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Card Games |
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There are an almost unlimited number of card games that involve wagers and or betting that could be
listed here. We will endeavour to detail those of current and historic importance. If there are any you think should be here then please email us.
Games like Blackjack can be found in the casino games section as well as Punto Banco or Baccarat. Baccarat is a well known card game in a lot of
casinos. Playing live baccarat allows you to play against a real croupier that you
can see and hear.
If you want to try out the different game variations then deciding to play baccarat online for real money gives you access to a range
of new types of bet in this old game, one of the original casino offerings. |
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| 3 Card Brag |
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Brag is a predominently British gambling game and is much older than poker. The basic game of
three-card Brag was one of the games described by Hoyle and goes back to the 18th Century or earlier. It is almost identical to the popular Indian game Teen
Pathi (meaning 3 cards).
The history of 3 Card Brag can be traced back to England in the 16th century with the game
being a direct descendant of the Italian card game ‘Primero’. 3 Card Brag is one of a number of ‘vying’ or ‘bluffing’ card games
which became popular during this time. Bluffing or vying card games are games where you can win with a weaker hand by bluffing your opponents off the pot after
giving the impression that you have a stronger hand. Other bluffing card games include; Teen Pathi – An Indian game which is similar to 3 Card Brag,
Bouillotte – A 19th century casino game which originates from France, the hugely popular American game – Poker and 3 Card Brag’s direct ancestor
– Primero.
Beginning
A standard 52 card pack without jokers is used. The cards in each suit rank in the usual order from high to low:
A-K-Q-J-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2. The number of players can vary, but it is probably best for about 4 to 8 people.
Three Card Brag is a gambling game. Before
starting it is essential that the players agree on the stake and have a common understanding of the rules. It is necessary to agree:
- the initial stake or ante - which is the amount (if any) that everyone must put into the pot
before each deal
- the minimum and maximum initial bet - the amount that the first player bets in order to stay in
the hand
- A hand of 21 points beats everything else except a Pontoon or Five Card Trick.
- the limit (if any) on the amount by which the bet can be increased by each subsequent
player
- any variations to the basic rules, such as use of wild cards.
Ante and deal
Before each deal, each player must place the agreed initial stake (ante)
in the pot. Deal and play are clockwise, and the turn to deal passes to the left after each hand. If it is the first deal of the session, the dealer shuffles.
For subsequent deals, the cards are only shuffled if the previous hand was "seen" and won by a prial. Apart from that, the cards not normally shuffled between
hands. The cards from the previous hand are just added to the bottom of the pack and the dealer deals the new hands from the top, without shuffling. The dealer
deals out the cards one at a time, face down to the players, until everyone has three cards. Players may look at their own cards, or may choose not to, if they
wish to play "blind" - see below. Cards must at never be shown to any player other than the person to whom they were dealt, unless the betting ends with a
"see". In that case the cards of the two players involved (but none of the others) are exposed for everyone to see.
The Betting
When the
cards have been dealt, the betting begins with the player to the left of the dealer. This person can 'fold' (throw in their cards and take no further part in
the hand) or can bet any amount from the agreed minimum to the agreed maximum. If all the players except one fold, the last remaining player takes all the
money in the pot, and the next hand is dealt. If any player bets, every player after that must either fold or bet at least as much as the previous player who
bet. A player may bet more than the previous player, but there may be an agreed limit to the amount by which the bet can be increased. The betting continues
around the table as many times as necessary.
When there are only two players left in the game, all the others having folded, a third option becomes
available. Either player can see the other. Seeing costs twice as much as the previous player's bet. When you pay to see another player, they expose their
three cards first. If your cards are better than your opponent's, you expose your hand to prove this and win the pot. If your cards are equal to your
opponent's or worse, your opponent wins the pot - you do not have to show your cards in this case. Note that if the hands are equal, the player who paid to see
loses.
Poker players should notice that there is no concept of equalising the bets. At each turn, to stay in you have to put into the pot at least as
much new money as the previous player put in.
Betting continues until either all players but one have dropped out (folded) (in which case the
remaining player obviously wins, but does not show their cards), or two players are left and one player pays double to see the other.
As each player
folds, that player's cards are added to the bottom of the pack ready for the next deal. At the end of the betting the cards of the last player left in, or the
cards of the two players involved in the see, are added to the pack in the same way.
Playing blind
Experienced players usually allow the extra
option of playing blind. Any player may choose to play any hand blind. If you are playing blind you do not look at your cards, but leave them face down on the
table. You take part in the betting in the normal way, except that all your bets are worth double. In other words, at each stage you only have to put in half
the amount of money you would need to bet if you had looked at your cards.
If you have been playing blind, then at your turn to bet, you can choose to
look at your cards before deciding whether to bet or fold. From that moment on you are no longer a blind player, and if you then want to stay in, you must
revert to the same betting amount as the 'non-blind' players. If you are playing blind and all the other players fold - which would be surprising but I am
assured that it does happen - you do not win the pot. Instead, the pot is carried forward to the next deal and you are allowed to retain your
hand.
Hand Rankins
The hand rankings are straight forward with a few exceptions. Click
Hand Rankings.
Playing Rules
Other playing rules vary so much that it is best to
decide all of them amongst the players before the start, there are no definitive playing rules for this game.
When you are looking to practice your
card game skills you should head over to an online casino. There are plenty of casinos with a huge variety of different card games that you can practice for
free and they can also be played for a variety of stakes. This allows you to sharpen your skills so that you are ready for the big time.
If you're ready
to start playing then Microgaming based casinos are a good place to start, with many of their casinos offering hundreds of different casino card games. See
this review of Jackpot City's games to start with, but there are many other equally good
Microgaming sites to play at. |
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| Cribbage |
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In this game the object is to form counting combinations that traditionally are scored by moving
pegs on a special Cribbage board. A cribbage board is used to keep score and keep track of the progress of the game. The appeal of the game, usually played by
two but can be four or sometimes three, is evident from two facts: few changes have been made in the original rules, and it remains one of the most popular of
all card games. In the U.K. from 1966 through 1969, the "Card Corner" in the News of the World had more requests for information on Cribbage than for
any other game. In the United States, Cribbage is played by more than 10 million people, principally across the northern states, from New England to the
Pacific, and the game has remained popular in Canada as well.
The game of Cribbage (earlier spelled Cribbidge) was
invented by the 17th-century English poet Sir John Suckling. Although Cribbage quite clearly developed from Noddy, an older game for which a special scoring
board also was used, it appears to be the only existing game in its family. Cribbage would quite likely have become the most popular of all two-hand card games
if so many descriptions had not called the Cribbage board indispensable, which it is not.
Almost the only big change from the original rules is that in
modern two-hand Cribbage each player is dealt six cards instead of five, as originally. See Cribbage Books
Variations
Five-card Cribbage was the original game. Each player discards two cards
into the crib, remaining with only three, plus starter. At the beginning of the initial hand nondealer pegs 3 to offset dealer's advantage. Game is
61.
Four-hand Cribbage is played in partnerships of two on a side, partners seated across the table from each other. The dealer gives each player
five cards; each discards only one into the crib. The score is usually slightly less in the showing, but the average per side is about 9 points in the play.
Game is always 121.
Three-hand Cribbage has each player dealt five cards. Each discards one into the crib, and a single card is dealt blind to
complete the crib, which belongs to the dealer. Each player scores for himself. Eldest hand (the one to the left of the dealer) shows first.
Scoring
Scoring is traditionally called pegging, because it usually is done by moving pegs on a scoring device, the Cribbage board. This
Cribbage board is essentially a tablet with 60 counting holes (in two rows of 30) for each player, plus one game hole for each, and often extra holes for
holding pegs when not in play and for keeping track of games won. Game is 121 (twice around the board plus 1 for the game hole) or 61 in the less frequently
played game of Once Around. Each player has two pegs, and each scoring point is marked by jumping the rearmost peg ahead of the other (thus showing at a glance
the number of points scored on a move as well as the total). Scores must be pegged in order because the first player to reach 121 (or 61) or, in some games, to
pass it is the winner. Emphasis on the board as a scoring device created the idea that the game could not be played without it, but the score can be kept with
pencil and paper or with chips or other counters; indeed, keeping score by discarding counters (each player starting with 121 or 61) is so efficient and simple
a method that the enduring primacy of the board is difficult to understand.
The Cut/Deal
A full deck is used, King is high, Ace is low. Face
cards and tens count 10 each; other cards count their index value (number of pips). The player cutting low card deals first, the deal alternating with each
hand. The dealer deals six cards, alternately, to the nondealer and to himself. Each player then discards two cards, facedown, to form the crib. In discarding
to the crib, since it scores for the dealer, the nondealer tries to lay away "balking" cards, those least likely to create scoring combinations. After the
discard, the undealt remainder of the pack is cut by the nondealer; the top card of the lower packet is turned faceup on top of the reunited deck and becomes
the starter. If the starter is a Jack, dealer immediately pegs (scores) 2, called "2 for his heels." If the starter is any other card, the Jack of that
suit--formerly called "knave noddy," an unmistakable link with the earlier game--is worth 1 point to the holder for "his nobs" but is not scored until later.
This is followed by the two stages of scoring, the play and the showing.
Playing
The nondealer begins the play by laying faceup before him
any card from his hand, announcing its counting value. Dealer then plays a card (each adds cards to his own pile, so that his original hand may be counted
later in the showing) and announces the total of the two cards. Play continues alternately, each player announcing the new total, until the total reaches 31,
or until one player cannot play without increasing the total beyond 31. If either player cannot add a card without exceeding 31, his opponent must play any
card(s) in his hand that may be added without exceeding 31. The last to play in each sequence scores a "go"--2 points if he reaches exactly 31, or 1 for any
lesser total. After a go, count begins again at zero.
In addition to go, the object is to peg for certain combinations of cards played consecutively.
These combinations score whether the cards are played in strict alternation or in succession by one player when his opponent cannot play. The score in every
case is pegged by the player whose card completes the combination. Any player who can add to a combination, providing there has been no intervening card, can
score the value of the new combination. Combinations are scored for playing a card that makes the count exactly 15 (score 2); for playing cards of the same
rank to make a pair (2), three of a kind (6), or four of a kind (12); and for playing a third or later card to form a run, or sequence, regardless of suits and
regardless of the order in which the cards are played (1 for each card in the run).
The next stage of scoring is the showing. After all four cards are
played, the values in each hand are counted--the nondealer's hand first, then the dealer's hand, then the crib, which scores for the dealer. The starter counts
as a fifth card in each of the three hands. Every combination of two or more cards totalling 15 scores 2; each pair, 2; every sequence of three or more cards,
1 for each card in the sequence; four cards of the same suit, 4, or 5 if of the same suit as the starter (but only a five-card flush matching the starter
counts in the crib); and his nobs (jack of the same suit as the starter), 1. Every possible different grouping of cards in the hand, plus starter, counts
separately, except that a sequence of four or five cards may be counted only once, and not as two or more separate sequences of three.
As indicated
above, the order of scoring on each hand is important and is as follows: (1) scoring of starter, if it is a jack, (2) scoring in play for various combinations,
(3) scoring in play for go, (4) scoring of nondealer's hand, (5) scoring of dealer's hand, and (6) scoring of crib. When either or both players approach a
score of 121 (or 61), whose turn it is to score becomes important. The game ends immediately if either player is able to count out in the play or the showing.
If nondealer is able to count out in the showing, it does not matter if the dealer, with or without counting his crib, could have scored a higher total. The
loser scores only what he has already pegged before his opponent counts out, and if he has not already counted at least 61 (or 31), he is "lurched" ("left in
the lurch") and, if the play is for stakes, loses doubly. (As sometimes played, the winner must be able to count out to exactly 121, just as, in playing for a
go, he tries to reach 31 exactly. Thus, for example, if a player's score is 120, he can count out only if he can score exactly 1 point, as for his nobs or for
go.) Some play that, if a player fails to claim his full score on any turn, his opponent may call out "muggins" and score for himself any points overlooked.
After each player has played all four of his cards, and the showing has been completed, the cards are put back in the deck and shuffled and dealt as
before. |
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| Faro |
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Faro is one of the oldest gambling games played with cards, supposedly named from the picture
of a pharaoh on French playing cards imported into Great Britain. A favourite of highborn gamblers throughout Europe in the late 18th and early 19th centuries,
Faro was the game at which the young count Rostov, in Leo Tolstoy's War and Peace, lost a fortune. Faro was introduced to the United States in New Orleans.
Common in American gaming rooms, especially in the West, until 1915, the game had all but vanished by 1925, except in a few Nevada casinos.
In the game
the 13 cards of the spade suit, representing the ranks of all suits, are enameled on a layout on which the bets are placed against the house. A bet may be
placed on any rank to win or (by coppering the bet--i.e., placing a copper counter on the chips) to lose; or, by the manner in which the chips are placed on
the layout, a bet may cover several ranks. A shuffled pack of playing cards is placed face up in a dealing box. The top card is removed and not used. The next
card taken from the box loses (the house pays the coppered bets placed and takes in bets placed on the card to win). The card left showing in the box wins, and
the house pays the amount of any bet placed on that rank to win. The two cards constitute a turn. The dealer then removes the exposed card from the box, puts
aside another card (which loses), and leaves exposed another card (which wins). The game continues in this fashion through the pack. The last card in the box
does not count. When cards of the same rank appear in the same turn and so both win and lose, the house takes half of each bet on that rank, whether to win or
to lose. This is called a split.
Stuss is a variant of the game in which the cards are dealt from a pack held face down in the dealer's hand, not from
a dealing box. When a split occurs the house takes all the bets on that rank instead of  only half of them. |
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| Gin Rummy |
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Gin is a member of the Rummy-games family; introduced in New York in 1909, it became a nationwide
fad in the U.S. in the 1940s. Two play; each is dealt 10 cards face down, one at a time, beginning with nondealer. The remainder of the pack, placed face down,
forms the stock, the top card of which is turned up beside it as the first up card. Gin is a high stakes game and this led to it's popularity among gamblers in
the US looking for lots of action.
Nondealer may take the up card or refuse it; if he refuses, dealer has the same option. If both refuse, nondealer
draws the top card of the stock. Thereafter, each player in turn takes either the up card or the top card of the stock, then discards one card face up on the
up-card pile.
Object of play is to form melds as in Rummy--either sequences of three or more cards of the same suit or sets of three or more cards of
the same rank. After drawing, a player may knock (go down) if his unmatched cards (less one discard) total 10 or less. Face cards count 10, aces 1, other cards
their number value. Upon knocking, a player faces his 10 cards arranged in sets and with unmatched cards to one side, then discards his 11th card. If all his
cards are matched, he is gin.
The opponent of the knocker may lay off any of his unmatched cards upon the knocker's sets, thereby reducing his count. If
the knocker has the lower count of unmatched cards, he wins the difference. Should his opponent have an equal or lesser count, he has undercut the knocker and
receives the difference (if any) plus a bonus of 25 points. The knocker cannot be undercut if he has gone gin--he receives, in addition to the total points of
his opponent's unmatched cards, a bonus of 25 points.
First to reach 100 points wins the game and receives a 100-point bonus. Each player then adds to
his score 25 points for each hand he has won, called a box. If the loser has failed to score, the game is a shutout, or schneider, and the winner's total score
is doubled. Gin Rummy is frequently played with several variations and as a gambling game, often for a small amount of money per point.
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| Newmarket |
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This game is also known as Boodle, Stops or (in Britain) Newmarket and is suitable for about 3 to 8
players. It is a fairly simple stops game in which the aim is to get rid of your cards first, and to win stakes by playing particular cards.
You
need two packs of cards to play. Take the jack of spades, queen of diamonds, king of clubs and ace of hearts out of one and place them in the middle of the
table. These are known as the "boodle" cards.
Each player places the agreed stake in the kitty, plus an additional stake on each boodle
card. (Experiment to see what works for you, but I'd recommend a kitty stake of between one and four times the boodle stake.)
Ace is high. Dealer deals
the entire second pack out between the players, plus an extra "dummy" hand. (If there are five players, the four to dealer's left get nine cards each, the
dealer and the dummy eight.)
Whoever holds the two of diamonds announces and plays it. If no one has it, call for the three, and so on. Play now
proceeds with whoever holds the next highest card in the suit. So the holder of the four plays that, then the holder of the five ...
This would be dire
sport indeed were it not for the dummy hand, the cards in which, of course, prevent these runs from being completed. If you play the last card in a sequence,
you must begin a new run with your lowest card in a suit of another colour. The first person to empty her hand completely takes the pot; and if at any time
someone plays  J,
 Q,  K or
 A, she collects the money on that card. (If any boodle money remains uncollected when
someone goes out, it carries over to the next game.)
More than most games, newmarket admits of myriad variations. Some use four kings instead of the
cards above. Some allow the dealer the opportunity to switch his hand with the dummy hand; if he refuses, that opportunity passes to the next player. Some
require any player switching hands to pay extra for the privilege. Some permit players to divide their boodle money as they wish across the four cards. And
some say that if a player completes a run, she need only change suit, not colour. (Since the choices offered by the game are already somewhat limited, I'd
definitely suggest adopting this last one.)
In fact, if you add enough of these embellishments, newmarket can actually be quite enjoyable. |
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| Pontoon |
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Pontoon is the British version of the internationally popular banking
game Twenty-one, best known as Blackjack.
Pontoon can be played by any number of players from two upwards - it works well with 5 to 8 players - using a
standard 52 card pack. The cards have normal values but the Ace can be 1 or 11.One player is designated as the banker. The banker has an advantage, so the
first banker is chosen at random (whoever cuts the highest card). In each hand, each of the other players bets on having a better hand than the
banker.
- The best hand of all is a Pontoon, which is an Ace and a 10 or picture.
- Next best after a Pontoon is a Five Card Trick, which is a hand of five cards totaling 21 or
less.
- A hand of 21 points beats everything else except a Pontoon or Five Card Trick.
- Hands with 20 or fewer points rank in order of their point value.
- Hands with more than 21 points are bust and are worthless.
If the banker and a player have equal valued hands, then the banker wins..
The banker
deals one card face down to each player, starting with the player to dealer's left, going round the table and ending with the dealer. All the players except
the banker may look at their card. Starting again with the player to dealer's left and going around clockwise, the players other than the banker place their
initial bets in front of them. A minimum and maximum for initial bets must be agreed before the start of the game, and each player may bet any amount within
these limits.
The dealer now deals a second card face down to each player, and all the players look at their two cards. If the banker has a Pontoon
this is immediately exposed, and the banker collects double the amount staked from each of the players.
The Player
If the banker does not
have a pontoon then, beginning with the player to dealer's left and continuing clockwise, the players each have a turn to try to improve their hand if they
wish by acquiring extra cards. When it is your turn, you have the following possibilities:
- Declare a Pontoon If your two cards are an ace and
a ten point card, you declare it by putting them on the table with the ten point card face down and the ace face up on top of it.
- Split your cards If your two cards are equal in
rank, you may split them into two hands by putting them face up on the table and placing another bet equal to your initial bet. The banker immediately deals
another card face down to each of your hands, and you then play the hands one at a time, as separate hands with separate stakes. If either of the new cards
dealt is equal to the first two you may choose to split again, creating three or even four separate hands, each with its own stake. You cannot split two ten
point cards unless they are actually equal.
- Buy a card If the total value of your cards is
less than 21, you may say "Buy a card". You must increase your stake by adding an amount at least equal to and not more than twice your initial stake. The
dealer then deals you another card face down. If your total is still less than 21 you may buy a fourth card; this time you may add to your stake any amount
between your initial stake and the amount you added previously. If your four cards still total less than 21 you may buy a fifth card in the same
way.
- Twist If the total value of your cards is less
than 21 you may say "Twist". Your stake is unaffected, and the dealer deals you one card face up to add to your hand. If your total remains below 21 you may
ask for a fourth card to be twisted and then a fifth, in the same way.
- Stick If the total value of your cards is at least
15 you may say "stick".
If your total is more than 21 you are bust; you must immediately throw in your hand face up, and
the banker takes your stake and adds your cards to the bottom of the pack.
You can begin by buying one or more cards and continue by twisting, but once
you have asked for a card to be twisted you can no longer buy cards..
When your hand reaches five cards without going over 21 you have a Five Card
Trick. You are not allowed any more cards.
The Banker
When all the players except the banker have had their turns the banker's two cards are
turned face up. The banker may add more cards by dealing them face up one at a time. When satisfied with the hand the banker can "stick". Possible outcomes
are:
- The dealer goes bust If the dealer goes over 21, the dealer loses and pays out all
stakes, paying a double to any Pontoon or Five Card Trick.
- The dealer stays on 21 or less, with four or fewer cards The dealer pays stakes to any
player who has a higher value hand, and collects from those who have equal or less. Pontoons and Five Card Tricks are paid double.
- The dealer makes a Five Card Trick The dealer pays Pontoons only and pays double. All
other players lose double their stake.
New Deal
If no one had a Pontoon, the dealer adds all the used cards to the bottom of
the pack and without shuffling deals a new hand. This makes it possible to improve one's chances by remembering which cards are out of play. If there was a
Pontoon, the cards are shuffled and cut before the next deal.
If a player other than the banker achieves a Pontoon without splitting their hand, and the
banker did not have a Pontoon, then that player becomes the new banker from the next deal. If there are two or more such players, the one nearest to the
dealer's left takes over the bank.
The bank can also change hands after any hand if the existing banker wishes to sell the bank to another player for an
agreed price.
Pontoon online
It’s pretty difficult to play pontoon online, even at UK online
casinos. That’s because most sites offer Blackjack instead - which is very similar to pontoon except for a few key differences (such as no Five Card Trick
hands). It's so popular that you can even play live blackjack by joining a video stream of a real life croupier who deals the cards. |
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| Poker |
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Poker is a classic game of cards with several variations, all
requiring wagering and betting. These bets decide the winner of each hand taking into account the sequence of the poker players' cards, several of which remain
unknown until the hand is revealed. Games variations differ with regards to the amount of cards shared, the amount of cards that have not been revealed, and
the betting process.
In the majority of today's poker games, the initial round of betting starts with at least one of the
players making either a ‘blind’ or ‘ante’ bet. In regular poker games, every player’s bets are based on the rank they believe their
hand is worth relative to the other players. Then, in a clockwise manner, each player takes turns either matching, or "calling" the highest bet, or folding.
Folding will cause a player to lose the amount that they bet up until that point and all further potential winnings in the hand.
Players who
haven’t folded can either match a bet, or raise it. The betting round ends as soon as every player has either matched the previous bet or folded. If every
player except for one folds on any given round, they win the pot. If one or more player are still competing following the final round of betting, the hands are
displayed and the player with the winning hand collects the pot.
Traditionally a cards game, many avid
poker players have begun playing online.
We have a full poker section as well. |
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