It’s World Series time as the Toronto Blue Jays look to dethrone the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers in a matchup between two cities with not just great baseball lineage but poker as well.
This matchup got me thinking about a home game I learned about when I was a kid, called Baseball. Revisiting the game now reminded me that apparently one of the first poker games I ever learned was this quirky version of good ol’ seven-card stud.
So grab your decks, set out your chips, gather a few friends, and let’s play ball!
*To simplify the explanation of the game, we’ll be assuming you have a basic understanding of the rules of seven-card stud*
How to play Baseball (the poker version)
As mentioned, Baseball is essentially a variation of seven-card stud, with a couple of key baseball-related additions to the rules, as threes and nines are wild (three strikes, three outs, nine innings — classic baseball references, of course.) Also, players dealt a four (for four bases or four pitches for a walk) immediately receive an additional card — typically dealt face up, though some house rules deal it face down.
The game is dealt exactly as stud, with an ante taken from each player to start the hand, and then up to six players (to avoid running out of cards) are dealt into the hand with two down cards and a door card up.
As in stud, the lowest door card brings in, and betting continues in a clockwise direction from that player. Players can call the bring-in or complete the bet to the designated small bet amount. Following that round of betting, fourth street is dealt face up, just as in stud, with the best hand showing now the first to act.
Play continues from there with seven total streets of action, just as in stud, with big bet rounds starting on fifth street. Once seven streets are completed (or in some variations, nine because nine innings, right?!), the player with the highest-ranking five-card hand wins, which, because of the wild cards, can be as strong as five of a kind, which even beats a royal flush.
Variations of Basic Baseball
The most basic version of the game is simply standard seven-card stud with the addition of those wild and extra cards, but other wrinkles to the game can be added.
Notably, eighth and ninth streets can be added, with the best five-card hand still winning. The alteration of whether the bonus card is dealt face up or down when a player picks up a four as an up card is another common variation.
Extra bets or antes can be ‘charged’ to players picking up wild cards or fours to add to the size of the pot and encourage more action. These values can be determined by players, but they can be anywhere from the price of an ante to as much as several big bets. A variation of this variation allows players to choose whether to pay this fee for their special cards or pass on the card.
There are even more variations and tweaks to the game, as there tend to be in kitchen table games, so you can choose whichever way to play and just try something new that’s rooted in seven-card stud — and maybe root, root, root for the home team while you're at it.
If you’re hosting a game while watching the Fall Classic, why not give this a go? It may not be everyone’s peanuts or Cracker Jack, but it sure beats a lousy umpire call!
