Rules of Church Poker

Church Poker is a variant of Holdem and the rules are similar to that of the game of Cincinnati Poker, in as much as players are dealt additional hole cards. Instead of the two cards you would normally be dealt pre flop in a game of Holdem, players are dealt two additional cards, each getting 4 hole cards (similar to Omaha). There is one other factor that is different, and that's how the board is dealt. The exact same number of board cards are dealt as in Holdem, however they are dealt in the shape of a cross.

So, just to recap, each player in the hand is dealt five hole cards, face down. The dealer then deals five cards to the board (face down) in the shape of a cross as illustrated below. There is a round of betting once all cards have been dealt to the cross. The first card is then turned, as indicated below.

	Turned First (round of betting)
Turned Fourth (round of betting)	Turned Last (final round of betting)	Turned Second (round of betting)
	Turned Third (round of betting)

The last card, in this case the 6 acts prompts the showdown. Players must use any two cards from the five in their hand along with any line of the cross.

The game can get pretty wild as it is relatively easy to make monster hands on a much more frequent basis. In a standard game of Holdem you would be looking to make your best poker hand from seven available cards; two hole cards and five on the board. In this game, you get ten cards in which to assemble your best hand. As such it is very difficult to work out whether to get involved in a hand.

For instance your hole cards are KK AA 2 , is this a playable hand? Well yes it is however it is very easily beaten. The value of your hand is much less as there will be more straight flushes, full houses and above. In a game of Hold'em, hitting an ace high flush will be good most of the time however playing this game, you could easily get busted with this hand.

The best five card hand still takes down the pot.

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.

Alternatively - Check our Poker Games section for listings of games played online.