Rules of Dogbutt Poker

Dogbutt is another variant of 5 Card Draw and the rules are fairly similar. The initial deal is still five hole cards (face down) and is typically played with between three and seven players, followed by a round of betting in which players can decide whether to stay in the hand (call or raise) or fold. Players that decide to play must either match the highest bet (or blind) and those that choose to fold are now out of the remainder of the hand.

Following this first round of betting, all players have the opportunity to replace any of their cards, known as the 'Draw'. Again much like Five Card Draw, players can replace as many of their cards as they want, in turn receiving a replacement card for each card that is discarded. The difference between this variant and 5 Card Draw is that 3's and 9's are now used as wild cards (can be used as any value), similar to Baseball Poker. The result is a more exiting game as players hit big hands with much more frequency. The ranking of hands does not change however Flushes, Straights and Full Houses are regularly overturned due to the impact of eight wild cards in the deck. An additional game feature is that if a player is dealt A4, they get an extra card.

Be sure to remember this when you are exchanging your cards as it is easy to forget that a 3 or 9 is wild and toss it away.

After the draw there is a round of betting and then straight to showdown, for those that are still in the hand. The best five card hand takes down the pot. Also remember that traditionally strong hands are worth less with the addition of wild cards. Additionally, just because a player replaces three or four cards doesn't necessarily mean that they are unlikely to end up with a big hand, as they could have one or two wild cards in their hand, meaning better disguised hands (which increases profitability and also excitement).

On the flip side it is often easier to bluff opponents out of the pot by drawing a low number of cards as it's almost stating that you have wild cards and a big hand, the less you exchange. Players who do not draw any or just draw one will often look stronger than they are as opponents will know that players will usually need a very strong hand to take down the pot. Of course, as with many draw games, this is often not the case.

The winner is the player with the highest five card hand.

To date there is no online room that offers an online version of this game but it is a fun game and would be a great addition or alternative at any home game.

If you are interested in seeing what the online arena has to offer, check our listings of games played online.