Swiss Hold'em Rules

Swiss Hold'em was contributed by Xavier Petit, as published on pagat.com. It is a variant of Texas Hold'em and follows its rules except where this page states otherwise.

Between two and ten players may take part. The game is played with a standard 52-card deck with no jokers and no wild cards.

The object is to win the pot with the best five-card hand, made from any combination of a player's two hole cards and the five community cards, or by making a bet that no one calls. Hands rank according to the standard poker hand rankings.

The two players to the left of the dealer post the small blind and the big blind. There is no ante.

Each player is dealt two hole cards face down, one at a time, starting with the player to the dealer's left.

The community cards and betting rounds are the same as in Texas Hold'em:

The inventor recommends playing either fixed-limit or no-limit, and advises against pot-limit. The game should be played for table stakes.

When it is their turn to act, in any betting round from pre-flop to the river, a player may make an exchange: they discard both hole cards face down and are dealt two new hole cards from the deck.

A player shall always exchange both cards. A player may not keep one hole card and replace the other.

Each exchange carries a fee, paid into the pot before the new cards are dealt:

3.3(a) The first exchange of the hand costs one big blind.

3.3(b) Each later exchange costs one big blind more than the previous one: two big blinds for the second, three for the third, and so on.

3.3(c) The count runs across the whole hand and across all players. The fee a player pays depends on how many exchanges have already been made in the hand, by anyone, not on how many they have made themselves.

An exchange fee is not a bet. It goes into the pot but does not count toward calling, betting or raising.

After exchanging, the player still takes their normal turn: they may check, bet, call, raise or fold as the situation allows, or exchange again at the next fee.

A player may make several exchanges in a row on the same turn. The only limits are the chips the player can afford and the cards left in the deck.

Discarded hole cards are out of play for the rest of the hand. Enough cards must remain to complete the board, including the burn cards, so the total number of exchanges in a hand is limited. With two players there are 40 spare cards, enough for 20 exchanges; each extra player reduces the maximum by one.

After the river betting, the remaining players show their hands as in Texas Hold'em. Each player uses the best five cards from their current two hole cards and the five community cards.

The best high hand wins the whole pot. Tied hands split the pot equally.