Blind Hold'em Rules

Blind Hold'em is one of a group of fixed-stake games contributed to pagat.com by Ilya Bugreyev. They were first published on the Pokerlistings website, whose blog attributes them to Mikolaj Domanski.

The game uses a standard 52-card deck with no jokers and no wild cards. Hands rank according to the standard poker hand rankings.

The object is to hold the best five-card poker hand at the end of the deal. Because there is no betting, no player can fold or win the pot by bluffing. The result depends entirely on the cards.

Any number of players from two upwards may take part. Each player needs two cards and the board needs five, so a single deck is enough for up to 23 players.

Before the deal, every player puts the same agreed fixed stake into the pot. There are no blinds, antes, bets, calls or raises beyond this stake.

The dealer deals two cards face down to each player, one at a time, clockwise. These are the hole cards.

The dealer then deals five community cards face up to the centre of the table. These form the board, which every player shares.

Every player stays in until the end. There is no option to fold.

Once the board is complete, every player turns their two hole cards face up.

To add suspense, the table may reveal the cards in stages instead, for example:

3.2(a) the first three board cards (the flop) are dealt, then each player turns one hole card face up;

3.2(b) the fourth board card (the turn) is dealt, then each player turns their second hole card face up;

3.2(c) the fifth board card (the river) is dealt.

The order of revealing has no effect on the result, since no decisions are made. The dealer shall announce the method before the deal.

Each player makes the best five-card hand from their two hole cards and the five board cards. A player may use both, one or neither of their hole cards, as in Texas Hold'em.

The player with the best hand takes the whole pot.

If two or more players tie for the best hand, they share the pot equally. Suits never break a tie.