Basic Rules

Sequence of Game Play

Antes

Each player who wants to play a hand must place an obligatory bet, the Ante, before the cards are dealt.

Starting Hand

Each player receives one card face down and one card face up.

The First Betting Round

The player with the highest card (also by suit) has to start the betting round.

The player having the highest rank must make bring-in bet which is equal to 2 times Ante or make raise. Then the game continues clockwise until the betting is completed for the round. This player can make bring In (XX) or bet (YY), where XX and YY are some bet amounts. The rest players, depending on his turn result can Fold, Check, Bet or Raise. If the player did not make a choice, in that case bring-in will be taken automatically.

Obligatory bring-in bet is taken in the first betting round only.

After the players made bring-in, then the game is going according to the poker basic rules. For Limit poker the number of raises is fixed; for No Limit poker - is not. Please see below "Bet amounts in the betting rounds".

Third Street

Each player receives the next card face up.

Second Betting Round

The player with the best shown poker hand starts the betting round. This player can not make bring-in, he can to fold, check or bet.

Fourth Street

Each player receives another card face up.

Third Betting Round

The player with the best shown poker hand starts the betting round.

In Limit poker bring-in is doubled. Please see details in "Bet amounts in the betting rounds".

Fifth Street, River

Each player receives the last card face up.

Fourth Betting Round

The player with the best shown poker hand starts the last betting round.

Bet Amounts in the Betting Rounds

Limit Americana

Table Ante/Bring-In

First betting round: Bring-In, raise, re-raise, final raise

Second betting round: bet (equal to Bring-In), raise, re-raise, final raise

Third and fourth betting rounds: bet (equal to 2*Bring-In), raise, re-raise, final raise

No Pot Limit Americana

Table Ante/Bring-In

First betting round: Bring-In raise

2d, 3d and 4th betting rounds: bet (equal to Bring-In) and no limit number of raise.

Showdown

When all bets get equal, it is time to show the cards.

The last player to bet or raise during the final betting round shows his cards first. If during the last betting round all the remaining players are checking (nobody betting), the first player to the left from dealer who did not discard is to show his cards first.

The other players reveal their cards moving clockwise around the table. If player's current hand is weaker than winning hand shown, he has the option to show or muck his cards.

The best five-card hand takes the pot.

If two players have an identical hand, the pot is split between them. Each player may claim the pot in forming of which he took part. Please see All-In.

The policy of later joining the game

As far as there is no Blind in the game and the Main Pot is created from the equal fees of the players, a player who wants to join the game just may sit on the empty place at the table. He starts playing the next round after he made a fee.

Game-Specific

Hand Rankings

Americana hand ranking differs from Texas Hold'em Poker.

Table 1. Rank of Americana Poker Hands

Straight Flush Straight Flush contains only one suit cards.
For example: 7D, 8D, 9D, 10D, JD
Four of a Kind Four of a Kind contains four cards of equal value.
For example: JC, JD, JH, JS
Flush Flush contains five cards of the same suit.
For example: AS, 5S, 7S, 9S, JS
Full House Full House contains three cards of equal value plus two cards of another value.
For example: QH, QS, KD, KC, KH
Straight Straight contains five cards in sequence. An ace can be taken as either high or low (but not both high and low in the same hand).
For example: 8, 9, 10, J, Q; suit does not matter.
Three of a Kind Three of a Kind contains three cards of the same value.
For example: KH, KD, KC
Two Pair Two Pair contains two cards of the same value plus two card of another value. If two or more hands have equal Two Pairs, the hand with the best card out of pair wins. This card is called Kicker.
For example: JC, JH, QS, QD
One Pair One Pair contains two cards of the same value. If two or more hands have equal Pair, the hand with the best card out of pair wins. This card is called Kicker.
For example : 10C , 10S
Highest Card Highest Card is a poker hand in which no player has one of the above mentioned combinations. The hand with the best card wins .

The following abbreviations are used:

C

CLUBS

D

DIAMONDS

H

HEARTS

S

SPADES

J

JACK

Q

QUEEN

K

KING

A

ACE

Poker hand raking in 32-Card Draw Poker differs from 52-Card Poker because short deck changes the probability of the combination appearance. For example, Flush and Full House exchange their ranks.

If combinations are exactly coincided with, the highest combination is determined by suit.

Flush, Straight, Straight Flush and Highest Card are determined by suit of high card.

Pair and Two Pairs are determined by Kicker suit.

KICKER - the remaining card which is not included in the pair.

For example, if two players both have 2 Aces and 2 Kings, namely a suit but not a rank of the fifth card will determine a winner.

Full House, Three of Kind and Four of a Kind will never be equal by rank. Therefore, the high combination is never determined by suit.

Suit rank from highest to lowest:

  • Spades
  • Hearts
  • Diamonds
  • Clubs

All-In

If the player finishes his chips he may not to fold the cards. The player can go All-In and bet all his chips. In this case the pot is divided into the Main pot and the Side pot. All the next bets are included in to the Side pot. If the player which goes All-In did not win, the winner receives all chips (both the Main and Side pots). If the player who goes All-In wins, he receives the Main Pot, but the Side pot is passed to the player having the second highest ranking Poker hand. If several players go All-In, the several Side pots can be created. If the player who accepted all All-In bets does not go All-In by himself, but appears to have the highest ranking hand when cards were revealed, he takes the Main pot as well as the all Side pots. If the highest ranking hand has the player who went All-In, he takes the pot or all pots which were created until he went All-In. Every All-In player having highest ranking hand can take only the pot (or pots) in forming of which he took part.