Chicago Poker Card Game

Chicago Poker Card Game

The poker-related card game called Chicago is one of the most popular card games in Sweden today. Relying on the keeping of score instead of the placing of bets, it is suitable even for environments such as schools, where gambling is often prohibited. The game exists in countless versions, so here a somewhat arbitrarily chosen basic game will be followed by a number of possible variations.

Hand scores

The backbone of the game is that each poker hand has its own point value, as given in this table:

One pair - 1 point.
Two pair - 2 points.
Three of a kind - 3 points.
Straight - 4 points.
Flush - 5 points.
Full House - 6 points.
Four of a kind - 7 points
Straight flush - 8 points

Basic rules

Chicago is played with a standard 52-card deck. Each player is dealt five cards. The objective is to reach 52 points.
Exchanges and hand scoring

The players are allowed to exchange any number of their cards. If a player chooses to exchange one card only, he may choose "one up", meaning that he is dealt one card faced up, which he can either accept, or instead take the next card unseen. After the exchanges, the player with the best hand and only one player gets points for his hand. Then follows another round of exchanges, but no hand scoring.

Now, the first player begins by playing one card. Ordinary whist rules apply, but the players keep their cards collected by themselves. The player who wins the last trick gets 5 points. Also, the player with the best hand whether it is the same player or not gets points for his hand. Please Note: After achieving 42 points a player is no longer permitted to trade cards as they normally would. Instead, they are dealt 6 cards at the beginning of the game and must discard one before the first scoring round. No further exchanges are permitted.
Chicago

After the second exchange, any player can choose to play Chicago. In this case, he pledges himself to win all the tricks of the game. If he does, he is awarded 15 points, but if he fails, the penalty is just as harsh: -15 points.
Blind Chicago

Sometimes, a player given five cards below ten either inclusive or exclusive - must be decides before game starts is allowed to replace them before the exchanges begin.
Some play with 3 exchanges instead of 2. Then of course, scoring for hands will be made after both the first and the second exchange.
Some do not use the "one up" rule.
Often, a game will require that a player declare "Chicago" before they can win the game. The declaration is accepted regardless of whether one wins or loses the 5 tricks.
Often, one wants to give higher rewards than 7 or 8 points for four of a kind and Straight flush respectively. There are several ways to achieve this, most notably by elevating the player immediately to 52 points, or lowering either all players or one player of the holder's choice to 0 points, or a combination of these. Some also separate the Royal Flush from the Straight Flush, awarding 9 points for a Royal Flush. Holding a Royal flush usually means immediate victory.
The confusion is great as to what scores are appointed in the case of Chicago. Some will argue that no player will get any points at all besides the +15 or -15, whilst others will allow other points to be awarded. The +5 for the game, however, can never be stacked with the +15 for Chicago. Yet another variation is to award +13/-13 points for Chicago and the declaring player gets to go first. In that variation it is forbidden to declare Chicago unless the player has reached 13 points, ruling out the possibility of a negative score.
Some prescribe that any player with 45 points or more is not allowed to replace any cards.
Some require that after and not in the same hand as a player reaches 52 points, he must win the game once more before he actually wins. This handles the possibility that more than one player reach 52 points in the same hand.
Some award 10 points instead of 5 if the last trick is taken with a deuce. If this variant is employed, 30 points must also be awarded for a Chicago hand successfully ended with a deuce.

Craps is a dice game in which players place wagers on the outcome of the roll, or a series of rolls, of a pair of dice. Players may wager money against each other street craps, also known as shooting dice or rolling dice or a bank casino craps, also known as table craps. Because it requires little equipment, street craps can be played in informal settings.

Bank craps is a game played by multiple players betting against a casino. Each casino might set slightly different payouts for the various bets. Players take turns rolling two dice and whoever is throwing the dice is called the shooter. Players can bet on the various options by placing chips in the appropriate sections of the board. It may be required to ask the dealer to place certain bets.

While acting as the shooter, a player must have a bet on the Pass line or the Don't Pass line. Pass and do not pass are sometimes called Win and Don’t Win or Right and Wrong bets. The game is played in rounds and these Pass and Don't Pass bets are betting on the outcome of a round. The shooter is often replaced at the end of the round or when they lose a round with a seven. The dice are moved clockwise around the table for the next player to become shooter. The shooter is presented with multiple dice typically five by the stickman, and must choose two for the round. The remaining dice are returned to the stickman's bowl and are not used.

Each round has two phases: come-out and point. To start a round, the shooter makes one or more come-out rolls. A come-out roll of 2, 3 or 12 loses and is called craps. Anyone betting on the Pass line loses in this situation. A come-out roll of 7 or 11 a natural wins and results in a payout for pass line bets. The other possible numbers are the point numbers: 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, and 10. If the shooter rolls one of these numbers on the come-out roll, this establishes the point - the number that must be rolled again before a seven. The dealer flips a button to the on side and moves it to the point number signifying the second phase of the round. If the shooter rolls a seven before repeating the point number a seven-out, the Pass line loses and the round ends.

Joining a game

A player wishing to play craps without being the shooter should approach the craps table and first check to see if the dealer's On button is on any of the point numbers. If the button has been turned to Off, then the table is in the come-out round. If the dealer's button is on, the table is in the point round where most casinos will allow a pass line bet to be placed. Some casinos will place the bet straddling the outer border of the pass line to indicate that it is to be paid the same odds as a place bet, instead of just even money. Other casinos will take the bet on the pass line, which is a disadvantage to the player as the player has lost the ability to win on a seven or eleven. All single or multi roll proposition bets may be placed in either of the two rounds. Between dice rolls, there is a period for dealers to make payouts and collect losing bets, after which players can place new bets. The stickman monitors the action at a table and decides when to give the shooter the dice, after which no more betting is allowed. When joining the game, money and I.D., if necessary should be placed on the table rather than passed directly to a dealer. Keep in mind that the dealer's exaggerated movements are required so that any disputes can be later reviewed on security camera footage.

If a new player feels that he or she needs assistance in learning the rules of craps, it is recommended to approach an empty craps table at a slow time of day for example, between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. The dealers are likely to be approachable and friendly and will explain the betting process.

The craps table

In a casino, players make bets with chips on a specially made craps table with a tablecloth made of felt that displays the various betting possibilities. In most casinos, craps tables are double sided. The layouts on both ends of the table are identical, with the center bets in the middle. This allows more players to participate, to a maximum of 8 on each side of the centerline. Players can make multiple bets for each turn, round, or roll and should become familiar with the craps layout.

A casino craps table is run by up to four casino employees: a box man who guards the chips, supervises the dealers and handles coloring out players exchanging small chip denominations for larger denominations in order to preserve the chips at a table ; two base dealers who stand to either side of the box man and collect and pay bets; and a stickman who stands directly across the table from the box man, takes bets in the center of the table hard ways, yo, craps, horn, etc. , announces the results of each roll, collects the dice with an elongated wooden stick, and directs the base dealers to pay winners from bets in the center of the table. Each employee makes sure the other is paying out winners correctly. Occasionally, during off-peak times, only one base dealer will be attending the table, rendering only half the table open for bettors or one of the two base dealers will assume the role of the stickman. In some casinos, there is no box man; the box man’s duties are shared between the dealers and a roving supervisor who covers many tables.

In the game of shooting dice, there is no marked table and often the game is played with no backstop against which the dice are to hit. Despite the name street craps, this game is often played in houses, usually on an uncarpeted garage or kitchen floor. The wagers are made in cash, never in chips, and are usually thrown down onto the ground by the players. There are no attendants, and so the progress of the game, fairness of the throws, and the way that the payouts are made for winning bets are self-policed by the players.

Rolling

The dealers will insist that the shooter roll with one hand and that the dice bounce off the far wall surrounding the table. These requirements are meant to keep the game fair preventing switching the dice or making a controlled shot. If a die leaves the table, the shooter will usually be asked to select another die from the remaining three but can request using the same die if it passes the box man’s inspection. This requirement is used to keep the game fair and reduce the chance of loaded dice.

Players are not supposed to handle the dice with more than one hand such as shaking them in cupped hands before rolling nor take the dice past the edge of the table. The only way to change hands when throwing dice, if permitted at all, is to set the dice on the table, let go, then take them with the other hand. This reduces or eliminates the possibility of the shooter switching dice by sleight-of-hand.

When throwing the dice, the player is expected to hit the farthest wall at the opposite end of the table. Some casinos refer to throws that do not hit the opposite wall as Mellenberg Rolls. 3] Most casinos will allow a roll that does not hit the opposite wall as long as the dice are thrown past the middle of the table. Occasionally a short roll will be called a no roll due to the more controllable nature of such a roll. The dice may not be slid across the table and must be tossed. Typically, players are asked not to throw the dice higher than the eye level of the dealers.

Dice are considered in play if they land on players' bets on the table, the dealer's working stacks, on the marker puck or with one die resting on top of the other. The roll is invalid if either or both dice land in the box man’s bank, the stickman's bowl where the extra three dice are kept between rolls, or in the rails around the top of the table where players chips are kept. If a die or both dice leave the table, it is also a no roll and the box man will examine the dice before letting them come back into the game. However, the player may request the same die or dice.

When either of the dice land on or come to rest leaning against chips, markers, or the side of the table, the number that would be on top if the object the die is leaning on were removed, is the number that is used to make the call.

If one or both dice hits a player or dealer and rolls back onto the table, the roll counts as long as the person being hit did not interfere with either of the dice, though some casinos will rule no roll for this situation.

In most casinos, the shooter may set the dice to a particular starting configuration before throwing such as showing a particular number or combination, stacking the dice, or spacing them to be picked up between different fingers, but if they do, they are often asked to be quick about it so as not to delay the game. Some casinos have no setting rules.

Poker Jacks or Better Draw

Draw Poker Jacks or Better

Draw Poker Jacks or Better is played with a standard 52-card deck and one Joker. The Joker may be used as an Ace or as any card that completes a straight, flush, or a straight flush.

Players are dealt five cards face down, one at a time, in rotation. A round of betting begins (check, bet, call, raise, or fold). A player's hand must qualify with a pair of Jacks or better (higher) to open the pot. If no player has a pair of Jacks or better, the hand ends and the ante remains in the pot. A player who opens the pot must show openers, whether the hand is called or not, in order to win the pot. The remaining players may discard any number of their original cards and have the same number of cards replaced by the dealer. Another round of betting occurs. The player with the highest ranking five-card poker hand wins. Five Aces is the best possible hand (four Aces and the Joker). In the event of a tie, the pot is split equally.