Among the various Poker variants you may find at the top poker sites you may notice Anaconda Poker. Ever wondered what this game involves? Then you’re at the right place! This is a version of classic 7 Card Stud that has you rethink your strategies through a simple addition - the ability to pass cards you don’t want to your neighbouring players However, the same will happen to you, so be careful as to what cards you decide to get rid of. This is why Anaconda Poker may also be found under the name Pass The Trash! But don’t pass this poker variant and continue reading to learn how to play it.
The Basics of Anaconda Poker
Anaconda Poker is a variant of 7 Card Stud, and barring a few rule changes it plays a lot like it. As such, the aim remains that of forming the best 5-card hand - or giving the impression you managed to form one - in order to win the pot. The game is played with a traditional 52-card deck, and sometimes a couple of jokers or wilds are put into play to further spice up the action.
That said, there are a few differences. For instance, players are immediately dealt 7 cards with which to form their hands. Next is how after they place their bets players can pass cards to the players to their left. This is known as “Pass The Trash”, and is key to this game’s unique appeal.
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How a Game of Anaconda Poker Works
By this point you’ll be asking how a game of Anaconda Poker actually runs. This should prove familiar if you’ve played 7 Card Stud, but the aforementioned differences might put you on your backfoot. With this in mind, let’s go through a typical game of Anaconda Poker.
- The dealer hands out 7 cards to all players.
- The player on the left of the dealer opens a round of betting.
- As in traditional 7 Card Stud, the players can then:
- Call - Place a bet of the same size as agreed.
- Raise - Increase the betting amount.
- Fold - Abandon the hand and lose their bet.
- Once the first round of betting is over, each player passes 3 cards to the player on their left.
- After everyone has passed their cards betting restarts, typically with the next player on the dealer’s left.
- Again, players can call, raise, or fold as they want.
- This time around players pass 2 cards to their right-hand neighbour.
- Once the second round of betting is over the third round of betting.
- All players can call, raise, or fold before they pass 1 card to their left-hand neighbour.
Now that the third round of betting is over we head to the game’s showdown. Here’s how this works:
- All players discard 2 cards from the 7 they are holding in order to form a 5-card hand.
- Once done they place their 5-card hand face down with the cards in any order they desire.
- All players start revealing their hand one card face up at a time.
- A round of betting takes place after each card is revealed, with players folding or raising.
- Once all cards are revealed the player with the best hand wins!
The Hand Rankings
Anaconda Poker Hand Rankings
Anaconda Poker follows the standard poker hand rankings. These are as follows, starting from the weakest:
- High card: The highest card is the best hand. If two cards are the same value, the spade is usually regarded as the highest-ranking card, followed by the heart, diamond, and then the club.
- One pair: Two cards of the same value.
- Two pair: Two pairs, with each pair containing two cards of the same value.
- Three of a kind: Three cards of the same value.
- Straight: All five cards in sequential order; the ace serves as the low or high end.
- Flush: All five cards of the same suit, though not necessarily in sequential order.
- Full house: Three cards of one value and two cards of another.
- Four of a kind: Four cards of the same value.
- Straight flush: All five cards are of the same suit and in sequential order, with an ace as the low or high end.
- Royal flush: The straight flush must contain an ace, king, queen, jack, and ten.
If wilds are in play the game can get an even stronger final hand - a five of a kind. Depending on the number of wilds used this can be a four of a kind plus a wild or a three of a kind plus 2 wilds.
Anaconda Poker Strategy
The passing element of Anaconda Poker means higher hands compared to the typical game of 7 Card Stud. As such, you need to keep careful track of the cards you are passing to the other players! Considering the number of bets being made the pot can be pretty big, so know when to let go of a hand and fold. If you know you’re beat.
The Anaconda Means Pass That Trash!
Anaconda Poker started as a home game, and remains popular among groups of friends meeting up for a game of poker with a difference. This is why it has plenty of further variations, such as the addition of wilds, different directions as to how to pass your trash, and different amounts of starting cards. This is a flexible type of poker that allows one to tweak their fun as they desire! Remember to sharpen your strategy as you play Anaconda Poker and, as always, do play responsibly.
