
• If you have a couple of medium or high diamond cards as hole cards, you should stay in the hand for the diamond portion of the pot. Be careful about staying in though with two diamond cards that are a 7 or below. A single Ace of diamonds could defeat you.