Three-five-seven is significantly more complicated to explain than other variations of poker. The game can also be quite enjoyable to play once players have caught on to the rules. Three to seven players can participate in three-five-seven. These players should be well versed in how to play the game, since once game play begins, the rules change and this can prove complicated and confusing to players who are not familiar with how three-five-seven works.

The Rules of the Game

The initial deal for three-five-seven consists of three cards that are dealt face down to each player. This is the point where the game clearly differs from other versions of poker in that the rules are pretty unusual. After the players are dealt their three cards, they can then examine the cards and determine if they will remain in the game. They can determine this by how strong they believe their potential hand to be. Another quite odd twist to the game is that the players can then examine each other’s hands to determine who in the group has the best hand. However, the people who opted out of the first hand do not get a chance to examine the other player’s cards.

In this first hand, the three is wild and straights and flushes do not count. The people who have stayed in the game but lost the hand must pay the winner the amount that is in the pot. If there are two people with equal hands, no money is exchanged. After this, two more cards are dealt to all players face down. The same process repeats except that in this second round, the five cards are considered wild and the straights and flushes do count. After the winner is paid, two additional cards are dealt in which the seven cards are wild. If there is only one person remaining in the hand, that person will earn a point. The object of the game is that the first person to earn three points total will win the entire pot. Once the entire pot has been won, the game is over.

Basically, the person with the best hand at the end of each round wins individually, while the first person to each three points earns the reward of the entire pot. This can add to the allure of the game.