Welcome to Palace Poker!

In Palace Poker, the goal is to win the pot by having the best hand. It’s a fun and strategic game that requires both skill and a little bit of luck. Let me give you an introduction to the game.

Getting Started

Palace Poker is played with a standard deck of 52 cards and can be enjoyed by 2 to 10 players. The cards are ranked with an Ace being the highest, followed by King, Queen, Jack, and then the numbers in descending order. The game is primarily a betting game, and it’s suitable for adults.

Exploring Palace Poker

Palace Poker is an exciting variation of traditional poker games. It offers a unique twist to the betting structure, making it a game of skill and strategy rather than just luck. Some people also refer to it as Castle Poker or Banner Poker.

The Deal

When we start a game, we need to choose the first dealer. To do this, we draw cards and the player with the highest-ranking cards becomes the dealer. But here’s the thing – the suits of the cards don’t count. So, if two or more players end up with the same high-ranking cards, they keep drawing until we find a dealer.

About the Banner Cards

But before we start dealing the actual cards, there’s something else we need to do. Each player has to place an ante, which is a small bet, before they get their first card. This ante is usually half the value of a small bet. And here’s the interesting part – the first cards that are dealt to each player are called the banner cards. We deal them one by one, and they’re face-up for everyone to see.

Why do we call them banner cards? Well, the reason is simple. These cards hold a special role. You see, when we deal them, we have to do it slowly. Why? Because each player needs to have a different suit. So if there are, say, 2 to 4 players, we want to make sure each player gets a different suit. That way, there’s more diversity and excitement in the game.

When playing the game “Palace,” the dealer starts by giving each player a card face-up, beginning with the person on their left. The dealer then moves to the next player, and everyone is dealt one card at a time until they have a card with a different suit than the first player. This process continues until every player has a banner card of a different suit. Keep in mind that players 5-8 form one group, while players 9 and 10 are another group.

If the dealer runs out of cards before successfully dealing all the banner cards, they must shuffle the discarded banner cards and continue the deal.

Palace Cards

So, once the dealer has dealt out the banner cards, they collect the remaining cards and give them a good shuffle, you know, a couple more times just to make sure. Then it’s time for the next deal. Now, it’s our turn to get some cards. Each of us will get three cards, but they’re gonna be face-down, one at a time. The dealer starts with the player to their left. We call these cards the palace cards. Oh, and just so you know, there are some cards left in the deck, and they’ll be sitting right in the middle of the table.

Let’s Get Playing

Alright, now it’s time for the fun part. The player to the left of the dealer goes first. And on their turn, they’ve got five choices: they can buy, discard, bet, stay, or fold.

Ready to Make a Purchase?

Buying or Drawing: When you play Palace Poker, you have the option to buy or draw a card from the middle deck. To do this, you place a small bet in the pot and take the top card from the deck. This card is called a soldier card, and it is placed below the banner card, perpendicular to it. You can choose to discard any number of soldier cards (up to five) to the discard pile, including the one you just bought. The discard pile is located to the right of the deck on the table, and in this game, it is face-down.

If the draw deck runs out of cards, the dealer shuffles the discard pile and it becomes the new draw deck. However, if both the discard pile and the draw deck are empty, you can no longer buy or draw cards.

Discard:

When you discard, you choose not to buy or draw any cards. Instead, you simply discard one or more soldier cards.

Bet/Battle:

Unlike other poker games, this game offers you a unique opportunity to bet against specific players. When you decide to place a bet, you must also declare who you want to bet against. In this game, players are recognized by their banner cards, and you cannot bet against someone who has the same suit as your banner card.

Determining the minimum bet is quite simple. Just use this formula: Multiply the number of Soldier Cards plus the Banner card by the Small Bet, and you’ll get the minimum bet. Keep in mind that the minimum bet may vary for each player, depending on their hand.

All the bets are placed in the main pot. Therefore, the winner of the battle might not necessarily win the chips, unless they happen to be the last player in the game.

When you decide to bet against another player, you become the attacker, and they become the defender. As a defender, they have three options: fold, call, or raise.

Now let’s take a closer look at each option:

Fold: If the defender chooses to fold, they give up their cards and their chance to win the battle.

Call: When the defender opts to call, they match the attacker’s bet, and the battle continues.

Raise: If the defender wants to raise, they increase the bet. The attacker then has the choice to either match the raised bet or fold.

Remember, the outcome of this game relies on both strategy and luck, and it can be quite thrilling. So, get ready for an exciting poker experience as you go head-to-head against your opponents, vying for victory!

If you decide to give up and fold, just put your palace cards in the discard pile. Don’t worry, you’ll still get your soldier and banner cards from the attack. But remember, you can’t have more than five soldiers, so you can toss out any extras if you want.

If I, as a defender, make a call, I have to put in a small bet that is equal to the number of my Soldier Cards plus my Banner card. Once I make the call, the attacker passes me their palace cards. Now it’s my turn to examine them and determine the winner of the bet or the “battle.” To decide the winner, I use the regular Poker Hand Rankings. I carefully assess all the cards the attacker has, including their banner card, and try to figure out the best 5-card hand they can make. If I believe that I’ve won, I pass my palace cards to the attacker for confirmation.

Here’s an important thing to keep in mind: if any card in my hand matches my opponent’s banner card, I cannot include it in my hand.

The loser of the battle or bet is immediately eliminated from the game, while the winner claims both the soldier cards and the banner card for themselves.

If me and my opponent happen to tie in a battle, the one of us who has more cards in our banner suit will win. But if we still tie, we’re both out, unless we’re the last two players left in the game – then we split the pot.

Raise

During a battle, the defender can also choose to “raise”. First, they have to follow the calling formula mentioned earlier, and then:

• Limit: they can raise the bet by a big amount or double the small bet, if they don’t have any soldier cards
• No Limit: they can raise an amount equal to or greater than the big bet

If there’s a raise, the attacker has a few options:

• Fold and let the defender keep their raise. The attacker is out of the game and the defender gets to keep their face-up cards.
• Call
• Re-raise

The player who calls last gets to see the cards and decides who the winner is.

Stay

When it’s your turn, you have a choice to stay or do nothing. If you decide to stay, the game continues clockwise to the next player.

If all players choose to stay and discard their cards, then the hand is over and a new one begins.

WINNING

The goal of the game is to be the last player remaining who has not folded their cards. If there are only two players left, they must play until there is a clear winner. However, if there are two or three players left and they all have the same suit, the game ends and the pot is divided equally among them.

If the game reaches the Stay/Discard/Fold sequence, a traditional poker showdown occurs. The player with the highest hand wins the pot. In the event of a tie, the pot is split between the tied players.

If the game reaches the Stay/Discard/Fold sequence, a traditional poker showdown occurs. The player with the highest hand wins the pot. In the event of a tie, the pot is split between the tied players.