Dramaha 21 (1 Viewer)

[Leonard]

Introduced at the recent SQM

Board plays like standard Drawmaha (usually draw 2).

In your hand, you try to make 21 with as many cards as possible.

Any 21 beats any 20, and a 5-card 21 beats a 4-card 21 beats a 3-card 21.
Face cards (KQJ) count zero toward the 21, but do count toward your card count. Other cards count face value with Aces as 1 (not 1 or 11 like Blackjack).

Examples:

AKQTT = 5-card 21 (T+T+A=21, KQ zero)
AQT64 = 5-card 21 (T+6+4+A=21, Q zero)
KTT86 = 3-card 20 (T+T=20, K zero, 8 & 6 count toward neither the 21 nor the hand count)
98765 = 3-card 21 (9+7+5=20, 8 & 6 don't count)

Is this correct? Is the description clear?

Edited example 3

 

[pltrgyst]

In that last example, 8-7-5 also equals 20.

Is there any sort of tie-breaker when the totals are equal, e.g. 8-7-5 vs. 9-6-5? Like highest or lowest card?

 

[Leonard]

Is there any sort of tie-breaker when the totals are equal, e.g. 8-7-5 vs. 9-6-5? Like highest or lowest card?

Not that I'm aware of. However, it's @bergs game, so we should wait for his input.

 

[Frogzilla]

I think 98765 is 21 (975 or 876)

 

[Legend5555]

Nothing against new variants, I'll play whatever pretty much (except Scarney, never) but all these Dramaha variants are getting ridiculous.

 

[TheBigTater]

Nothing against new variants, I'll play whatever pretty much (except Scarney, never) but all these Dramaha variants are getting ridiculous.

The different scarney variants are adding up now as well.

 

[Poker Zombie]

What was Canadian Scarney? Already familiar with Icelandic and American

 

[FordPickup92]

What was Canadian Scarney? Already familiar with Icelandic and American

If you have 0 cards left at the end of all the discards you have the nut low but you cannot bet it

 

[FordPickup92]

In that last example, 8-7-5 also equals 20.

Is there any sort of tie-breaker when the totals are equal, e.g. 8-7-5 vs. 9-6-5? Like highest or lowest card?

No I think in that case the 21 hands would get quartered. But yes bergs would have to clarify. I recall him saying there's no tie breakers

 

[bergs]

In that last example, 8-7-5 also equals 20.

Is there any sort of tie-breaker when the totals are equal, e.g. 8-7-5 vs. 9-6-5? Like highest or lowest card?

Nope - they chop the 21 part of the hand in this case.

 

[ekricket]

No I think in that case the 21 hands would get quartered. But yes bergs would have to clarify. I recall him saying there's no tie breakers

I think the question about a three card 20 vs a four card 20 is still out there. Chop seems probable, but if your rewarded for a five card over four card hand maybe not

 

[MatB]

I think 98765 is 21 (975 or 876)

This is a 3 card 21

Still beats a 5 card 20

I think

 

[bergs]

This game gets very interesting on the discard and draw part. There are clear decisions (I have KTT92 on a low board, I’m going to pitch a T to pickup a face card for a 5 card 21) and then some difficult spots (I have the same KTT92 hand but the board is Td6d5h and I have Kd).

The goal of the game is always to scoop, but 5 card 21s are not frequent. I’ve only played 8-9 orbits of this between limit and PL, but if I had to break down the frequency of winning hand qualities I’d guess at this:

5% 5 card 21
15% 4 card 21
30% 3 card 21
20% 5 card 20
30% 4 card 20

Unless all of the people at showdown are playing pure Omaha hands, you won’t see a 3 card 20 win often (it’s a very bad strategy to be relying on a 3 card 20), and lesser hands never win by design.

Example - if you see a 4 card 19 or a 5 card 18 win, they weren’t going for 21, they were purely playing for half the pot on the Omaha side.

 

[bergs]

3-card 21 beats any 20.

 

[bergs]

5-card 20 beats a 4-card 20.

Always always always table your hand at this game. Once you get used to it it’s pretty easy to read.

 

[Leonard]

If you have 0 cards left at the end of all the discards you have the nut low but you cannot bet it

And must apologize

 

[FordPickup92]

And must apologize

I didn't apologize......

 

[Poker Zombie]

And must apologize

 

[rowlin]

I might clarify the sentence in OP about face cards counting or not counting toward various things, but otherwise it looks good to me.

 

[Moxie Mike]

Nothing against new variants, I'll play whatever pretty much (except Scarney, never) but all these Dramaha variants are getting ridiculous.

Agreed. This seems excessively and needlessly complicated.

 

[ekricket]

Agreed. This seems excessively and needlessly complicated for heavy drinking at a meetup

Fyp

 

[Leonard]

Nothing against new variants, I'll play whatever pretty much (except Scarney, never) but all these Dramaha variants are getting ridiculous.

I am also generally ok with variants but Draw2maha in its original state is quite possibly the best of the circus games IMO

 

[Legend5555]

I am also generally ok with variants but Draw2maha in its original state is quite possibly the best of the circus games IMO

Straight Dramaha or even Dramaha 2-7 to a lesser extent I'm okay with. But all these "number" variants are just silly to me. Again though, I'd play them. But I'm not going to be excited by it.

My fav Circus games are:

Drawmaha
Double Board PLO (4 or 5 card)
Badeucey/Badacey
Razzdugi

Not a big fan of SOHE because it takes too long, though I like the premise. Scarney is just garbage IMO. And any game where you can play more than 2 hole cards with board cards is just a no from me generally. Even though I won my most important circus tourney pot at SQM 2020 in Scrotum 8. But it was kinda easy when you start with A234x.

 

[bergs]

Variety is the spice of life - bring ‘em all on, let’s play.

 

[power13]

Wowee. My group likes all the dramaha variants but all us drunks would take the entire night sorting out the first hand. The 21 side sounds like badugi for PHDs!

 

[WedgeRock]

So which board do we discard on?