The 7-2 game is the most popular side game in home poker, and the rule fits on a beer mat: win a pot holding seven-deuce, and everyone else pays you.
Seven-deuce offsuit is widely considered the worst starting hand in Texas hold'em, which is the point. Playing it is a mistake, so you only do it if the payout is worth the risk.
The basic rule
If a player wins a pot holding 7-2 offsuit, every other player pays them a pre-agreed amount. The winner usually has to show the cards to claim it.
Most groups set a flat bounty per player, such as 5 or 10. At a six-player table with a 10 bounty, a winning 7-2 is worth 50.
Four things to agree first
The rule is simple, and nearly every argument about it comes from one of these.
1. Who pays. Some games make every player dealt into the hand pay, including those who folded preflop. Others only charge the players who stayed in. Charging folders is simpler and keeps the bounty big. Exempting them is gentler on the table.
2. What counts as a win. Does it have to go to showdown? Does a 7-2 that wins by everyone folding count? Does a chopped pot count? Say so before you start. The most common answer is that you must win the pot and show the hand.
3. Whether the cards must be shown. The usual rule is that the winner has to show the 7-2 to claim the bounty. Without that, anyone could say they had it.
4. How big. Keep the bounty small enough that nobody feels forced. A good test: if someone would fold a strong hand rather than risk paying, it's too big.
Optional add-ons
- Last to fold. The player who folded last before the 7-2 won pays double, because they gave up the pot.
- Time limit. Run it for one orbit of the dealer button, or the first two hours, rather than all night.
How it changes the game
It encourages a few more players to see flops, because 7-2 is now worth a look when it's cheap. It also adds a new bluff to the table, since anyone might be holding it.
Settling it
Treat the bounty as part of the night's results. If Dana wins a 7-2 with a 10 bounty and five others at the table:
- Dana's cash-out goes up by 50.
- Each of the other five players' buy-ins go up by 10.
Then settle once, at the end, with everything else. The side games overview shows the same method, and the free calculator does the arithmetic.