Ante, raise and match-the-pot rules that keep a friendly game friendly.
As was mentioned in the introduction, this book was written for friendly poker games. These games are more about entertainment and friendship than about money. However, money is how we keep score. Over the years we learned the hard way that if one player has a lot more cash on hand than everyone else, they can disturb the fun of the game by trying to bully people by betting more than others can afford. Interestingly enough, we also found out that if there weren’t a minimum bet, sometimes people would just bet pennies. We settled on the following values when everyone was still in their 20s. Feel free to set whatever values you’d like. However, make sure to agree on something before you start playing.
The following limits are suggested:
Standard Games
Organized chip stacks — know your limits before you sit down
Parameter
Limit
Maximum Ante
$0.75
Maximum Raise
$1.00
Minimum Bet/Raise/Ante
$0.05
Guts / Balls Games
Parameter
Limit
Starting Ante
$0.50 maximum
Minimum Bet
Match the pot (session rule; see below)
Ante Increase
Each re-deal raises the ante $0.25, to a maximum of $1.50
Maximum Kitties
2 — no more than two kitty hands in any one game
Quick Call
Use “GUTS MAX” or “BALLS MAX” for maximum settings
Special Game Types
Parameter
Limit
Pile Games
Maximum pile of $0.50 (3 Toad Pete, Screw Your Neighbor, etc.). Pile Driver antes rise $0.25 a round to a $1.50 maximum.
Between the Sheets / In/Out Sheets
Maximum ante of $2.00
Value Poker
$0.05 per mandatory contribution
Bingo
$0.05 × the card’s value (a 3 costs $0.15; Ace = 1, face cards = 10)
Optional Match-the-Pot Ceiling
Parameter
Limit
Ceiling
Before play begins, all players must agree on a $20 ceiling, a $100 ceiling or no ceiling. This choice applies to every game and remains fixed for the entire session.
Fractions
With a $20 ceiling: ½ pot caps at $10; ¼ pot at $5. With a $100 ceiling: ½ pot caps at $50; ¼ pot at $25. With no ceiling, pay the full required amount.
Applies to
Guts and Balls losers · face-up wild card costs (Wild Fire, Sixty-Nine, Heinz 57, Night Baseball, Rained Out, Absolute Wildfire) · the spade penalty in Football · and any other ‘match the pot’ call
Measured when
The pot is counted at the moment the obligation is incurred — before the matching money goes in
Per player
Each player owes their own match. If several players owe in the same round, the agreed ceiling, if any, applies to each player separately.
Declining
Where the rule reads ‘match or fold’, a player who declines folds at once and forfeits everything already in the pot. In no peek games, payment is mandatory if it is the last card (Rule 5).
