Official Poker Rules BoardDocument OPR-542 · Updated 28 September 2026

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KRG Rules

KRG is dealt like Texas Hold'em, but each player starts with six hole cards and discards down to two as the flop, turn and river arrive. There is no betting and no folding on individual deals: every hand goes to showdown, and the first player to win an agreed number of deals takes a pool paid in advance. Created by Craig Smith, Ryne Crawford, Ryan Groth and Chris Hoogstad, as published on pagat.com.

Players: Not fixed
Hole cards: 6, reduced to 2
Community cards: 5
Betting: None during a deal; a fixed pool per series
Pot: High only

Article 1Players, deck and objective

1.1

KRG was created by Craig Smith, Ryne Crawford, Ryan Groth and Chris Hoogstad, who contributed the description to pagat.com. It uses a standard 52-card deck with no wild cards.

1.2

Hands are ranked by the standard hand rankings and made as in Texas Hold'em: the best five cards from a player's two remaining hole cards and the five community cards.

1.3

The object is to be the first player to win an agreed number of deals, which takes the whole pool.

1.4

The source does not set a player count. Since each player needs six cards, a full deck can seat at most seven players.

Article 2The pool and the series

2.1

Before a series of deals begins, each player pays the same fixed amount into a pool. The source gives $5 as an example.

2.2

The players shall agree in advance whether three or four wins are needed to take the series.

2.3

The first player to reach the agreed number of wins takes the whole pool, and a new series may begin.

2.4

The source does not say how a deal is scored if two or more players tie for the best hand. The players shall agree this before the series starts.

Article 3The deal and the discards

Each deal proceeds like Hold'em, but with three discard stages in place of betting rounds.

Stage	Discard	Hole cards afterwards
Deal	None	6
Before the flop	2 cards	4
After the flop	1 card	3
After the turn	1 card	2
After the river	None; showdown	2

3.1

Each player is dealt six cards face down.

3.2

Before the flop, each player shall discard any two cards, keeping four.

3.3

The flop of three community cards is dealt. Each player then discards one card, keeping three.

3.4

The turn card is dealt. Each player discards one more card, keeping two, which makes an ordinary Hold'em hand.

3.5

The river card is dealt, and all hands are compared.

3.6

There is no betting and no folding during a deal. Every player's hand is shown and the best hand wins the deal.

Article 4Showdown

4.1

At the end of each deal every player shows their two hole cards. The player with the best five-card hand is credited with one win in the series.

Example

Comparing three hands

Board: Q♥9♣9♦4♠2♥

Player A kept K♥K♠: kings and nines with a queen. Player B kept Q♣J♣: queens and nines with a jack. Player C kept 4♦4♣: with the board's four and two nines, a full house, fours full of nines.

Player C's full house beats both two-pair hands, so C is credited with the win.

Article 5Common variations

5.1

Side bets. Groups often run separate pools on other outcomes, such as who wins the most deals in an evening or who first makes four of a kind.

5.2

Doubling cube. Chris Hoogstad suggests using a backgammon doubling cube. At any point in a series a player may turn the cube, and every other player must either double their stake in the pool or drop out of the series at once. This brings back a form of betting, on the series rather than on single deals.

Article 6Frequently asked questions

Is there any betting in KRG?

Not on individual deals. Everyone pays a fixed amount into a pool before a series, every hand goes to showdown, and the first player to an agreed number of wins takes the pool. Some groups add a doubling cube to bring back an element of betting.

How many cards do you discard in KRG?

Four in total: two before the flop, one after the flop and one after the turn, leaving two hole cards for the river.

How many wins does it take to win a KRG series?

Three or four, as agreed by the players before the series begins.

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.

KRG Rules · OPR-542 · officialpokerrules.com/krg/

OPR-542Uncontrolled when printed