Home game · Shared card
Stop, Drop and Roll is a Hold'em-style game in which each player gets two hole cards. Two cards, the Stop and the Drop, are turned up one at a time and taken out of play, with a betting round after each. Three community cards, the Roll, then complete every player's five-card hand, followed by a final betting round and the showdown.
Also known as Stop, Drop & Roll, Stop Drop and Roll
Stop, Drop and Roll was invented by George Weissenberger, as published on pagat.com. It uses a standard 52-card deck with no wild cards.
Each player's hand is exactly five cards: their two hole cards and the three community cards of the Roll. The best five-card hand wins.
The Stop and the Drop are shown to all players but are dead. They never form part of anyone's hand.
Each player antes, and is dealt two hole cards face down.
| Round | Before the round |
|---|---|
| 1 | Players look at their two hole cards |
| 2 | The dealer burns a card and turns up the Stop, which is removed from play |
| 3 | The dealer burns a card and turns up the Drop, which is removed from play |
| 4 | The dealer deals three community cards face up: the Roll |
After the fourth betting round, the remaining players show their hands.
The Stop and the Drop only tell players that those two cards cannot appear in the Roll. This changes the odds of improving, and of an opponent holding a better hand.
Each player's five cards are compared, and the best hand wins. See hand rankings. Equal hands split the pot.
A dead card matters
The Stop is Q♥ and the Drop is 7♣. The Roll is K♣7♦2♠.
Player A holds Q♠Q♦. The queen of hearts is dead, so only one queen was left that could have given A three of a kind. A has a pair of queens: Q♠Q♦K♣7♦2♠.
Player B holds A♠K♦ and has a pair of kings with an ace: K♦K♣A♠7♦2♠.
A pair of kings beats a pair of queens, so Player B wins.
Betting limits are set by the group before play.
The inventor's own practice is to allow only one raise in each of the first three betting rounds, spreading three raises across the hole cards, the Stop and the Drop, and to allow up to three raises in the final round after the Roll.
In Stop, Drop and Roll they are two cards turned face up during the hand and removed from play. Nobody can use them; they only show which cards will not appear in the Roll.
Exactly five: your two hole cards and the three community cards of the Roll.
Four: after the hole cards, after the Stop, after the Drop and after the Roll.
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.
Stop, Drop and Roll Rules · OPR-572 · officialpokerrules.com/stop-drop-and-roll/