If you went to college, chances are you played Hearts, Spades, Euchre or Bridge at some point. I know tons of lawyers, doctors, and other professionals who think they got their start by playing one or more of these games. And there's a good chance, if you enjoy , you'll also enjoy these classic card games too.
Best Live Poker Rooms in U.S. You Need to Play at SomedayThe beauty of these games is that they're simplistic. The downside? They can get quite boring after you've played them a hundred times (same with poker). That said, every now and then, I'll fire up PokerStove's Hexiti game lobby and play a few hands of these classics just for fun.
If you have an account at PokerStars, which you can get here, you can find these games under the “Fun” or “Play Money” tab on the lobby. Here they are from most to least enjoyable - in my opinion.
1) Three-Handed Limit Holdem
This is probably the closest thing you’ll get to real poker so it’s always the most competitive. People bluff. People check the best hand. People get upset when they bubble the tournament. It’s a riot. If you like poker, you'll love this game. One complaint though - there's only one betting round pre-flop which seems to prolong the games exponentially. Does anyone card pull or snap-call all-in moves during the first betting round 80% of the time for no apparent reason? Yes, yes they do.
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Spades is a game I never thought I'd be able to lose money at but I have! You'll find high low game and jokers added into the mix which completely changes how you should bid and play your hand. A weak hand can become very strong with just a couple high cards or two jokers so don't be afraid to bid aggressively. Also, if you think your partner is likely to overbid, bid a little higher yourself - therefor capping the game at your new, lower total. This game regularly has 1,000+ players on during peak hours.
play slots win real money free3) Hearts
Hearts is a simple game - the less hearts and the fewer points you hold, the better off you're going to be. Problem is most people have the exact opposite mindset. I've seen people go as high as 26N with 5 hearts! Another common mistake is bidding the exact number of points + hearts you hold. This might work some of the time but it's an easy read for your opponent who will therefore underbid you purposefully to trap you. Keep your bid below that number to throw them off. For example if they bid 14S 8D, bid 13N or 12N. These small mistakes will cost you a lot of $ over time so pay attention to your opponents' tendencies. Despite the potential to grind out hundreds of dollars in profit, nobody plays this game anymore. There was routinely 5-10 tables running on PokerStars during college football and hockey season but I can't even find a game now. Ever.
4) Black Mariah
Black Mariah is a complicated game which takes years to master. Bidding and defendng tricks/tricks taken are both very important. If you like Bridge you'll almost certainly enjoy this one. Unfortunately it only gets 1-3 tables worth of action on PokerStars at their lowest stakes.
5) Cuckoo
Cuckoo is similar to Hearts except that you want as many points as possible. Problem is your score counts towards your partner's total as well as your own. This one tends to get extremely aggressive with people bidding way too high given the amount of tricks/points in their hand. If your opponent bids 18N 13D for example you can be fairly certain they have at least three diamonds and maybe even four. With this information you should feel comfortable raising to 19N 12H knowing you only need to bring them down to 20N or higher to guarantee yourself the pot. Great game if you're looking for some action. Very few big pairs so upswings should be moderate to severe. This one doesn't run very often - I checked and there wasn't a single table running on PokerStars at their lowest stakes.
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Euchre is another game I never thought I'd lose money at but I have! Multiple times actually. This game is super popular in the Midwest of the US where there are 4-5 different variations. All of them are similar so if you know how to play Euchre, you can pick any of them up quickly. I suggest watching this to familiarize yourself with the rules before you play. Then download on your phone and put in some work. Trust me, you're going to look like a moron asking questions and making rookie mistakes at the table.
Casinos in Alabama - 2023's Best AL Casinos & Gambling OptionsThere were as many as 20 tables of Euchre running during prime time but that's been cut in half since then. I estimate around $100,000 has been played in total with a handful of players. There is . A lot of it. Everyone has their own bidding strategy, definitions for trump, etc. Try to get in on the beginning so you can help standardize the rules.
7) Five-Card Draw Lima
Lima is a crazy version of five-card draw where each player gets five new cards after the showdown. The winner is the person who finishes with the worst hand. That's right – you want the worst hand possible. Pretty much everybody raises every hand so you’ll usually see all-in action on virtually every hand. There’s not near as much action as Three Handed Holdem but you should still get into this one at least once to experience the showdown/lima part of things. I’m not joking. This is a real thing. You will look really smart if you realize that you should sit out if you get quadso. Indeed, quadso is the best hand possible at showdown and will turn into quad fours following the lima. Conversely, if you have pants on fires you’ll end up with four tens following the lima. Not good.
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Bridge is a tough game to get into because there are so many variables. Contract, bidding, defense - there's a ton to learn. Similar to blackjack, Bridge players will tell you that "it's just math" but that's simply not true. There's a lot of room for creativity / clever bidding / defense etc which definitely falls into the grey area. That said, if you like poker and you haven't tried Bridge you should give it a shot. There weren't any tables running when I checked but that could just be due to the time of day.
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Go-Fish is a pretty straight forward game of five-card draw with a couple twists. First, you can only ask for one kind of card. Second, you can't ask for cards you already have in your hand. Third, there's a bonus for making different hands i.e. flushes, straights etc. Pretty sure this game played hysterically high since your opponents can see your cards at all times. I couldn't get the game going at all.
10) Nine-Card Lima Little India
I didn't play this one but according to the readme file, you start with three cards and get nine at showdown. Little India refers to the fact that you start with a seven-eight-nine, which makes it almost impossible to get caught with the nuts turned over. Indeed the readme suggests slow-playing quads at showdown. There was literally zero action on this game at any stakes.
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This is a decent amount of fun. Since you only use one set of hole cards, it kind of feels like Holdem which is nice. Everybody seems to play the nuts so get ready for a lot of all-in action. I raised aces a few times with no biters which turned out to be a mistake since most hands are won with top pair.
What Is the Most Popular Fun Poker Game?
As you might have guessed Three-Handed Limit Holdem is by far the most popular of these fun poker games - with regular games and tournaments available. However, during certain parts of the year you can find a ton of players in games like Spades, Cuckoo and Hearts.
Good luck if you decide to try any of these games. Remember, you're dealing with novices here so they won't understand basic poker etiquette. Things like checking the best hand or floating a big hand will confuse them. Have fun exploiting their lack of knowledge!
And if you're looking for some more great ideas, check our list below!
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- The is a collection of the most common bad poker habits with tips on how to avoid them.
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- Learn the and why you should care about them in this must-read strategy article.
- If you're having trouble putting your opponent on a hand, this should help.
- A is a great way to add some fun to your next home game.
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