Folk game
Polish Poker
- Players
- 3–8
- Duration
- 20 min
- Difficulty
- 1/3
- Deck
- 52-card deck
Chapter 1 of 4
How to set up
A bluffing game for 3-8 players with a single card each. Players declare poker hands across every card on the table and must sense when to call a bluff.
Objective
Be the last player left in the game. You lose a round when someone calls your declaration and the hand is not there, or when you call a hand that is there. Every lost round costs you one extra card, and whoever goes over the card limit is eliminated.
Setup
- Deck
- 52 cards, no jokers
- In hand
- 1 each to start, face down
- On the table
- rest of the deck face down in the middle
- The cards Shuffle and deal. Everyone looks at their own card and shows it to nobody.
- Who opens Choose who opens the first round, for example the player with the lowest card in a trial deal or simply the player to the dealer's left.
- Mechanics
Chapter 2 of 4
How to play
- The first player declares a poker hand they claim exists when all the cards of all players are considered together, as if they were a single hand. From lowest to highest the hands are pair, two pair, three of a kind, straight, flush, full house, four of a kind and straight flush. Within the same hand, ranks matter: a pair of 10 beats a pair of 7. Always name the ranks that identify it: "three 9", "two pair, K and 5", "full house, 9 over 4", "straight to the 10". A flush or straight flush is declared with its suit and top card, for example "flush in hearts to the A": between two flushes the top card counts, and the suit never decides. High card alone cannot be declared.
- The next player, clockwise, has two options. They can raise, declaring a higher hand than the previous one or the same hand with a higher rank (for example from a pair of 7 to a pair of 10), or they can call the declaration that was just made.
- On a call, everyone reveals their cards and only the last declared hand is checked. If the hand exists, the caller loses the round. If it does not exist, the declarer loses the round.
- Whoever loses the round receives one extra card, kept for every following hand. Collect the cards, reshuffle and deal again: one card to everyone, plus the extra cards each player has accumulated.
- The player who lost the round opens the next one. If they were eliminated, the player to their left opens.
- When a player would receive a card beyond the limit, they are eliminated. The limit depends on the number of players at the start of the game, as in the table below, and does not change when someone is eliminated. The last player standing wins.
| Players | Max cards |
|---|---|
| 3-4 | 5 |
| 5 | 4 |
| 6-8 | 3 |
Frequently asked questions
Do the declarer's own cards count?
Yes. The declared hand must exist among all the cards of all players taken together, including the cards of the player who declared it.
Do you have to declare the suit?
Only for a flush and a straight flush, which make no sense without one. For the other hands the ranks are enough: one for a pair, three of a kind and four of a kind ("three 9"), two for two pair and a full house ("full house, 9 over 4"), the top card for a straight ("straight to the 10").
What happens if nobody ever calls?
Sooner or later someone has to. Every declaration must beat the previous one and the number of hands is finite, so whoever faces the highest straight flush can only call.
How many cards get you eliminated?
It depends on how many of you are playing: 5 cards with 3 or 4 players, 4 cards with 5, 3 cards with 6 to 8. Whoever would receive one more is out.
Chapter 3 of 4
An example hand
The start
Anna, Bruno, Carla and Dario are at the table. It is the first round, so everyone holds a single card: Anna has the 9♥, Bruno the 9♠, Carla the A♣ and Dario the 4♦.
Tips
- Open low: whoever starts with a strong hand gives away information and takes a risk straight away.
- A player holding many cards sees more of the table and can bluff with more confidence, but is also one step from elimination.
Chapter 4 of 4
Table summary
- 3–8 players
- 20 min
- 52-card deck
In short
- One face-down card each. Lose a round, get one more card.
- Declare a poker hand you claim exists among all the cards on the table.
- Last player standing wins.
Hands, lowest first
- Pair
- Two pair
- Three of a kind
- Straight
- Flush
- Full house
- Four of a kind
- Straight flush
Same hand type: higher rank wins. Two pair and full house are declared with two ranks ("full house, 9 over 4"), a straight by its top card, a flush by suit and top card (the suit never decides). High card cannot be declared.
On a turn
- Raise: declare a hand higher than the previous one.
- Call: everyone reveals, only the last declaration is checked.
Who loses the round
- The hand exists: the caller loses.
- It doesn't: the declarer loses.
- The loser gets one more card and opens the next round. If eliminated, the player to their left opens.
Elimination
Out when you would receive a card beyond the maximum. The player count at the start of the game sets it.
| Players | Max cards |
|---|---|
| 3-4 | 5 |
| 5 | 4 |
| 6-8 | 3 |
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