Hollywood Hold'em Rules

Hollywood Hold'em was devised by Brian J. Cavanaugh, as published on pagat.com. It follows the rules of Texas Hold'em except as stated here.

Three to eleven players may take part, using a standard 52-card deck with no wild cards. The best five-card high hand, made from two hole cards and five community cards, wins the pot.

The inventor's aim was to keep players with weak hands in the pot for longer, and to build the pot through exchange fees.

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

Each player is dealt two cards face down, and five community cards are dealt face down to the table.

The exchange fee is fixed before the deal. It may follow the house's betting limits. The inventor recommends keeping it modest so that players are encouraged to exchange.

After the first betting round, three of the community cards are turned face up and there is a second betting round.

Then each player in turn either keeps both hole cards or discards both and receives two new cards from the dealer. A player shall exchange both cards or neither.

A player who exchanges shall pay the fixed fee into the pot.

If at least one player exchanges, there is a betting round. If no one exchanges, there is no extra round and play continues.

The fourth community card is turned, followed by a betting round, then the fifth, followed by the final betting round and the showdown.

Players remaining after the final betting round show their hands. As in Texas Hold'em, each player makes the best five-card hand from their two hole cards and the five community cards, and the best hand wins.