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This
game combines the feature of betting on partially exposed hands
with the basic principle of the knock-poker family (ability to obtain
cards from other players). The combination appears to be a happy
one, and Anaconda has gained considerable popularity, especially
among high-school and college students.
Each player is dealt seven cards, face down. There is a round of
betting (this betting round is omitted in some games), after which
each player still in the pot passes three cards to his left (or
right, as agreed). Each player then discards two cards, leaving
himself five cards for his final hand. After a round of betting,
each remaining player stacks his five cards in the order in which
he intends to expose them. (This order may not be changed during
the course of the hand.) After each player has determined his order,
each turns a card. There is then another round of betting. Each
player then flips (turns over) a second card and there is another
round of betting, and so on, until a showdown is reached.
How to play: Anaconda can be made even more interesting by playing
it high-low, or with wild cards. I will consider the play of the
basic game described above, leaving it to the reader to make minor
modifications to fit his own group's variation. It is first essential
to realize that at least one card of the "pass" becomes
part of a player's final hand. If, therefore, it seems that you
may be competing against the player who passed cards to you, you
will expose one card he passed you early in the play. On the other
hand, if the player who passed cards to you has dropped out, you
may conceal the card(s) of his pass as long as seems best for strategic
reasons.
Most considerations revolve around the full house (or four-of-a-kind).
Since it is very likely (in any but the smallest game) that at least
one player will make a full house, straight and flush possibilities
should be disregarded. Not only do these latter figure to be inferior
hands, but the early upcards of the opponents of a man with (say)
a flush will certainly not eliminate the full house possibility.
It will require continual calls to see the hand through. (With its
large number of betting rounds, Anaconda is usually played only
in a limit game-and with a limit of three raises per round.) These
calls cannot be justified by the strength of the hand. Therefore,
trying for a straight or a flush is a losing play. The best hands
are the ones which offer full house or four-of-a-kind possibilities.
Two high pairs (the rank of the second pair is important because
the relative ranks of full houses is often crucial) or three-of-a-kind
is a good hand to play at the outset. With less, tend to drop out
at once. After the pass, do not play with less than a full house,
except as a bluff. Remember that a bluff will be possible only if
you can represent a hand higher than your opponent's maximum. Therefore,
do not play a bluff with (for example) queens and tens. Any of your
opponents with aces or kings need not be scared away since he can
represent a stronger hand. Furthermore, you may not see a king or
an ace on board until the third round of flipping. This makes it
very expensive to stay in just to try the bluff. A hand with a pair
of aces or three aces is more suitable for a bluff-your opponents
will have something to fear!
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