Barney's Poker

This is the famous Barney's Poker game that our Barney family loves to play whenever they get together. The proper name is "Seven card high-low, Roll your own, Bring 'em back."

Here are the Rules for Barney's Poker:

•  1. Deal 3 cards to each player, all face-down.
•  2. Each player selects one card which is turned face-up. The player with the highest card(s) showing has the opportunity to start the betting round -- else he can check or fold.
•  3. Deal another face-down card to each player (4 total cards); then each player selects a card to turn face-up; betting as in step 2.
•  4. Deal another face-down card to each player (5 total cards); then each player selects a card to turn face-up; betting as in step 2.
•  5. Deal another face-down card to each player (6 total cards); then each player selects a card to turn face-up; betting as in step 2.
•  6. Deal the final face-down card to each player (7 total cards). Now each player has 3 face-down cards and 4 face-up cards; betting as in step 2.
•  7. Each player selects the 5 cards which make the best high or low poker hand, and discards the other two. Then he arranges the five poker-hand cards in the order that they are to be revealed to the other players.
•  8. All players turn up one card and there is a betting round as in step 2.
•  9. All players turn up 3 more cards -- one at a time -- and betting rounds as in step 2.
• 10. There is one card remaining face-down. Now each player declares whether he is going for a high hand or a low hand (We always do this by hiding chips in our fists and holding our fists over the table -- no chips for a low hand, one chip for a high hand -- when everyone is ready then all fists are opened and everyone's declaring chips are shown at once).
• 11. One more betting round, as in step 2 (but see House Rule #4). Then the winning hands are shown.

These are the Barney House Rules for this game and most other poker games:

• 1. A player cannot check and raise in the same betting round, unless he has called at least once before raising.
• 2. The lowest hand is Ace-2-3-4-6. (Ace-2-3-4-5 cannot be low, as it is a Straight.)
• 3. Small flushes and small straights count as high hands, but cannot be used as low hands (i.e., you can't go both ways in Barney's Poker).
• 4. If one player goes high (or low) and everyone else goes the other way, then that "odd man" player bets first, and cannot ever raise.