Cash Game Anyone play hi/lo declare games? (1 Viewer)

[ruskba]

We used to play a 1/2 limit dealer's choice game where there was a variant of hi/lo split where after the usual last round of betting, each remaining player would take three chips under the table and discreetly place either one, two, or three chips in their hand. Once everyone decided, hands come up from under the table and everyone drops at the same time. Those who dropped one chip can win the low and low only, two chips can win the high and high only, and three chips goes for the scoop and only wins if they win both the high and low. After the drop comes an extra betting round. It was generally used for 7 stud or 5 stud, not really on any community board games.

Just curious if anyone else out there plays any declare games, and what their thoughts are. I thought it was incredibly fun and 5 card stud hi/lo declare was my go-to pick at that game.

 

[detroitdad]

Nope..........Usually playing drunken poker. Declare games don't mix well with that (for me, lol)

 

[Shaggy]

Not on a regular basis, but I've played these types of games with my dads group. My favorite was a five draw, roll and declare. Where it started out as a standard five draw game, but after the betting after the draw, betting continued as you rolled your hand one card at a time. With one card remaining, the declare occurred. Lots of decisions during this game. Fun.

 

[ruskba]

Not on a regular basis, but I've played these types of games with my dads group. My favorite was a five draw, roll and declare. Where it started out as a standard five draw game, but after the betting after the draw, betting continued as you rolled your hand one card at a time. With one card remaining, the declare occurred. Lots of decisions during this game. Fun.

That sounds pretty fun. For 5 stud, we would allow you flip your down card and take 5th street down. That lead to many a blind capped pre-drop betting rounds by the lows refusing to check if they bricked and hoping to be the lone single chip dropper.

 

[ThinkingFold]

We play a variant of Black Mariah with a declare. Dealt like seven card stud then declare at the end. Highest spade in the hole, best hand, or both. The kicker is you have to call your hand correctly to take the pot. For example, you declare best hand and win that but your 5 of spades holds up, you win nothing and the pot carries on.

Silly for sure, but we've grown to love it and call it for laughs.

 

[xxmurrxx]

The designation games are in our mix for stud / Omaha games. I prefer the qualifier (8 and lower for the low splits, etc) over the designation but that's the fun of dealers choice you can pick what you like.

 

[pltrgyst]

I believe the original chip declare game was Anaconda High/Low. The traditional declare was 0, 1, or 2, rather than 1,2,3. None for low, one for high, two for both (duh). We played a lot of that (also known as "pass the trash") in high school.

IMO, if you're going to play those games, you might as well play wild card games too. They're best suited for people who don't want to put much effort into learning poker.

 

[ruskba]

I believe the original chip declare game was Anaconda High/Low. The traditional declare was 0, 1, or 2, rather than 1,2,3. None for low, one for high, two for both (duh). We played a lot of that (also known as "pass the trash") in high school.

IMO, if you're going to play those games, you might as well play wild card games too. They're best suited for people who don't want to put much effort into learning poker.

I'm glad I never cared for those types of games and stuck to the more traditional games when I was really getting into poker in high school.

 

[DrStrange]

Declare games have potential issues with collusion and other forms of cheating / angle shooting.

DrStrange

 

[snooptodd]

Declare games have potential issues with collusion and other forms of cheating / angle shooting.

DrStrange

I've never been a huge fan for the reasons the good Dr submits, with the one exception being Mini-May (5-card stud hi-low, 10 or better with a community card and a replace at the end).

 

[ruskba]

Declare games have potential issues with collusion and other forms of cheating / angle shooting.

DrStrange

I can see the potential for it, but it was never a worry with the group I played with. Definitely wouldn't want to introduce it to a group where I wasn't confident in the integrity of all the players.

 

[ATGrimaldi]

I have a home game I use holdem exclusively as the game of choice. There is another home game I go to where is is Hi/Lo - wild cards who else friggin knows. They do a cross, all sorts of nonsense. I just like hold em.

 

[guinness]

We used to play declare games in the 90's but we only did chip in hand was high, no chip was low. We didn't even consider scoops.

 

[jbutler]

IMO, if you're going to play those games, you might as well play wild card games too. They're best suited for people who don't want to put much effort into learning poker.

I mean, you're not wrong, as evidenced by Tim:

We used to play declare games in the 90's but we only did chip in hand was high, no chip was low. We didn't even consider scoops.

But still - moronic games are really fun for a loose night, particularly when paired with excessive drinking.

 

[guinness]

I mean, you're not wrong, as evidenced by Tim

Suck it fluffer.

Back then we couldn't use resources for learning games, we had to do what Davey D told us to do. This guy was so aggro personality wise that if I had Super System I in my hand, Sklansky and Wynn standing next to me, all validating that you can use 0, 1 or 2 cards in holdem, Davey D would still argue that you must use both cards and wouldn't think of budging his logic. Not a real example obvs, but if I could go back in time and introduce the "I bet scoop only" option, he'd tell me to get out.

For everyone who's played "old school" games with lively groups, its a no brainer that its the absolute funnest game on planet earth. Doing it for mid+ stakes would certainly be ridiculous, but in general these are $20 buyin games where $.25 bets are common. We had a handful of yellow chips that were $2 each that we referred to as yellow birds and believe me, when someone broke out a yellow bird for a bet, the room would go silent for 2 minutes. BIG business.

The old group got together 2 years ago for an old school game and it still delivered. Berg and I have talked about hosting something similar and I hope we do. Grinding PLO/NLHE gets to be, well, a grind.

 

[jbutler]

We had a handful of yellow chips that were $2 each that we referred to as yellow birds and believe me, when someone broke out a yellow bird for a bet, the room would go silent for 2 minutes. BIG business.

The old group got together 2 years ago for an old school game and it still delivered. Berg and I have talked about hosting something similar and I hope we do. Grinding PLO/NLHE gets to be, well, a grind.

Lol yellow birds.

But yes there definitely needs to be a true circus game night. $40 buy-in dealer's choice and all possible games are in play. Would be perfect as the Wednesday night game before BBotB. Maybe next year when we're back at Keller's.

 

[Andrew Marks]

We play some declare hi/lo stud and some non-declare. We still require a qualifier low (8 in all games but 5-stud hi-lo in which 10 is the low qualifier). Declare actually makes it a very different game than non-declare, both with respect to sweeping and bluffing. We play that if you declare both you need to at least tie each way. We also do not allow backing in so if someone declares hi-lo, beats all of the players going hi and loses to one of the players going low, the low player sweeps. If the hi-lo declarer wins one way and ties the other, then he gets 3/4 of the pot and 1/4 goes to the player he tied. The real difference in a declare game is that someone who is strong low cannot get lucky and back in high because his weak pair or two pair turned out to be the best hi. In that scenario, the player would very likely declare only low and that allows someone who at least appears strong high to declare high and win. Also, declare amps up the risk of trying to go hi-lo. It really does change the game and we like it in out game because the strategy is different than a corresponding non-declare game. It also tends to keep more people in a hand and makes for bigger pots.

So I would tend to disagree with those who say declare is moronic or circus-like. It actually brings in a strategy component that is not present in a non-declare game. Obviously the reason this is not done in a casino is that there is the potential for collusion and policing the declare process requires too much effort. However, in a home game where everyone knows one another and no colluson would be expected, it actually makes for an interesting change of pace.

 

[Andrew Marks]

I've never been a huge fan for the reasons the good Dr submits, with the one exception being Mini-May (5-card stud hi-low, 10 or better with a community card and a replace at the end).

Oh Todd, you're starting to sound like Bernie.

 

[Zippity]

Play declare games with family only. Have a blast. Would never play this with outsiders though.