How to Play Fan Games in Poker

Let’s take a look at a very popular poker game known as fan games. This is actually a poker variation that is played in several poker rooms, referred to the fan table layout as a Folding Field. This game is usually played in lower limit poker games. In higher limit games, you will have to buy the extra chip on the fan and your buy-in will be $X to get the matching amount. in other words, if you want to play $40, then you will have to purchase $40 in chips. At the start of the game, hold(check) four of the best cards (“blackjacks”) and getten the five worst cards (“stars”). The best five card combination wins the game. This is actually an easy game to learn and understand. Starting with the dealer putting four cards with the numbers one through Ace, the best hand you can hope to get will be 17. You will beat the dealer by having a higher “blackjack” card. A “Vodka138” means you have been “cleared” of the board or the cards you hold.

The player will have to play quickly and accurately. It is imperative to stay alert. There is talking around, shuffling, and racing. If you are not paying attention, it is likely you will miss the cards as they are dealt. You might “go blind” and drop below 17, a very bad thing. If the dealer busts, or your cards are better than the dealers, then you will be paid out the house. However the payouts are subject to the house advantage. This means the more you play, the more you will pay. Playing against the house does not improve your odds. You will still lose more money the more you play.

Folding should not be seen as a weakness, but as a move that can help you or your opponent. There are some bets that you should not fold. The strongest opening hand is the high pair, or AK. It is not worthwhile to call or raise bets where you have the possible best hand. This leads to all kinds of trouble.

For example, if you call a raise and the flop gives you an ace, you are more likely to be beaten by a higher ace and perhaps a higher pair. Conversely, if you fold the ace, you let the blinds win the hand and possibly a larger pot. There is a better way to play this hand, see my article on Big Betting.

Low Pairs:. These are pairs of less value than aces, or two sevens. 22, 33, 37, 40, etc are all low pairs. You can expect to beat a low pair 50% of the time, but beat a high pair 70% of the time. Don’t call or bet on these hands.Fold all but top-card trips in the hopes of getting a straight later. Top trips are unlikely to win the hand.

You might beat a small pocket pair 50% of the time, and a big pocket pair even more. One of the most amusing and profitable “tells” are the slight pauses followed by the flop when a playerizes the cards on the table. You can get a rough idea as to what they have from this tell. Some players pause before the flop, some after. Some hold their cards a little more cautiously than others.

Your betting action can be predicted by “reading” the flop. After reading the telltale signs of other players, respond to your own flop. Be leery of your flop, however, if you have already seen a lot of other flops with the same indicator (like 2-2, 3-3, 5-5, 6-6, 2-2, 3-3, etc).