Official Poker Rules BoardDocument OPR-653 · Updated 28 September 2026

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Switch Poker Rules

Switch is a card-passing add-on that can be bolted onto most poker games, most naturally five-card draw. After the first betting round, every player fans their cards face down and the next player in turn pulls one out unseen, like drawing from an opponent's hand in Old Maid. A second switch follows the draw, and then the final betting and showdown take place as normal.

Players: As for the base game
Type: Card passing add-on
Wild cards: As for the base game
Switches: 2 per deal
Pot: High only

Article 1Players, deck and objective

1.1

Switch was contributed to pagat.com by a player named Brenton. It is not a stand-alone game but a switch procedure that may be added to most other poker games.

1.2

The deck, number of players, wild cards (if any) and hand rankings are those of the base game. With no other instruction, the base game is five-card draw, played with a standard 52-card deck and the standard hand rankings.

1.3

The object is to hold the best poker hand at showdown, or to win the pot earlier by making a bet that no one calls.

Article 2Antes and the deal

2.1

Each player shall put in the opening stake (an ante or other forced bet) required by the base game.

2.2

Each player is dealt five cards face down, or seven where the base game is a seven-card game.

2.3

A normal betting round follows the deal. Players may check, bet, call, raise or fold as usual. Players who fold take no further part in the hand, including the switches.

Article 3The switch

A switch moves exactly one card between each pair of neighbouring players, and neither player chooses which card moves.

Stage	What happens
Deal	Five (or seven) cards face down to each player
First betting round	Normal betting
First switch	Each active player takes one unseen card from a neighbour
Draw	Only if the base game has a draw
Second switch	The switch is repeated
Final betting round	Normal betting, then showdown

3.1

To make a switch, each active player fans their cards face down so that the backs face the other players.

3.2

Each active player then takes one card, sight unseen, from the fanned hand of their neighbour. The card is always taken by the next active player in the order of play, so every player gives one card and receives one card, and the size of every hand stays the same.

3.3

All players take their cards at the same time. The player taking a card does not know which card they are getting, and the player giving it cannot control which card is taken.

3.4

If the base game includes a draw, the draw takes place after the first switch, following the base game's usual rules.

3.5

After the draw, a second switch is made in the same way as the first. If the base game has no draw, the second switch follows directly after the first.

3.6

A betting round then takes place, with raises, calls and folds as usual.

Example

A switch spoils a draw

Before the first switch, Player A holds K♥K♦7♣4♠2♥. Player B, who takes from A's fanned hand, happens to pull out the K♦. Player A in turn takes the Q♠ from the player whose hand A draws from.

A now holds K♥Q♠7♣4♠2♥: a single king instead of a pair. A can keep the king and queen and draw three, and still faces a second switch before the final bet.

Article 4Showdown

4.1

If two or more players remain after the final betting round, the hands are shown and the best hand wins the pot, as in the base game.

4.2

In a seven-card version, each player makes their best five-card hand from their seven cards.

4.3

Ties are settled as in the base game. Where the base game has no special rule, identical hands split the pot.

Article 5Variations and strategy notes

5.1

Because Switch is an add-on, the dealer shall announce the base game, the number of cards dealt and whether there is a draw before the deal.

5.2

The source describes the direction of the switch only as the direction of play. Where a group prefers the opposite direction, the dealer shall announce it before the deal.

Strategy notes:

Every card in your hand is equally likely to be taken, so a made hand before the switch is never safe. A player holding a pair loses one of its cards with a chance of two in five on each switch in a five-card game.

You see the card you take, and you can tell which card you lost. That gives each player a little information about both neighbours' hands.

Article 6Frequently asked questions

Can Switch be added to any poker game?

It is designed to be added to most poker games. It fits most naturally into five-card draw, with one switch before the draw and one after. In a game with no draw, the two switches happen one after the other before the final bet.

Do you get to choose which card you give away in Switch?

No. You fan your cards face down, and your neighbour pulls one out without seeing the faces. Neither player controls which card moves.

How many cards do you end up with in Switch?

The same number you were dealt. Each switch takes one card from you and gives you one card, so the hand size never changes.

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.

Switch Poker Rules · OPR-653 · officialpokerrules.com/switch/

OPR-653Uncontrolled when printed