Rules of Elevator Poker

Elevator poker is a unique variant of Texas Holdem and sure to be a hit in any home game. This variation is not really found away from the home game due to it's odd disposition. The game gets its name from the setup of the deal, in which the middle card dealt acts as an elevator and can slide up and down the "Elevator Shaft".

Each player is dealt four hole cards (two face down and two up). There are then seven community cards (or board cards) placed on the table, resembling the letter 'H'. The illustration below shows the card layout of the cards. The cards are normally dealt left column first, top to bottom, then the right column, again top to bottom, with the middle card being dealt last. As a result, the middle card can bring 3 different boards into play.

The way this game is played is that once the four hole cards have been dealt, all the seven cards (as above) are dealt face down and are turned up one at a time, in the order outlined above. There is a round of betting after each card is turned. The game is fast paced and there are a lot of betting rounds. As the middle card is the last to be over turned, players will not know whether they have made their hand until this card is turned.

The card in the middle acts as an elevator and can move up and down and players can use any row make the best five card hand (provided it is in a row). A player must use the middle card and a card from each column to make his/her hand. You will be able to gather a ton of information as you will be able to see the two hole cards of each player in the hand. The game has appeal as there are lots of big hands made due to the number of cards you have available to you.

When all seven community cards are turned, players make the best poker hand, using a combination of the four cards in their hand and and three of the seven community cards on the board. The highest hand wins the pot.

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