Official Poker Rules BoardDocument OPR-657 · Updated 28 September 2026

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Auction Rules

Auction is a seven-card high-low game. Each player is dealt two cards face down, then in each of five rounds the dealer lays out one face-up card per player and everyone bids secretly; the highest bidder picks first, and all bids go into the pot. With seven cards each, there is one betting round, a declaration of high, low or both, and a showdown.

Type: Seven-card, with bidding for cards
Cards per player: 7 (2 down, 5 bought up)
Betting rounds: 1, after the auctions
Wild cards: None
Pot: High-low split, with declaration

Article 1Players, deck and objective

1.1

The game is played with a standard 52-card deck without jokers. There are no wild cards. Since seven cards are used per player, no more than seven can take part.

1.2

Each player ends with seven cards and makes the best five-card hand from them. The best high hand and the best low hand split the pot.

1.3

High hands rank according to the standard poker hand rankings. The low ranking, and whether a low hand must qualify, shall be agreed before play; ace-to-five low is the usual choice in home games.

Article 2Antes and the deal

2.1

Each player antes. The dealer deals two cards face down to each player, and players may look at them.

2.2

Before play, the players shall agree the minimum bet, which is also the minimum bid. They may also agree a maximum bid.

Article 3The auctions

There are five auctions. In each one, every player gains one face-up card.

3.1

The dealer deals face up to the centre of the table as many cards as there are players.

3.2

Each player secretly decides how much to bid and holds that many chips in a closed fist. Every bid shall be at least the minimum bet, and no more than any agreed maximum.

3.3

On the dealer's signal, all players open their hands together and reveal their bids.

3.4

The highest bidder chooses one of the face-up cards and places it face up in front of them. The next highest bidder then chooses, and so on, until the lowest bidder takes the last remaining card.

3.5

Ties. Between players who bid the same amount, the player whose face-up cards make the higher poker hand chooses first. If those hands are also equal, or if no one has face-up cards yet, the tied player nearer the dealer's left chooses first.

3.6

All bids are added to the pot.

3.7

The auction is repeated until each player has five face-up cards and seven cards in all.

Example

Settling an auction

Four players, A, B, C and D, sit in that order clockwise from the dealer's left. The cards on offer are A♥9♠9♦3♣. The minimum bid is 1.

The fists open to show A: 3, B: 5, C: 1, D: 3. B chooses first. A and D tied at 3, and in the first auction nobody has face-up cards, so A, nearer the dealer's left, picks next, then D, and C takes the last card. The pot gains 3 + 5 + 1 + 3 = 12 chips.

Article 4Betting, declaration and showdown

4.1

When everyone has seven cards, there is a single betting round.

4.2

The remaining players then declare high, low or both. The method (simultaneously with chips held in the fist, or in turn) shall be agreed before play.

4.3

The best high hand among those who declared high takes half the pot, and the best low hand among those who declared low takes the other half. Under the usual convention, a player who declares both must win, or tie, both ways.

Article 5Notes and related games

Because every auction puts at least one minimum bet per player into the pot, the bids do the work that the betting rounds do in ordinary stud high-low.

Other games in which cards are paid for include The Price Is Right, Wall Street, Abyssinia and Buy Your Card. For a shared-card game with bidding, see Auction Flop Poker.

Article 6Frequently asked questions

How does bidding work in Auction poker?

Each player hides a bid in a closed fist and all bids are revealed together. The highest bidder picks a face-up card first, then the next highest, and so on. Every bid goes into the pot, whether or not it won first pick.

What happens if two players bid the same in Auction?

The one with the better poker hand showing picks first. If the hands showing are equal, the player nearer the dealer's left picks first.

How many betting rounds are there in Auction poker?

One, after all five auctions are complete and everyone has seven cards. It is followed by a declaration of high, low or both.

Final authority

Where any doubt remains in the application of this document, Rob is right.

Hand rankings, high to low: royal flush · straight flush · four of a kind · full house · flush · straight · three of a kind · two pair · one pair · high card. Suits never break ties.

Auction Rules · OPR-657 · officialpokerrules.com/auction/

OPR-657Uncontrolled when printed