GAME PLAY

Game Rules

Double Hold’em, as a Player-vs.-Player Game

Ruleset - The game plays in 4 stages.

1. Each player is dealt 3 hole cards (not 2), then there’s a betting round.
2. There’s a flop where 3 board community cards are simultaneously opened. Each player sets his poker cards in a V; the point-card plays with each of the other cards BUT the tertiary cards do not play with each other (he now has two 2-card hands), then there’s a betting round.
3. A fourth community card is opened, then there’s a turn betting round.
4. A fifth community card is opened, then there’s a river betting round. Then, the pot is disbursed to the player who holds the 2-card hand that together with the board’s cards forms the best poker hand, using poker’s conventional hand rankings.

Benefits - As a player-vs.-player game, Double Hold’em surpasses Texas Hold’em markedly in several areas; it creates many more playable hands (games with more action are desirable), it better rewards skilled play, etc. At the same time, it has similar ease of deal and hand-speed to Texas Hold’em. Overall, it provides a better player experience.

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Playing (Ring games)

During each round, starting with each unfolded player left of the dealer button, each player has these choices: checking if there is no blind requiring a call or bet pending; betting if there is no bet pending; folding if there is a bet pending; calling if there is a bet pending; or raising if there is a bet pending. Each betting round has a maximum of three allowed raises. Play moves clockwise around the table during each betting round until all pending bets or raises are called or until there is only one unfolded player in the hand.

The Showdown

Once betting is complete, it's time for the showdown. The best 5-card poker hand possible is read using the 5 community cards and his 2-card hand that produces the highest value hand.  The reading commences with either: A) The last bettor, or if there was no bet on the river round of the hand, B) The first active player to the left of the dealer flips over all his hole cards. Moving clockwise around the table, each active player's cards are opened if they produce a higher value hand than the best hand opened so far, or are mucked unopened if they don't beat the high hand shown by a preceding player. The message area displays the results of the action. The chips in the pot are added to the winning player's bank or duly shared in the instance of a tie.

Verification

All game outcomes remain on the table in full view for player examination until the next hand is dealt.

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Point Card Set

Double Hold’Em requires each player to set his card configuration and so establish a point card. To select the card configuration, each player is shown how to select the card he wishes to have as his point card as follows:

1. Once the flop is dealt and the pre-flop betting round occurs, each player that’s still ‘in’ is required to select a point card.
2. Game controls are used to select the point card and the three cards animate, with the common card moving to the center of the three cards, to ultimately form a V- formation or upside-down-V- formation for players on the top of the screen.
3. The players set their point cards and make their bet as part of the betting round after seeing the flop, rather than as a discreet additional round.
4. Setting of the point card is displayed in sequence, as each player is shown to act on his hand during the betting cycle.

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Winning Hands, in descending order

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Indicating a Winning Hand

Once the player cards have been opened, the winning hand animates in a way that indicates the winning cards.

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Double Texas Hold’em - a Tournament game vs. AI players

Double Texas Hold’em Poker game has buy-in credits. You bring these credits to the table with you and can keep playing as long as you have credits.  In the tournament, the players must play through the disposition of the event.

There is no ante. Instead, two blinds are posted for each hand. A small blind of half the low stake bet is automatically posted by the player immediately clockwise of the rotating dealer button. The player to the small blind's left automatically posts a big blind equal to the low stake bet. The dealer button rotates one position clockwise after each hand, so everyone posts blinds equally.

There are two betting stakes used in each hand. During the hand's first two betting rounds, a low stake value is used. The last two betting rounds use a high stake value that's double the low stake. The amount of the stakes increases every time the dealer button has made a full orbit of the table.

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Player-vs.-House Double Texas Hold’em

Beyond being a Player-vs.-Player Game, there’s a Player-vs.House version of Double Texas Hold’em.

Ruleset - The game plays in multiple stages. Each player is dealt 3 hole cards (not 2), and as the game plays the player sets his cards in a V; the point-card plays with each of the other cards BUT the tertiary cards do not play with each other (he now has two 2-card hands). Depending upon how the hand plays out for the player and the house - things such as placing of additional bets by the player, the house qualifying, bonus payouts, etc. being considered - the hand is resolved.

Benefits - Double Texas Hold’em, as a player-vs.-house game, is not just another poker variant table game. It’s a better one! It surpasses competing games such as Caribbean Stud Poker and WPT All In Hold’em. Key areas where the game excels include:

• Offering an easy to learn and easy to understand ruleset.
• Offering the player decision making in hand formation and in betting.
• Offering more opportunities for hands to be 'made', thereby encouraging more action and resulting player-interest.
• Offering rules which make it clear to the player if he’s won (no more uncertainty).

All of these benefits and others stimulate play and will provide a more enjoyable experience.