Guts Poker is a great game to play while hosting a Nickel and Dime poker night at home. Not a standard form of poker, Guts does have the same format as Three Card Poker in the each player only receives three cards each round. One thing that sets Guts poker apart is the ability to incorporate wild cards into the normal play of the game.
Because you are only using three cards per round it is possible to have more playing then a standard game of poker. The more players there are the bigger the pot can grow.
How to Play Guts Poker will tell you how to play the game and strategies to try. Also covered will be playing capped and non-capped Guts Poker. Capped means having a bet and pot limit. Non-capped means the betting or pot can grow unrestricted.
This is an easy game to play but takes GUTS to stick it out for the bigger pot.http://www.gamguru.com/guts-poker-preview.htm
Step 1: Things to Consider before Playing Guts Poker
There are a few things to consider before playing Guts Poker. Guts Poker can be played with or without a cap limit. Guts also can have a “game end point” when played in a dealer’s choice poker game.
Cap limits is the amount any one player will pay the pot when pot size has grown beyond a given amount. Playing a cap limit game of Guts Poker will mean you will never have to pay larger amount into the pot when playing hands. Depending on your bankroll level this could allow you to play more hands compared to none cap limit game where paying the pot is based on pot size. If you bankroll (money available to play) is limited then it is advisable to have cap limits on the game.
Guts Poker games can last until all players drop out of the game due to losing their bankroll or until only one person is left in a hand (dealer’s choice version of play). Having a preset a game end point is important when playing Guts Poker. This can be done in a number of ways. The most common is used when playing dealer’s choice game where play continues until only one person remains. Like Texas Holdem Poker chips can be used in place of cash with a buy-in (with or without re-buy rules set). Once a player is out of chips they are out of the game.
Before playing in a Guts Poker game consider carefully your bankroll and play responsibly (as with playing all forms of poker or betting sports). The object is to walk away a winner and sometimes the best way to win is to know when to walk away when playing the game of Guts.
Step 2: Learning the Basics of Gut Poker
Although it isn’t required it is suggested that a cap be place on amounts anyone would pay to match a pot otherwise this can become a very expensive game.
Guts Poker starts with an ante going into the pot and each player receiving three cards face down. After the deal each player will then look at their cards and decide to either play or not play their hand. Each player then picks up a chip. Players then hold their hands stretched out to the middle of the table. Dealer counts to three at which time each player dropping their chip onto the table plays the hand. Those players not dropping the chip are out of the round.
Each player who dropped a chip then turns over their hand. Best three card hand wins the pot. The players with losing hands that played then pay the value of the pot which is carried over to next hand, building the pot size each round. This is followed by another ante but only from those players that didn’t play the hand. As you can see it takes Guts to stay in a hand.
Guts Poker is popular game for dealer’s choice poker games. This varies slightly in that if “Guts” is called play will continue until only one person remains in the hand. Should all players choose not to drop a chip to play a hand another ante is placed and another hand is dealt with play continuing.
Featured Video
This video gives some good insight what good hands to look for in Guts Poker. Reg Brittain, winner of the 2006 Fox Sports Network's Poker Dome Challenge shows a series of hands and their over all value when playing Guts Poker.
Examples given as best hands are A, K and any pair.
Step 3: Learning Basic Strategy of Guts Poker
How to play Guts Poker involves a bit of strategy when considering the pot size will grow with each passing hand. As with most other poker games hand ranking is the same, except will consist of three cards.
Because only three cards are used it is possible that a high card hand will win here more then where five cards are used and a draw is involved. If your hand holds an Ace high or face card (king, queen or jack) there is a good chance you may want to consider playing this hand. Fewer number of players per game the greater the odds of high card hands winning pot. Any hand greater then high card in most cases demands to be played since odds of winning pot are much better.
Because high card hand will or can win a majority of the hands in Guts Poker it truly does take “Guts” to play this game.
