• Players: 3-6
• Prerequisites:
  • 1 deck of cards (52 cards, without jokers), ranked aces-high.
  • Chips, coins, etc.
• Play time: ?

Ricochet poker is a form of poker without bluffing, and with an emphasis on calculating odds and pressing luck.

During a round, all players ante an then receive a portion of their poker hand. The player with the lowest poker hand either chooses to buy more cards or fold. The player with the best hand at the end of the round wins the pot.

Setup

Each round starts with all players making an ante of 1 chip. Then each player receives 1 card, face up.

The person with the lowest poker hand hand (e.g. lowest card at the start of the round) acts first. Suits are ranked in alphabetical order, from low to high: Clubs, Diamonds, Hearts, Spades.

Gameplay

On a players turn, they either fold or buy cards.

If a player folds, they step out of the round.

If a player buys cards, they first announce how many they want to buy, and put that many chips in the pot. Players may only buy cards up to a total hand size of 5 cards. The dealer will give the cards, face-up, stopping directly when the hand is not the lowest hand anymore. Note: it can be that the player therefore received fewer cards than bought for.

If a player buys cards and still has the lowest poker hand after receiving their bought cards, that player is out of the round.

Ater every turn the action moves to the player with the lowest hand.

Play continues until there’s 1 player left, or if there is a tie for the best hand.

Breaking ties

A hand with a kicker beats a hand without (for example, a King+3 hand beats a hand of a single King, but a King+8 beats a King+3). Suits are used to break ties given identical hands. In the final hand, suits are not used to break ties; only to determine the next player in turn. If at the end of a round 2 or more players are tied, the pot is split.