Official Poker Rules BoardDocument OPR-624 · Updated 28 September 2026

Home game · Guts

Herbie Rules

Herbie is a three-card guts game with deuces, fours and tens wild, in which an extra hand called Herbie is dealt to no one. Players declare in or out all at once, those who are in may draw up to three new cards, and the best hand wins the pot. Anyone who stays in and loses to another player, or to Herbie, must match the pot.

Players: 4 to 10
Type: Guts (match pot)
Cards per player: 3, with a draw
Wild cards: 2s, 4s and 10s
Phantom hand: Herbie, 3 cards

Article 1Players, deck and objective

1.1

Herbie is a form of Guts. It was contributed to pagat.com by Matt Preston, who noted that he did not invent it.

1.2

Four to ten players may take part. The game is played with a standard 52-card deck. All deuces, fours and tens are wild and may stand for any card.

1.3

An extra hand, called Herbie, is dealt to no one. It acts as a phantom opponent that the players who stay in must beat.

1.4

Only pairs and three of a kind count. Straights and flushes do not. Three of a kind beats any pair, and within each type higher ranks beat lower ones. Three aces is the best hand, and three wild cards count as three aces.

1.5

A hand without a pair has no value. Any hand holding a wild card is at least a pair. The source does not say how two hands without a pair compare; the dealer shall announce this before play.

Article 2Antes and the deal

2.1

Every player pays an agreed ante to the pot.

2.2

The dealer deals three cards face down to each player, and three cards face down to Herbie.

Article 3Declaring and the draw

3.1

Each player decides whether to be in or out. The decision is best made by all players at once: each holds out a closed fist with or without a chip in it, and all open their fists together. A chip means in.

3.2

Each player who is in may keep their hand, or discard one, two or all three cards and be dealt the same number of replacements.

3.3

The source gives Herbie no draw. Herbie's hand is played as it was dealt.

Article 4Showdown and payments

Herbie's hand is turned up and compared with the hands of every player who is in. What happens next depends on how many players stayed in.

Situation	Result
No one is in	The pot stays as it is for the next deal.
One player is in and beats Herbie	That player takes the pot, and the game ends.
One player is in and loses to Herbie	That player matches the pot.
Two or more are in, and a player has the best hand	That player takes the pot. Every other player who was in matches the pot.
Two or more are in, and Herbie has the best hand	Every player who was in matches the pot.

4.1

A player who matches the pot pays into it an amount equal to what it held. These payments form the pot for the next deal.

4.2

After each deal, while the pot holds money, the cards are shuffled and the next player deals. The game continues until a single player stays in and beats Herbie, which empties the pot.

4.3

Play-off. If two players tie for the best hand and Herbie does not beat them, they play off. The deck is not shuffled. Each tied player is dealt three cards and may discard one, two or all three and receive replacements. The higher hand wins the pot, and the loser matches it.

4.4

The source does not say who wins when a lone player ties with Herbie. The dealer shall announce the rule before play.

Example

A lone player against Herbie

Only Player A stays in. A holds 2♥K♠9♦ and discards the nine, receiving 6♣. With the deuce wild, A's best hand is a pair of kings.

Herbie's cards are turned up: 7♣7♦Q♥, a pair of sevens.

A pair of kings beats a pair of sevens, so Player A takes the pot and the game ends.

Article 5Strategy notes

With twelve wild cards in the deck, pairs are common and Herbie will often hold one. A player who stays in alone should expect to need more than a low pair.

Herbie always plays, so bluffing has little value: a player who stays in must actually beat Herbie as well as everyone else.

The pot can grow quickly. The contributor noted that a small starting pot can grow five or six times over in one deal when several players stay in and lose.

Article 6Frequently asked questions

What is Herbie in poker?

Herbie is a phantom three-card hand dealt to no one. Players who stay in must beat it as well as each other, and anyone who loses to it must match the pot.

What cards are wild in Herbie?

Deuces, fours and tens. Three wild cards count as three aces, the best possible hand.

What happens if nobody stays in?

The pot stays where it is, and the cards are shuffled and dealt again by the next dealer.

Do straights and flushes count in Herbie?

No. Only pairs and three of a kind count. See our hand rankings page for how pairs and trips rank.

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.

Herbie Rules · OPR-624 · officialpokerrules.com/herbie/

OPR-624Uncontrolled when printed