Card Game Club

The Gunn High School Card Game Club is, as its name suggests, a club dedicated to playing card games. It was founded in the spring of 2023 and meets every Monday in room M4. Unlike other clubs, this one does not plan activities; it simply provides a space and cards for people to play whatever game they want. The most popular card game played is poker; the club provides chips as well.

Government

The Card Game Club is a representative democracy, with club members not significantly involved in the decision-making process. Elections for all positions are held once a year.

Game Rules

Club officers have written rules for the games most commonly played in the Card Game Club.

TEXAS HOLD-EM POKER:

A is the highest card in this game.

Gameplay:

• Everyone puts the minimum bet in the middle. Alternatively, the person clockwise to the dealer puts the “small blind” and the next person puts the “big blind”.
• The dealer first deals two cards to each person and then five cards in the middle. They then flip over three of the five cards.
• Going clockwise starting from the person after the dealer, bets are made.
  • If the bet has not been raised, you can do one of two things:
    • Check, which means “skip”, or
    • Raise, which means increase the bet.
  • If the amount has been raised, there are three options:
    • Call, which means match the raised amount,
    • Raise, which means match the raised amount and raise some more, or
    • Fold, which means forfeit that round -- no more money must be put in and any person that has folded is not eligible to win.
  • If someone runs out of money, all the money on the table goes into a separate pile. The person is eligible to win that money, but not any money subsequently bet.
    • For example, if Alice ran out of money, the money on the table goes to a separate pile while Bob and Cameron continue betting. If Alice has a full house while Bob has a straight and Cameron a two pair, Alice wins the separate pile while Bob wins the rest of the money.
• After everyone has had a chance to bet AND everyone (except the people who folded) has bet the same amount of money, the next card in the middle is flipped.
• Another round of betting happens
• The last card in the middle is flipped
• A last round of betting happens
• The players reveal their hands, which are composed of any combination of their cards and the five cards in the middle.
• The person with the highest hand receives all the chips that were bet unless a separate pile was made.

The hands (in ascending order), with the win condition if multiple players have the same hand:

• High card: a single card. Number of highest, then next highest, then third, fourth, and lowest (AT643 > KQT43 > KJ874 > KJ653 > KJ643 > KJ642).
• Pair: two of the same number. Number of pair, number of highest leftover card, then number of next highest, then lowest (QQT96 > JJAJT > JJQT5 > JJQ87 > JJQ85).
• Two pair: two pairs. Number of the higher pair, then lower pair, then the leftover card (KKJJ5 > QQJJ9 > QQTT5 > QQTT3).
• Three of a kind: three of the same number. Number of the three cards, number of the higher leftover card, then the lower leftover card (TTTA5 > TTTJ9 > TTTJ3).
• Straight: five consecutive numbers (The ace can be used as a 1 or as the card higher than King, but it cannot loop around. A2345 and TJQKA are possible straights, but QKA23 is not.) The highest top card wins; A2345 is the lowest straight, TJQKA is the highest.
• Flush: five of the same suit. Highest number wins (SJSTS6S4S2 > STS9S6S4S2).
• Full house: a three of a kind and a pair. Number of three of a kind, then number of pair (JJJTT > 777AA > 77755).
• 4 of a kind: 4 of the same number. Number of 4 cards, then number of leftover card (99993 > 7777A > 77774).
• Straight flush: a straight and a flush. Straight scoring rules.
• Royal flush: a straight flush with the numbers 10, J, Q, K, A. They are all the same.

If, after using the above scoring rules, multiple players have identical winning hands, then the pot is divided between them.

ZHENG SHANGYOU (“FIGHT UPSTREAM” or “FIGHT OVER OIL”):

2 is the highest card in this game. Jokers may be kept or removed.

Gameplay:

• A deck of cards is split evenly between four people.
• The person with the H3 plays a hand containing that card.
• People can do two things:
  • Play a hand of the same type with each higher than the last, or
  • Pass. A player may pass even if they have a hand to play.
• If a person plays a hand that everyone else passes on, they can now play whatever hand they want.
• The game continues as before, with players playing hands of the same type or passing. As usual, when everyone else has passed, a player can play whatever hand they want.
• This cycle continues until a person has played all their cards at which point the game ends.
• Alternatively, the game may continue so that there is a 1st place winner, 2nd place, etc. In this case, if everyone passes on the winner’s last hand, the privilege of playing any hand “rolls over” to the person immediately after the player.

Hands:

• Single card: One card, Jokers can also be played as single cards if applicable. The Color Joker is bigger than the Black-and-White Joker.
• Pair: 2 of the same number
• Straight: 5 or more consecutive cards. If a straight is played, all straights in that cycle must be of the same length. As 2 is the highest card, JQKA2 is a possible straight, but not 23456.
• Pair straight: 3 or more consecutive pairs. Its rules are similar to those of straights.
• Bomb: 3 or 4 of the same number, or 2 Jokers. Can be played after hands of a different type, and only bombs can be played after bombs. For example, if Alice plays the straight 9TJQKA2, Bob may play 999 and all subsequent players in the cycle will need to play bombs or pass. Any 4-card bomb beats any 3-card bomb, and 2 Jokers is the highest possible bomb.

CHOR DAI DI (“BIG TWO”):

2 is the highest card in this game. The suit order ascending is D, C, H, S.

Gameplay:

• A deck of cards is split evenly between four people.
• The person with the D3 plays a hand containing that card.
• People can do two things:
  • Play a hand of the same number of cards with each higher than the last (for example you can play full house over a straight), or
  • Pass. A player may pass even if they have a hand to play.
• If a person plays a hand that everyone else passes on, they can now play whatever hand they want.
• The game continues as before, with players playing hands of the same type or passing. As usual, when everyone else has passed, a player can play whatever hand they want.
• This cycle continues until a person has played all their cards at which point the game ends.
• Alternatively, the game may continue so that there is a 1st place winner, 2nd place, etc. In this case, if everyone passes on the winner’s last hand, the privilege of playing any hand “rolls over” to the person immediately after the player.

Hands (A card’s value is determined first by number, then by suit. D6 > S4 > H4 > C4 > D4):

• One card hands:
  • Single card.
• Two card hands:
  • Pair, determined by highest card.
• Three card hands:
  • Three of a kind, determined by highest card.
• Five card hands, in ascending order. All instances of a higher hand are higher all instances of a lower hand (ex. All flushes are higher than all straights):
  • Two pair + any card, this hand is sometimes not allowed.
  • Straight, determined by highest card.
  • Flush, determined by highest card
  • Full House, determined by the number that there are 3 of.
  • 4 of a kind + any card, determined by number that there are 4 of.
  • Straight Flush, determined by highest card.
  • Royal Flush, determined by highest card.