Welcome to another variation of five card draw. For this edition, the same rules still apply as far as hand rankings, but you have a slight twist in the value of a card.
Twos are now considered the “assassin” or “kill” cards. There are four of them to a deck, so there are four chances, almost eight percent, that you may receive a two of some kind.
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Top Tips For Assassin Poker
- Know The Rules
- Hand Values
- Option To Bluff
- Bankroll
Know The Rules
The game follows along like five card draw. You are dealt five cards, and a betting round will follow. However, this is the flow of the game:
The player has the option of not revealing the two when drawing, so as not to receive an extra card and thereby lessen the risk of being “assassinated.” Showing the two acts as a wild card in the sense that you get an extra card dealt to you on trade-in, but you risk being dealt another two and ultimately end up stuck with it after the draw.
A player who trades in one or more twos face up will only have a six-card hand maximum after being dealt replacement cards. In the showdown, the player will choose the best five cards to make their poker hand, but also have to show the sixth card to prove it was not a two.
Hand Values
The hand rankings are still the same in this game as regular five card draw. However, the twos have altered a few things.
Since twos are dead cards, you no longer are able to play them in a pair, three of a kind, four of a kind, full houses, flushes, or straights. Even though some of those are lower-end rankings, you still lose out on a potentially strong hand such as a four of a kind or flush.
On the other side, the twos have become a “hot potato” kind of card. You want to get rid of them as fast as you can, but only have one shot at it.
You can trade one (or more if you have extra in your hand) in and receive another card, so you have an extra card in your hand to help make your odds better. As per the rules, only one card will replace a two for your hand but not more than one.
Option To Bluff
If you have a two in your final hand, you do not have to fold it right away. You may continue betting, and if you happen to convince all the other players to fold, you have escaped the assassination, and you win the pot without having to show your hand.
However, when keeping any two, you automatically lose any showdown, period. If it turns out that all the players in the showdown have twos, then every person loses, and the pot is then carried forward to the next deal.
Bankroll
Regardless if you plan on bluffing or not, the two is an automatic loss unless, as mentioned above, that you are the last player before the showdown happens, and you win the pot that way.
Since the twos are a kill card, you are subject to losing hands whenever you are dealt that card and cannot get rid of it. With this in mind, you lose your money right away on those hands since you are “assassinated.”
If you are not watching your bankroll, you could be in trouble. It is important to know what amount of money is comfortable for you to play with and how much you are willing to lose on a given day.