How to Play Greek Hold'em

Greek Hold'em is Hold'em with Omaha's toughest rule bolted on: it's like Omaha with only two hole cards. A great board means nothing if your two cards don't fit it. Fresh in the dojo, and it rewards players who read the board carefully.

Every game here uses Dojo Coin: play money with no real-world value. You can buy it with Buy Coin (not sold in Washington state), but you can't cash it out. It's just for practice.

How a hand plays

1. Button and blinds. The dealer button moves one seat left each hand. The two players to its left post the small and big blind. No antes. In tournaments everyone starts with 5,000 chips at blinds of 10/20, and the blinds go up every set number of hands.
2. Deal. Everyone gets 2 cards face down.
3. Preflop. The player left of the big blind acts first. The big blind acts last and may raise even if everyone just called.
4. Flop, turn, river. Three shared cards, then a fourth, then a fifth. A betting round follows each, starting with the first player still in to the left of the button.
5. Showdown. Every player's hand is made from both hole cards + exactly 3 board cards. Best hand wins.

If everyone else folds, the last player wins the pot without showing. Heads-up: the button posts the small blind and acts first preflop; after the flop the big blind acts first.

Betting rules

On your turn you can check (if nobody has bet), bet, call, raise or fold. If you could check for free, the site checks for you instead of folding.

• No-limit: bet anything from one big blind up to all your chips.
• Smallest raise: at least as big as the last full bet or raise this round.
• Short all-ins don't reopen the betting for players who already acted, unless they add up to a full raise. Side pots work just like Hold'em.

Hand rankings

Same high-hand rankings as Hold'em, from royal flush down to high card. See the full hand rankings table.

Ties: kickers count, but your kickers are always your own two cards plus the three board cards you used. Exactly equal hands split the pot, with any odd chip going to the first tied player left of the button.

Tricky spots

Board flush, no flush. Board A♥ K♥ Q♥ J♥ 9♥. 2♣ 3♦ is not a flush. 2♥ 3♥ is. Even T♥ 3♦ isn't: one heart is not enough.

Board straight, no straight. Board 5♠ 6♥ 7♦ 8♣ 9♠. Holding 2♣ 2♦, you have just a pair of twos. You need both cards to fit, like 4♣ 8♦ with 5-6-7 on a 5♠ 6♥ 7♦ K♣ 2♠ board.

Quads on board. Board K♠ K♥ K♦ K♣ A♠. 2♣ 3♦ makes only three kings (three board cards plus your two).

Trips on board. Board K♠ K♥ K♦ 4♣ 2♠. A pocket pair like 9♣ 9♦ makes a full house; 9♣ 8♦ is only three kings.

Your kicker is forced. Board A♠ 7♥ 4♦ 3♣ 2♠. A♦ 6♣ (a pair of aces) beats K♣ K♦ (a pair of kings), and A♦ K♣ beats A♣ Q♦.

FAQ