Official Poker Rules BoardDocument OPR-610 · Updated 28 September 2026

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Piranha Poker Rules

In Piranha, each player gets four hole cards and shares a five-card board, three cards face up and two face down. Players declare at the same moment whether they are in, the last two board cards are turned, and the best five-card hand from any mix of hole and board cards wins. Every loser must match the pot.

Players: Up to 11
Hole cards: 4, any number may be used
Community cards: 5 (3 up, 2 down)
Wild cards: None
Pot: High only, match pot

Article 1Players, deck and objective

1.1

Piranha is played by up to eleven players with a standard 52-card deck. There are no wild cards.

1.2

Each player's hand is the best five cards from their four hole cards and the five community cards, in any combination. Unlike Omaha, there is no requirement to use two hole cards and three board cards.

1.3

Piranha is a match pot game. Each player who stays in and loses must pay an amount equal to the pot, which forms the pot for the next hand. Because this can become expensive quickly, it is usual to agree a maximum a player can be made to pay before play begins.

Article 2Antes and the deal

2.1

Each player who intends to play antes.

2.2

The dealer deals four cards face down to each player, then five community cards to the centre of the table: three face up and two face down.

Article 3The drop

3.1

Once the deal is complete, each player decides whether they are in or out. Each player holds a chip in a closed hand to stay in, or an empty hand to drop out. On the dealer's signal, all players open their hands at the same time.

3.2

Players who drop out take no further part in the hand and pay nothing more.

3.3

If only one player stays in, that player wins the pot uncontested. This is also the only way the game ends: play continues, hand after hand, until one player alone stays in and takes the pot.

3.4

The source describes no betting rounds other than the ante and the drop. If a group wishes to add a betting round, or to set a rule for when no player stays in, it shall agree the rule before play.

Article 4Showdown and matching the pot

4.1

If two or more players stay in, the dealer turns up the last two community cards.

4.2

Each player who stayed in makes their best five-card hand from any of their hole cards and the board. The highest hand wins the pot.

4.3

Each losing player then pays an amount equal to the pot, up to any agreed maximum. These payments form the pot for the next hand.

Example

Any mix of cards may play

Board: 7♣7♦K♥ face up, then 2♠9♣ turned up after the drop.

Player A holds K♦K♠4♥5♥. Using two hole cards and three board cards, A makes kings full of sevens: K-K-K-7-7.

Player B holds 7♠8♣3♦3♥. Using three hole cards and two board cards, B makes sevens full of threes: 7-7-7-3-3. In Omaha, B could use only two hole cards and could not make this hand.

Kings full beats sevens full, so A wins the pot. B must match it for the next hand.

Article 5Strategy notes

With nine cards to choose from and no restriction on how they combine, hands are stronger than in Omaha, and more players tend to stay in.
The three face-up board cards are known before the drop, so a player can judge how well their hole cards fit the board. The last two cards can still change the result.
Every loser pays the pot, so staying in with a marginal hand against several opponents is expensive.

Similar match pot games include Omaha Burn. The drop is borrowed from Guts.

Article 6Frequently asked questions

Do you have to use two hole cards in Piranha?

No. You make your best five-card hand from any combination of your four hole cards and the five community cards.

What happens if you lose in Piranha?

You must pay an amount equal to the pot, which becomes the pot for the next hand. Most groups agree a maximum payment in advance.

How does a game of Piranha end?

It ends when only one player stays in on the drop. That player takes the pot uncontested.

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.

Piranha Poker Rules · OPR-610 · officialpokerrules.com/piranha/

OPR-610Uncontrolled when printed