Dealer's Choice Poker Rules
Dealer's Choice is not a single game at all — it is a format. Whoever is on the button and dealing that hand chooses which poker variant everyone will play, drawn from a list of games the table has agreed on in advance. One deal might be Texas Hold'em, the next Razz, the next a round of Badugi. It is the social, endlessly varied heart of home-game and mixed poker, and it rewards players who know a little of everything.
What Dealer's Choice is
In a fixed game, everyone at the table plays the same variant all night. Dealer's Choice hands that decision to the dealer, one hand at a time. Because the button moves after every hand, the right to choose passes around the table in turn, so over a session everyone gets an equal say in what gets played. The format is prized in home games precisely because it never settles into one rhythm: the game, the deal and the betting can all change the moment the button moves.
How the choosing works
When the deal reaches you, you name the game before the cards come out. How long your pick stays in force is set by the table, and there are two common conventions:
- One hand: Your choice applies to that single deal only. The next dealer picks again, so the game can change on every hand and the table stays maximally varied.
- A full orbit: Your choice stays in force until the deal returns to you — a whole trip around the table. This gives each game room to breathe and lets a chooser lean into a variant they favour for several hands.
SPN tables can be configured either way. The setting is shown up front so every player knows whether the game will change every hand or every orbit before they sit down.
The pool of games a dealer can choose from
The table agrees on which variants are in play, and the dealer picks from that pool. A typical list mixes community-card games, stud games and draw games so that different skills are tested. Each game keeps its own full rules — follow the links below to learn any of them:
Texas Hold'em
Two hole cards, five community cards, blinds and a button. The default no-limit game most players know.
Omaha
Four hole cards, use exactly two, usually pot-limit. Bigger hands and closer showdowns.
Omaha Hi-Lo
Omaha with the pot split between the best high hand and the best qualifying low.
7-Card Stud
No community cards. Antes, a bring-in and up cards guide the betting over five streets.
Stud Hi-Lo
Seven Card Stud with an eight-or-better low, splitting the pot two ways.
Razz
The pure low form of Stud: the worst hand wins and straights and flushes are ignored.
5-Card Draw
Five cards each, one draw, blinds and a button. The classic kitchen-table game.
2-7 Triple Draw
A lowball draw game with three drawing rounds where the lowest hand, aces high, wins.
Badugi
A four-card draw game seeking four low cards of different ranks and different suits.
Short Deck
Hold'em with the deuces through fives removed, changing the odds and the hand values.
Pineapple
A Hold'em cousin dealt three hole cards, one of which is discarded.
How the betting format follows the game
Every variant brings its own deal and its own way of forcing the action, and Dealer’s Choice simply adopts whichever one the dealer picked:
- Community-card games: Hold'em, Omaha and their cousins use a small blind, a big blind and a moving button, with community cards shared by everyone.
- Stud games: Seven Card Stud, Razz and the Hi-Lo forms use antes and a bring-in instead of blinds, and there are no community cards or button.
- Draw games: Five Card Draw, 2-7 Triple Draw and Badugi deal a private hand and let players exchange cards on one or more drawing rounds.
The betting limit itself — how much can be wagered on each round — is usually agreed once, before play begins. Fixed-limit is the popular choice because it keeps very different games comparable and stops a single no-limit hand from dominating the session, though tables are free to set whatever limit they like.
Etiquette and strategy
Dealer's Choice rewards versatility above all. When it is your button you may steer toward a game you play better than your opponents, so a player strong in a niche variant like Badugi or Razz can quietly pick up an edge on their own deal. The flip side is that you will face everyone else's specialties in turn, which is why knowing every variant matters so much — the weakest link in your game is exactly what a sharp opponent will choose. Good etiquette is to name the game clearly, stick to the agreed pool, and give newer players a moment to review the rules before the cards come out.
How a session flows
Six players sit down and agree on a pool of Texas Hold'em, Omaha, Seven Card Stud, Razz and 2-7 Triple Draw, all at a fixed limit, with each choice lasting one hand.
The button starts with Alice, who calls Texas Hold'em. Blinds are posted, a flop-turn-river is dealt, and the hand plays out as ordinary Hold'em.
The button moves to Ben, who is a Razz specialist and calls Razz. Now there are no blinds or community cards — antes go in, the highest up card brings in, and the lowest hand will win. Ben leans on his edge.
Next around, Carla picks 2-7 Triple Draw, so the table shifts again to a lowball draw game with three draws. Three hands, three completely different games and betting shapes — that constant rotation is the whole appeal, and why a broad game is worth more here than mastery of any one variant.
On SPN
SPN Dealer's Choice tables present the dealer with a game picker before each hand, then apply the chosen variant's rules, deal and betting automatically — no manual setup. A game indicator shows the currently chosen variant and its rules so everyone can follow along, whether the choice lasts one hand or a full orbit. As on every SPN table there is no rake — the tick-fee model replaces it — dealing is provably fair, and the tables are bot-free.
Frequently asked questions
What is Dealer's Choice in poker?
Dealer's Choice is a format rather than a single game. Whoever is on the button and dealing that hand chooses which poker variant everyone will play, picked from an agreed-upon list of games. The chosen game is then played with its own rules, deal and betting structure. It is the social heart of home-game mixed poker.
How long does the dealer’s chosen game last?
It depends on the table setting. Commonly the choice lasts for a single hand, so the game can change every deal, or it lasts for a full orbit, meaning the chosen game is played until the deal returns to the player who picked it. SPN can be configured either way, and the table tells everyone which mode is in effect.
Does the betting structure change with each game?
Yes. Each variant brings its own structure: community-card games use blinds and a button, stud games use antes and a bring-in, and draw games use the draw. The betting limit itself is usually agreed in advance and is often fixed-limit so different games stay comparable, but the mechanics always follow the game the dealer chose.
Can I pick a game I am good at when it is my turn?
Yes, and that is a core part of the strategy. When it is your button you can steer toward a variant you play better than your opponents. Because everyone gets the same chance when they deal, the format rewards all-round versatility: knowing every game means you are never at a disadvantage when someone else picks their specialty.
What games can be chosen in Dealer’s Choice?
The pool is whatever the table agrees on. A typical list mixes community-card games like Texas Hold'em and Omaha, stud games like Seven Card Stud and Razz, and draw games like Five Card Draw, 2-7 Triple Draw and Badugi. The table shows the enabled games before you sit down so you know what you may face.