How to Play Break Poker

Break Poker is a rummy-inspired card game that resembles Pai Gow Poker in specific ways. Each player and the dealer are dealt seven cards in the game. Five cards must be chosen from those seven and divided into a two-card low hand and a three-card high hand. In the same way that the low hand cannot beat the high hand in Pai Gow Poker, the low hand cannot beat the high hand in this game.

Rules of Break Poker
One ordinary 52-card deck plus one joker is used to play the game. The joker is a semi-wild card that can complete a straight or three of a kind or as an ace.

In descending order, the following three-card hands are ranked:

• Three of a Kind is a phrase that means "three of a kind." The highest three of a kind is A-A-A, and the lowest is 2-2-2.
• Straight. The highest straight is Q-K-A, and the lowest is A-2-3.
• Pair. The highest pair is A-A-K, while the lowest is 2-2-3.
• Hand with a high card count. The highest such hand is A-K-J, while the lowest is 5-3-2.

In descending order, the following two-card hands are ranked:

• Pair. The highest pair is A-A, and the lowest is 2-2.
• Hand with a high card count. The highest such hand is A-K, while the lowest is 3-2.

When comparing individual hands, the game follows traditional poker rules. A-A-2, for example, defeats K-K-Q, while 3-A defeats K-Q.

A hand with a pair and a three of a kind pair and a straight is known as a Lucky Break. A Lucky Break hand overcomes a non-Lucky Break hand, regardless of the value of the individual two-card and three-card hands.

The player begins by placing the Main Bet. There are two potential side bets as well.

Each player analyzes his cards and chooses two cards for his low hand, three cards for his high hand, and the remaining two cards to discard.

The dealer shows his hole cards to the players.

The dealer must have at least a K-3-2 in the high hand to qualify. All Main Bets push1 if the dealer does not qualify.

• If the player receives a Lucky Break and the dealer does not, he wins and accepts an even-money payout on his Main Bet.
• Otherwise, the player wins and is paid even money on his Main Bet if his two-card hand defeats the dealer's two-card hand and his three-card hand beats the dealer's three-card hand.
• The player's Main Bet is a push otherwise.