Circle Hold'em lays the board out in a ring instead of a row. There are six board cards, set around a circle like the numbers on a clock, and your hand is both of your cards plus three board cards that sit next to each other. Where a card lands matters as much as what it is.
How a hand plays
- Blinds. Small and big blind, as in Hold'em.
- Two cards each. Round of betting.
- The flop. Two cards go on the circle, at 12 o'clock and 6 o'clock. Round of betting.
- The turn. Two more, at 2 o'clock and 8 o'clock. Round of betting.
- The river. The last two, at 4 o'clock and 10 o'clock. Final round of betting.
- Showdown. Your hand is both of your cards plus any three cards next to each other around the circle.
Which three cards count
Going round the clock, the six spots are 12, 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10. Any three in a row make a group, and the circle wraps round, so there are six groups:
- 12, 2, 4
- 2, 4, 6
- 4, 6, 8
- 6, 8, 10
- 8, 10, 12
- 10, 12, 2
You must use both of your own cards with one of these groups. You can't pick three cards from different parts of the circle.
What the order of cards tells you
The flop cards sit opposite each other, at 12 and 6. No group contains both of them, so after the flop every possible hand uses exactly one flop card.
After the turn, every group contains exactly two known cards and one card still to come. So on the turn you can see, for every group, which two board cards it will use, and that one of the two river cards will finish it.
That makes the turn the most important street to read.
An example hand
You hold 9♠ 9♦. The board finishes:
- 12 o'clock: 9♥
- 2 o'clock: 2♠
- 4 o'clock: 5♥
- 6 o'clock: K♣
- 8 o'clock: K♦
- 10 o'clock: 9♣
The group 8, 10, 12 is K♦ 9♣ 9♥. With your two nines that makes 9 9 9 9 K: four of a kind.
If the 9♣ had landed at 4 o'clock instead, the two board nines would be on opposite sides of the circle. No group would hold both, and the best you could make would be three nines.
Tips
- Pairs are strong. You always play both your cards, so a pocket pair is always in your hand.
- Read the circle, not just the cards. A flush needs three suited cards in a row around the ring, not three anywhere.
- Count the groups that help you. A card only helps if it sits next to other cards that work with your hand.
Play it
Play Circle Hold'em on Bink with friends in your browser, for chips. The table draws the board as a circle and works out every player's best group at showdown.