Pot or Fold has no betting at all. Instead, each street has a price. Everyone decides at the same time whether to pay it and stay in, or fold. The price doubles on every street, and the hands are made like Omaha. It's quick to learn and full of tension, because you never know who else is paying until everyone has chosen.
How a hand plays
- Everyone antes. Each player puts in the ante. There are no blinds.
- Four cards each. Dealt face down.
- The flop comes straight away. Three board cards, with no decision before it.
- Pay or fold on the flop. Everyone chooses at the same time: pay a price equal to the ante, or fold.
- The turn. One board card. Pay or fold again, and the price doubles.
- The river. One last board card. Pay or fold, and the price doubles again.
- Showdown. Everyone who paid on the river shows their hand, and the best one wins the pot.
With an ante of 10, the prices are 10 on the flop, 20 on the turn and 40 on the river.
The simultaneous choice
Nobody sees what anyone else chose until everyone has decided. Then all the choices are shown together. That leads to two special cases:
- If only one player pays, everyone else folded, so that player wins the pot.
- If everyone folds at the same time, nobody pays and nobody is out. Everyone stays in and the hand moves on.
So folding can be a bet that everyone else will fold too.
Making your hand: Omaha rules
You have four cards, but you must use exactly two of them and exactly three from the board. Not one of yours, not three. Exactly two.
That catches out Hold'em players. If the board has four hearts and you hold one heart, you do not have a flush. You need two hearts of your own.
An example hand
The ante is 10 and five players are in. You hold A♠ K♠ Q♦ J♦ and the flop is 10♠ 7♠ 2♣.
You have the nut flush draw: A♠ K♠ with two spades on the board. Any spade on the turn or river gives you the best flush. You pay 10.
The turn is the 4♠. You have the ace high flush, using A♠ K♠ with 10♠ 7♠ 4♠. You pay 20. The river is the 9♦, which doesn't pair the board, so nobody can have a full house. You pay 40 knowing you hold the best possible hand.
Tips
- Pay with the nuts or the best draw. With no bet sizes to read, the only question is whether your hand is worth the price.
- Use the cheap street. The flop is the cheapest price. It's the time to stay in with a strong draw.
- Remember the Omaha rule. Check that your hand uses exactly two of your cards before you pay.
Play it
Play Pot or Fold on Bink with friends in your browser, for chips. The table keeps everyone's choice hidden until the last player has decided.