I understand that there are folks out there who are playing with Chicago Parecon Poker. This is cool. However, the rules I posted earlier are a bit out of date. The game has undergone some revisions, and even a name change. Per a suggestion from a member of CAPES, the game is now called Solidarity Poker, and the revised rules are below. Suggestions, feedback, or other thoughts are welcome.
Solidarity Poker
NEEDED: Standard 52-card deck of playing cards, randomly shuffled; a dealer; and players.
Unlike in other games of poker, or competitive games, you have a single winner and one or more losers. With Solidary Poker, the objective is different: Everyone wins, or everyone loses. (It’s modeled on the participatory planning allocation procedure in participatory economics, but obviously not an exact replica any more than the board game Monopoly is an exact mirror-image of capitalism.)
To start play, each player is dealt five cards, face down to start. Each player then examines her cards. After a moment, each player in turn announces her hand plan. A hand plan is the poker hand you want to achieve, but which is not included in the cards dealt to you. (Note: Unless you feel bold, it would be wise to make an achievable hand plan.)
As a reminder, here are the possible poker hands:
Royal Flush: An Ace, King, Queen, Jack and Ten in the same suit.
Straight Flush: Five cards in sequence, of the same suit.
Four of a Kind: Four cards of the same rank, and one side card.
Full House: Three cards of the same rank, and two cards of a different, matching rank.
Flush: Five cards of the same suit.
Straight: Five cards in sequence.
Three of a Kind: Three cards of the same rank, and two unrelated side cards.
Two Pair: Two cards of a matching rank, another two cards of a different matching rank, and one side card.
One Pair: Two cards of a matching rank, and three unrelated side cards.
After all players announce their respective hand plans for the hand, each player reveals any three cards from her hand ("the flop"?) to all of the other players.
After a moment of surveying the revealed cards, each player in turn announces whether or not she wants to keep her hand plan or change to a new plan (and what that new plan would be), on the basis of the revealed cards.
Once this go-around is complete, each player reveals one of the two remaining hidden cards ("the turn"?) to all the other players. After a moment of reviewing this fourth revealed card, each player in turn announces whether or not she wants to keep her hand plan or change to a new plan, on the basis of the revealed cards. This is the final time a change can be made, and the hand plan which remains afterward is locked in and cannot be changed hereafter.
The final hidden card ("the river"?) of each hand is then revealed. Each player then tries to achieve her final announced hand plan using at least one of the cards already in hand in tandem with up to four cards in any of the other hands of any of the other players in any combination.
The use of cards in forming hand plans are not mutually exclusive; any card can be used by any number of players for individual hands.
If all players achieve their final hand plan for the hand, everyone wins. If not, everyone loses. (Possible variation: If there is still a hand plan not achieved, and if there are sufficient cards, the dealer can deal five final cards as a dealer "board" as a super-last final chance.)
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