Official Poker Rules BoardDocument OPR-617 · Updated 28 September 2026

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Big Al's Guillotine Rules

In Big Al's Guillotine, each player is dealt two face-down cards and bets or folds on them. Players who stay receive a third card, and from then on the game is in the guillotine: anyone who folds or loses must double the pot. Players who stay to the end hold five face-down cards, with deuces, fours and tens wild.

Also known as The Game, Al's Crack Cocaine Game

Type: Guts (match pot)
Cards per player: Up to 5, all face down
Wild cards: 2s, 4s and 10s
Pot: High only

Article 1Players, deck and objective

1.1

Big Al's Guillotine was devised by a player known as Al, who sent it to pagat.com. He also called it The Game and Al's Crack Cocaine Game.

1.2

The game is played with a standard 52-card deck. All deuces, fours and tens are wild: each may stand for any card its holder chooses. That makes twelve wild cards in the deck.

1.3

Hands are ranked according to the standard poker hand rankings. Because of the wild cards, five of a kind is possible. By the usual convention it ranks above a straight flush.

1.4

The object is to hold the best five-card hand among the players who stay in to the end, and to avoid paying a penalty to the pot along the way.

1.5

The source does not set a number of players. As each player can receive up to five cards, a single deck can serve up to ten players.

Article 2Antes and the deal

2.1

The source does not describe how the pot is started. The usual practice in games of this kind is for every player to pay an agreed ante before the first deal.

2.2

The dealer deals two cards face down to each player, one at a time.

2.3

Every card in the game is dealt face down. No card is ever exposed before the showdown.

Article 3Play and the guillotine

The game has two phases: a free decision on two cards, and then the guillotine, in which every exit costs money.

Stage	Cards held	What happens
Two cards	2	Each player bets or folds. Folding here costs nothing extra.
Third card	3	Players still in receive a third card. The guillotine now applies.
Later cards	4, then 5	Players still in receive further cards face down until they hold five.
Showdown	5	Remaining hands are shown. The best hand wins, and every loser doubles the pot.

3.1

After the deal, each player in turn either bets or folds on their two cards. A player who folds at this stage is out of the hand and owes nothing further.

3.2

Each player still in receives a third card, face down. From this point the hand is said to be in the guillotine.

3.3

Once the guillotine applies, a player who stays in and loses must double the pot, that is, pay into it an amount equal to what it already holds.

3.4

A player who folds at any time after the guillotine starts must also double the pot. When working out that payment, the pot is measured without the bet on which the player folded.

3.5

Players who stay in continue to receive cards face down until each holds five. The source does not set out the betting on the fourth and fifth cards. The dealer shall announce the betting structure before the deal.

Article 4Showdown and payments

4.1

Players who stay in to the end show their five cards. The best poker hand, using the wild cards to best advantage, wins the pot.

4.2

Every other player who stayed to the showdown has lost and must double the pot under rule 3.3.

4.3

The source does not say what becomes of these payments. In match-pot games the usual practice is that they form the pot for the next deal, and play continues until a pot is won without creating a new one. The dealer shall announce the rule before play.

4.4

The source does not cover ties. The usual practice in guts games is that tied winners share the pot equally.

Example

Wild cards at the showdown

Player A holds K♥K♦2♣4♠9♥. The deuce and the four are wild, so A has four kings.

Player B holds A♥A♦A♣10♠7♠. The ten is wild, so B has four aces.

Four aces beat four kings, so Player B wins the pot. Player A stayed in past the guillotine and lost, so A must pay an amount equal to the pot.

Article 5Variations and strategy notes

5.1

Because each loser pays the full pot, the pot can grow very quickly. Many groups that play Guts and similar games agree a maximum payment per deal before play, and that practice may be adopted here.

Some points worth knowing:

With twelve wild cards in the deck, strong hands such as four of a kind are common at the showdown. A hand that would be good in a game without wild cards may not be good enough here.
The only free fold is on the first two cards. After the third card is dealt, folding costs the pot as well, so the decision on two cards carries most of the weight.
All cards are dealt face down, so players have no information about opponents' hands other than their betting.

Article 6Frequently asked questions

What cards are wild in Big Al's Guillotine?

All deuces, fours and tens are wild, twelve cards in all. Five of a kind is possible and usually ranks above a straight flush.

What does the guillotine mean in this game?

Once players have received their third card, the game is in the guillotine. From then on, a player who loses at the showdown, or who folds, must double the pot by paying in an amount equal to it.

Can you fold for free in Big Al's Guillotine?

Only on your first two cards. A player who folds after the third card has been dealt must still double the pot, although the bet they fold on is not counted in the payment.

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.

Big Al's Guillotine Rules · OPR-617 · officialpokerrules.com/big-als-guillotine/

OPR-617Uncontrolled when printed