Home game · Stud
Motown is dealt and bet exactly like seven-card stud, but the pot is split at the showdown. The player holding the jack of spades takes a quarter, the player holding the five of spades takes a quarter, and the best high hand takes the rest. A player who holds both spades has Motown and wins the whole pot.
Motown is a variant of seven-card stud contributed to pagat.com by Patrick Koestler. It uses a standard 52-card deck with no wild cards.
Hands rank by the standard poker hand rankings. The jack of spades and the five of spades have a special role in dividing the pot, described in article 3.
A player holds one of the two special spades if it is among their seven cards, face up or face down.
Each player antes before the deal. Betting limits are set by the house or the dealer.
| Street | Cards dealt | Betting |
|---|---|---|
| Third street | 2 face down, 1 face up | First round |
| Fourth street | 1 face up | Second round |
| Fifth street | 1 face up | Third round |
| Sixth street | 1 face up | Fourth round |
| Seventh street | 1 face down | Final round, then the showdown |
A player holding one or both of the special spades is not required to announce it before the showdown.
At the showdown, only players who have not folded take part in the division of the pot.
The pot is divided as follows:
3.2(a) The player holding the jack of spades receives one quarter of the pot.
3.2(b) The player holding the five of spades receives one quarter of the pot.
3.2(c) The player with the best five-card high hand receives whatever remains.
Motown. A player who holds both the jack of spades and the five of spades has Motown and wins the entire pot. The best high hand then receives nothing, unless it belongs to the same player.
If neither special spade is held by an active player, the best high hand wins the whole pot.
The high hand may itself hold one of the spades. It then collects that quarter as well as its own share.
| Situation at the showdown | High hand receives | Other players receive |
|---|---|---|
| Neither special spade is held by an active player | The whole pot | Nothing |
| Another player holds one special spade; the other is not held | 3/4 | 1/4 to that player |
| Two other players hold one special spade each | 1/2 | 1/4 to each of them |
| The high hand holds one special spade; another player holds the other | 3/4 (1/2 plus 1/4) | 1/4 to the other holder |
| The high hand holds one special spade; the other is not held | The whole pot | Nothing |
| One player holds both special spades (Motown) | Nothing, unless it is the Motown player | The whole pot to the Motown player |
A three-way split
Three players reach the showdown with a pot of 240.
Player A holds K♠K♦K♥9♣4♦2♠7♣, three kings, the best high hand.
Player B holds 5♠5♥8♦3♣Q♥10♠2♦, including the five of spades.
Player C holds J♠J♦9♥6♠4♣3♦A♥, including the jack of spades.
B receives 60 and C receives 60, a quarter each. A receives the remaining 120.
It is holding both the jack of spades and the five of spades at the showdown. That player wins the whole pot, whatever the other hands are.
One quarter of the pot, as does the five of spades. The best high hand takes the rest.
No. The holder of both special spades need not declare them until the showdown.
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.
Motown Rules · OPR-694 · officialpokerrules.com/motown/