High-High Split Poker (1 Viewer)

[Jimulacrum]

I'm wondering what y'all think about different high-high split poker games, i.e., any game that's split-pot between two high poker hands (as opposed to a low or a qualifier like high spade).

I have a few personal favorites that I think are easy to play and get the action going. Obviously SOHE is at the top of the list for me, and I think it has a decent following in home poker circles. I love Drawmaha too. What other high-high split games do you enjoy? What about them do you think makes them good poker variants? What betting structure do you prefer for them?

 

[abby99]

Double Board Omaha: I've played this winner-take-all but it plays much better when the highest hand on each board takes half the pot. PL or FL.

Omaha 3-2-1 Hi/Hi: An interesting variation of Omaha 3-2-1. Best 5-card Omaha hand (3 board and 2 individual), splits with best remaining two hole cards. The 5-card hand must be the best hand possible (personal nut, i.e., can't play a lower 5-card hand in order to beef up the 2-card hand). Usually FL.

Omaha Hi/Hi: Best 5-card Omaha hand (3 board and 2 individual), splits with best remaining two hole cards. The 5-card hand must be the best hand possible (personal nut, i.e., can't play a lower 5-card hand in order to beef up the 2-card hand). Usually FL.

Cowpie: 7-card stud. Player splits hand into a 5-card and a 2-card poker hand after the 7th card has been dealt. The 5-card hand must be 3 up and 2 down, while the 2-card hand must be 1 up and 1 down. Unlike Omaha Hi/Hi, the player must decide at the end how to split the hand. The most common misplay is in splitting the down cards (three spades down and two spades up does NOT make a flush). Usually FL.

Route 66: Esssentially 6-card Dramaha. Best 5-card hand from the 6 down cards, and best Omaha hand (2 down, 3 community). Usually FL.

Of these games, I think that Omaha Hi/Hi and Omaha 3-2-1 Hi/Hi are more prone to player error than the other games.

IMO, all of these games are interesting to play, and I love variety.

Edited to expand Omaha 3-2-1 Hi/Hi description.

 

[Jimulacrum]

Double Board Omaha: I've played this winner-take-all but it plays much better when the highest hand on each board takes half the pot. PL or FL.

I hated this when I first played it because I just didn't have a sense of how to play. It has grown on me a lot since then. Agreed that high-high split is the superior way to play.

Omaha 3-2-1 Hi/Hi: An interesting variation of Omaha 3-2-1. Usually FL.

Omaha Hi/Hi: Best 5-card Omaha hand (3 board and 2 individual), splits with best remaining two hole cards. The 5-card hand must be the best hand possible (personal nut, i.e., can't play a lower 5-card hand in order to beef up the 2-card hand). Usually FL.

Never played either of these, but I'm interested in calling one or the other at my next circus gathering. I'm wondering if it could be interesting to play this as a 5-card Omaha variant—best Omaha hand splits with best Omaha hand made only from 2 of the 3 danglers. Shouldn't be much more difficult than playing with 4 cards.

Cowpie: 7-card stud. Player splits hand into a 5-card and a 2-card poker hand after the 7th card has been dealt. The 5-card hand must be 3 up and 2 down, while the 2-card hand must be 1 up and 1 down. Unlike Omaha Hi/Hi, the player must decide at the end how to split the hand. The most common misplay is in splitting the down cards (three spades down and two spades up does NOT make a flush). Usually FL.

Never played this one. Why do three spades down and two spades up not make a flush? Isn't that a proper 5-card hand?

Route 66: Esssentially 6-card Dramaha. Best 5-card hand from the 6 down cards, and best Omaha hand (2 down, 3 community). Usually FL.

I love this game; additional stipulation is that the turn is made up of two board cards instead of one.

The first time we played it was at a pink-chip night at Truman's House, and we had been having some sweet rounds of Drawmaha. @Chicken Rob insisted that we give it a try, and it was an instant hit. I like it PL too.

 

[MatB]

I Love double board omaha.

 

[detroitdad]

I Love double board omaha.

might be my favorite game!!!!

make it a double!!!

 

[Jimulacrum]

might be my favorite game!!!!

make it a double!!!View attachment 125834

What are those "DOUBLE" chips for?

 

[detroitdad]

What are those "DOUBLE" chips for?

for our cash games. you play the chip before the hand is dealt and you can call double board PLO.

 

[detroitdad]

other side of the chip says "make it a doubke"

 

[k9dr]

My personal favorite is 5 card Double board Omaha hi.

 

[Jimulacrum]

My personal favorite is 5 card Double board Omaha hi.

I pretty much assume it's 5-card when someone calls Double Board PLO. I mean, you're going through all the trouble of those extra board cards, so why not an extra hole card too? Only makes sense.

 

[k9dr]

I pretty much assume it's 5-card when someone calls Double Board PLO. I mean, you're going through all the trouble of those extra board cards, so why not an extra hole card too? Only makes sense.

I think we even tried 5 card Double board implocean.

 

[Jimulacrum]

Double Board PLO is an especially interesting one to me. And I did put this post in the strategy forum for a reason.

Those of you who've played this a lot, is there any particular strategy you employ preflop that's different from normal PLO? Are certain types of openers more or less valuable in DBPLO? What is your general approach to the game after the flop?

 

[Ronoh]

Never played this one. Why do three spades down and two spades up not make a flush? Isn't that a proper 5-card hand?

Because you have to split your three down cards

 

[abby99]

Because you have to split your three down cards

This is correct.

For additional details on this and the other games mentioned ITT, check out my mixed game cards in the Resources section.

 

[bergs]

Double Board PLO is an especially interesting one to me. And I did put this post in the strategy forum for a reason.

Those of you who've played this a lot, is there any particular strategy you employ preflop that's different from normal PLO? Are certain types of openers more or less valuable in DBPLO? What is your general approach to the game after the flop?

Preflop, not really. Postflop gets really interesting for obvious reasons (not the least of which is that you can sometimes find your blockers on one of the two boards).

 

[v1pe]

Introduced Double-board Omaha at a game I played in this evening (dealers choice). Big-O seems to be what's played most often.

Question about Double-board: can you use the same hole card on both boards?

 

[Jimulacrum]

Introduced Double-board Omaha at a game I played in this evening (dealers choice). Big-O seems to be what's played most often.

Question about Double-board: can you use the same hole card on both boards?

Yes, you can.

 

[onerand]

Keith and Harley like Drawmaha, but the game displeases me. In pot limit format. And Tahoe. Limit then all the games are fine

 

[upNdown]

When I first played drawmaha at the bbotbbbb, I thought it was a ridiculous game. After a few orbits I began to understand the game, and I think I like it.
I'm not big on variance, so I like split pot games, hi/lo or hi/hi.

 

[BGinGA]

Sohe, Dramaha, Shodugi, and Razzaho are all regularly scheduled in our Circus Poker Tour series.

 

[JoseRijo]

I want to publicly apologize to Moose. He introduced me to dramaha in Louisville and I derided the game. I've since come around.

Double-board plo in any format??

Es no bueno.

 

[onerand]

Sohe, Dramaha, Shodugi, and Razzaho are all regularly scheduled in our Circus Poker Tour series.

What are the last 2 games?

 

[abby99]

Razzaho - Split pot game, Razz and 3-card Omaha

Shodugi: Simultaneous Hold'em and Badugi, a 3/2 split pre-flop, regular 5-card board, and post flop badugi-side-draw.

Looks like we need two additional game cards.

 

[Chicken Rob]

I hated this when I first played it because I just didn't have a sense of how to play. It has grown on me a lot since then. Agreed that high-high split is the superior way to play.



Never played either of these, but I'm interested in calling one or the other at my next circus gathering. I'm wondering if it could be interesting to play this as a 5-card Omaha variant—best Omaha hand splits with best Omaha hand made only from 2 of the 3 danglers. Shouldn't be much more difficult than playing with 4 cards.



Never played this one. Why do three spades down and two spades up not make a flush? Isn't that a proper 5-card hand?



I love this game; additional stipulation is that the turn is made up of two board cards instead of one.

The first time we played it was at a pink-chip night at Truman's House, and we had been having some sweet rounds of Drawmaha. @Chicken Rob insisted that we give it a try, and it was an instant hit. I like it PL too.

I'm my mind I made this up that day. Never seen it before. @guinness named it after I failed with an inferior name now lost to the sands of time.

I'm sure others have made this up independently, and I too find this a favorite hi/hi split pot game.

 

[BGinGA]

What are the last 2 games?

Razzaho - Split pot game, Razz and 3-card Omaha

Shodugi: Simultaneous Hold'em and Badugi, a 3/2 split pre-flop, regular 5-card board, and post flop badugi-side-draw.

Correct.

Razzaho is a 7-card stud game with a 5-card board -- best Razz hand splits the pot with the best Omaha hand (using two of your three down cards with three from the board). I always thought Razz was the most frustrating poker variant, until I learned this game.

Shodugi can be played dealing five or six cards, with a 2/4 or 2/3 split pre-flop. Single drawing round for Badugi after the flop betting, followed by immediately dealing the turn card (similar to Dramaha). Five cards works best imo. This has evolved into one of my favorite circus games. #tyinca

 

[abby99]

Correct.

Razzaho is a 7-card stud game with a 5-card board -- best Razz hand splits the pot with the best Omaha hand (using two of your three down cards with three from the board). I always thought Razz was the most frustrating poker variant, until I learned this game.

Shodugi can be played dealing five or six cards, with a 2/4 or 2/3 split pre-flop. Single drawing round for Badugi after the flop betting, followed by immediately dealing the turn card (similar to Dramaha). Five cards works best imo. This has evolved into one of my favorite circus games. #tyinca

Looking forward to trying them. Six players max for Shodugi?

 

[BGinGA]

Looking forward to trying them. Six players max for Shodugi?

You can play 7-handed, and most of the time you won't run out of cards -- it's pretty rare for somebody to discard more than one card and draw just two.

Mucked hands are kept separate from the draw discards, and can be reshuffled and used if the deck stub does run short. Like Dramaha, there are no burn cards, so that helps too. Playing 7-handed (dealing 5 cards), you have exactly enough for seven hands (35), 6 x 2 card draws (12), and five board cards (52 total). Using the muck almost never happens, especially if played pot-limit.

 

[abby99]

You can play 7-handed, and most of the time you won't run out of cards -- it's pretty rare for somebody to discard more than one card and draw just two.

Mucked hands are kept separate from the draw discards, and can be reshuffled and used if the deck stub does run short. Like Dramaha, there are no burn cards, so that helps too. Playing 7-handed (dealing 5 cards), you have exactly enough for seven hands (35), 6 x 2 card draws (12), and five board cards (52 total). Using the muck almost never happens, especially if played pot-limit.

We burn cards in Dramaha but keep them separate as well.

 

[Jimulacrum]

We burn cards in Dramaha but keep them separate as well.

Same here. Some people end up gathering them up with the muck when the stub needs a reload, but I consider them part of the board and always leave them cascaded facedown near the first flop card. It doesn't actually affect the hand either way, so meh.

 

[Jimulacrum]

I actually had a reason for this thread aside from random conversation.

I'm writing another book. I actually started it way back when I wrote SOHE, but I had to put it on the back burner for a while. I've picked up on it again lately and made decent progress. The title? Drawmaha, baby. I plan/hope to have it finished by the end of this year or early next year.

When I first conceptualized all of this, my intention was to write three books for three different circus games, and the games that stood out to me as good choices—as they don't have any kind of literature in print—were the high-high split variants. Plenty of books cover high-low, high-only, and low-only games, but no one has really gotten into high-high. Plus, I fucking love SOHE and Drawmaha.

I'm having a hard time deciding on a third game, though. I have one in mind (Double Board PLO), but I haven't actually started writing it. What do y'all think?