10-15-20 - A Split-Pot Dealer's Choice Poker Game
Finding new Dealer's Choice poker games to play usually is not too difficult, but if you are like me, then you are probably always on the lookout for new and exciting games to mix things up a bit. 10-15-20 is a Dealer's Choice game I learned in college that offers many advantages over other Dealers Choice games in a number of ways. The amount of wagering is high, therefore making the pots much bigger than other poker games. Plus, it is a split pot game, in which the highest poker hand splits the winnings in half with the lowest poker hand. Players also roll over their own cards at the end, therefore increasing the amount of betting rounds and pot size.
Instead of dealing out cards to each player, cards are chosen and bought by each player, one at a time. The dealer starts by dealing out two cards to each person, face down, then placing three cards in a row, face-up, next to the deck. The player to the left of the dealer then acts first by deciding if he wants one of the cards face-up in the row or if he wants to push his luck and draw from the deck for more money. The face-up cards cost 10 cents, 15 cents, or 20 cents, respectively, hence the name 10-15-20. If you would like a card face-down off of the deck, it costs 30 cents. Each person buys one card at a time until they all have seven cards.
Each time a card is purchased from the row of face-up cards, the dealer flips up a new replacement card from the deck, always keeping three cards available for players to choose from. Also, when a person pays for one of the face-up cards, he must keep it face-up and visible to all other players, until everyone has bought all seven of their cards. If a card is purchased off the deck for 30 cents, it remains hidden in the player's hand throughout the whole game. Essentially, a player could have all face-down cards for the game if he took all of his cards from the deck for 30 cents a pop.
Remember,10-15-20 is a split pot, Dealers Choice poker game, so you also might want to go for the worst hand possible, not just the best. Having an Ace,2,3,4,6 (This is the lowest poker hand possible. Ace,2,3,4,5 would be a straight.) earns you as much of the pot in 10-15-20 as does a royal flush.
Once all players have seven cards, they collect them up into their hands. Keeping the five that they each want to play, the players discard the two extras. The players then put their five cards face-down in a pile in front of them and secretly declare (most often with a spare coin) whether they are going for the high hand or the low hand. Heads on your declare coin should indicate a high hand, whereas tails should stand for a low hand. A second coin can be used to cover up your declare coin, keeping it hidden. The purpose behind declaring is so no one wins high win going low and vice versa. For instance, if three players are left and two show full houses while the other has 2-pair, it would be unfair for the player with 2-pair to win the low hand if he indeed declared high. If all players declare the same way, either high or low, then there is only one winner and the pot is not split.
From there, all players flip over just one card (like in "roll your own" poker games), with a round of betting afterward. The highest card flipped over bets or checks first. For betting purposes, since an Ace is the highest card in the deck, an Ace will bet first even if it is being used as a low card for that player's particular hand. Next, all players roll over a second card, then bet. This continues until all players have flipped up all five of their cards, therefore determining the high and low winners. Remember that in 10-15-20 Dealer's Choice, the best and worst hands split the pot. With a little bit of poker prowess, after a couple of cards have been rolled, a player can figure out whether other players are going high or low. For example, if a player's first two cards showing are a 2,5 off suit, then he is most likely going low. Alternately, if someone has a pair showing, that player is most assuredly going he will lose. You will never win a low hand in 10-15-20 with a pair, even deuces. A pair is simply too powerful for a low hand win.
A friend and fellow poker lover showed me 10-15-20 in college, and I have enjoyed it ever since. I highly recommend it, as it is not only entertaining and exciting, but it challenges you to use your poker skills in a multitude of ways. Mix this with a "roll your own" technique and a ton of betting at the end, and you will find that 10-15-20 Dealers Choice poker never gets old.
Finding new Dealer's Choice poker games to play usually is not too difficult, but if you are like me, then you are probably always on the lookout for new and exciting games to mix things up a bit. 10-15-20 is a Dealer's Choice game I learned in college that offers many advantages over other Dealers Choice games in a number of ways. The amount of wagering is high, therefore making the pots much bigger than other poker games. Plus, it is a split pot game, in which the highest poker hand splits the winnings in half with the lowest poker hand. Players also roll over their own cards at the end, therefore increasing the amount of betting rounds and pot size.
Instead of dealing out cards to each player, cards are chosen and bought by each player, one at a time. The dealer starts by dealing out two cards to each person, face down, then placing three cards in a row, face-up, next to the deck. The player to the left of the dealer then acts first by deciding if he wants one of the cards face-up in the row or if he wants to push his luck and draw from the deck for more money. The face-up cards cost 10 cents, 15 cents, or 20 cents, respectively, hence the name 10-15-20. If you would like a card face-down off of the deck, it costs 30 cents. Each person buys one card at a time until they all have seven cards.
Each time a card is purchased from the row of face-up cards, the dealer flips up a new replacement card from the deck, always keeping three cards available for players to choose from. Also, when a person pays for one of the face-up cards, he must keep it face-up and visible to all other players, until everyone has bought all seven of their cards. If a card is purchased off the deck for 30 cents, it remains hidden in the player's hand throughout the whole game. Essentially, a player could have all face-down cards for the game if he took all of his cards from the deck for 30 cents a pop.
Remember,10-15-20 is a split pot, Dealers Choice poker game, so you also might want to go for the worst hand possible, not just the best. Having an Ace,2,3,4,6 (This is the lowest poker hand possible. Ace,2,3,4,5 would be a straight.) earns you as much of the pot in 10-15-20 as does a royal flush.
Once all players have seven cards, they collect them up into their hands. Keeping the five that they each want to play, the players discard the two extras. The players then put their five cards face-down in a pile in front of them and secretly declare (most often with a spare coin) whether they are going for the high hand or the low hand. Heads on your declare coin should indicate a high hand, whereas tails should stand for a low hand. A second coin can be used to cover up your declare coin, keeping it hidden. The purpose behind declaring is so no one wins high win going low and vice versa. For instance, if three players are left and two show full houses while the other has 2-pair, it would be unfair for the player with 2-pair to win the low hand if he indeed declared high. If all players declare the same way, either high or low, then there is only one winner and the pot is not split.
From there, all players flip over just one card (like in "roll your own" poker games), with a round of betting afterward. The highest card flipped over bets or checks first. For betting purposes, since an Ace is the highest card in the deck, an Ace will bet first even if it is being used as a low card for that player's particular hand. Next, all players roll over a second card, then bet. This continues until all players have flipped up all five of their cards, therefore determining the high and low winners. Remember that in 10-15-20 Dealer's Choice, the best and worst hands split the pot. With a little bit of poker prowess, after a couple of cards have been rolled, a player can figure out whether other players are going high or low. For example, if a player's first two cards showing are a 2,5 off suit, then he is most likely going low. Alternately, if someone has a pair showing, that player is most assuredly going he will lose. You will never win a low hand in 10-15-20 with a pair, even deuces. A pair is simply too powerful for a low hand win.
A friend and fellow poker lover showed me 10-15-20 in college, and I have enjoyed it ever since. I highly recommend it, as it is not only entertaining and exciting, but it challenges you to use your poker skills in a multitude of ways. Mix this with a "roll your own" technique and a ton of betting at the end, and you will find that 10-15-20 Dealers Choice poker never gets old.
