Rails Rules

Rails was invented by George Weissenberger, as published on pagat.com. It is played with a standard 52-card deck and no wild cards. The name comes from the way the two lines of community cards resemble railway tracks.

Aces are low only. An ace counts as one: it is the lowest card and is not a face card. A straight may run A-2-3-4-5, but there is no straight from ten to ace and so no royal flush.

A Ticket is four cards of the same suit together with a fifth card, the Rider, which must be a jack, queen or king. The Rider is not part of the four-card flush.

Hands rank from highest to lowest as follows:

1.4(a) straight flush;

1.4(b) four of a kind;

1.4(c) full house;

1.4(d) flush (five cards);

1.4(e) straight;

1.4(f) Ticket;

1.4(g) three of a kind;

1.4(h) two pair;

1.4(i) one pair;

1.4(j) high card.

Two Tickets are compared by their Riders first: a king Rider beats a queen, and a queen beats a jack. If the Riders are equal, the four flush cards are compared from the highest down. For all other hands, see hand rankings, remembering that the ace counts low.

Each player antes. The dealer button, blinds, betting and folding follow the rules of Texas Hold'em.

Each player is dealt three hole cards face down, and there is a first betting round.

A player's hand is made from their hole cards and the cards of one Rail only. A player may never combine cards from both Rails.

The Tie belongs to both Rails. A player may use it with whichever Rail they choose.

A player is not committed to a Rail. As the Spikes and the Tie change the board, a player may switch the Rail they are playing for at any time up to the showdown.

Players still in the hand turn up their hole cards, starting with the last player to raise. Each lines up their cards with the Rail and Tie that give their best hand, and the best five-card hand wins.

One Rail and the Tie supply only four cards, so no player can play the board. Every hand includes at least one hole card, and kickers from the hole cards decide many pots.

If two or more players hold exactly equal hands, the pot is split.