Official Poker Rules BoardDocument OPR-532 · Updated 28 September 2026

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Fred Potato Rules

Fred Potato is a Hold'em variant in which each player starts with five hole cards and discards one before the flop, one before the turn and one before the river, ending with two. The five community cards are dealt face down at the start and revealed in stages, with four betting rounds. It was contributed to pagat.com by Jim De Rosa.

Also known as Fred Potato Poker

Players: 5 to 6
Hole cards: 5, reduced to 2
Community cards: 5
Betting rounds: 4
Pot: High, or high-low by agreement

Article 1Players, deck and objective

1.1

Fred Potato Poker was contributed to pagat.com by Jim De Rosa. It is a variant of Texas Hold'em for five or six players, using a standard 52-card deck with no wild cards.

1.2

At showdown each player makes the best five-card hand from their two remaining hole cards and the five community cards.

1.3

The pot goes to the best high hand, or is split high-low if the players agree before the deal. For a high-low game, the dealer shall announce the low-hand rules; see hand rankings.

Article 2The deal

2.1

The source does not specify forced bets. An ante, or blinds as in Texas Hold'em, is the usual practice; the dealer shall announce which before the deal.

2.2

Each player is dealt five cards face down. Five community cards are dealt face down to the centre of the table.

Article 3Discards and betting

Round	Before the round	Hole cards held
1	The deal	5
2	Each player discards one; three community cards turned (the flop)	4
3	Each player discards one; the fourth community card turned	3
4	Each player discards one; the fifth community card turned (the river)	2

3.1

After the players have looked at their cards, there is a first betting round.

3.2

Each player then discards one card, and the dealer turns three of the community cards face up. A second betting round follows.

3.3

Each player discards one more card, and the dealer turns the fourth community card. A third betting round follows.

3.4

Each player discards a third card, leaving two, and the dealer turns the fifth community card. The final betting round follows, then the showdown.

3.5

Discards are made face down and take no further part in the hand.

Article 4Showdown

4.1

Players remaining after the final betting round show their two hole cards. The best hand wins, or the pot is split if the game is high-low.

Example

Discarding towards a flush

A player is dealt A♥A♦K♠7♣2♦ and discards 2♦. The flop is K♥7♥3♠.

Holding A♥A♦K♠7♣, the player discards 7♣. The fourth card is 9♥, putting three hearts on the board.

Holding A♥A♦K♠, the player discards K♠, keeping A♥A♦. The river is 2♥.

Final board: K♥7♥3♠9♥2♥. With A♥ the player has A♥K♥9♥7♥2♥, an ace-high flush.

Article 5Strategy notes

Each discard is made before the next board card is seen, so keep cards that combine well with several possible boards.
Seeing the flop and turn before the later discards gives much more information than in Hold'em, where the two hole cards are fixed from the start.

Article 6Frequently asked questions

How many cards do you get in Fred Potato poker?

Five. You discard one before the flop, one before the turn and one before the river, finishing with two, as in Texas Hold'em.

Is Fred Potato played high-low?

It can be. The standard game is high hand wins, but players may agree before the deal to split the pot high-low.

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.

Fred Potato Rules · OPR-532 · officialpokerrules.com/fred-potato/

OPR-532Uncontrolled when printed