Turkish Poker Rules

Between two and five players may take part. The deck is stripped of low cards according to the number of players:

The ace is the highest card, but it may also count as the rank below the lowest card in the deck, to form a low straight.

The object is to win the pot with the best five-card hand at the showdown, or by making a bet that no one calls. The game follows five-card draw except where stated here.

Pagat.com's description credits Burçin Kerem Seyis for the information on which it is based.

Hands of the same type are compared by their cards in the usual way; see hand rankings.

Suits. If two hands are otherwise equal, suit decides. From highest to lowest: hearts, spades, diamonds, clubs.

Before each deal, every player antes an equal amount into the pot.

The dealer deals clockwise, one card at a time, face down, until each player has five cards.

The minimum hand needed to open the betting is a pair of kings. A player without it must pass. A player who holds it may still choose to pass.

Once the betting is opened, every other player may fold, call or raise, whatever their cards. Raises and re-raises are allowed.

If nobody opens, the pot stays in the middle, all players ante again and there is a new deal.

If all players but one fold, the remaining player wins the pot at once.

An opener who folds, or who wins without a showdown, may be required to show enough cards to prove that they held a pair of kings or better.

In turn, each active player states how many cards they wish to exchange, from none to four. They discard that many face down and receive the same number from the undealt cards.

A player exchanging four cards receives three at first and the fourth only after every other player has received their replacements.

If the undealt cards run out, the discards are shuffled and used to complete the draw.

An opener may discard cards from their opening hand, but must announce that they are doing so. The dealer keeps those discards separate so that the opening can be verified.

The player who opened the first round begins the second. They may check or bet. Each later player may fold, call or raise, and betting continues until all active players have put in equal amounts.

The surviving players then show their hands, and the highest hand under the Turkish rankings wins the pot.

If the opener folds, or all others fold to them, the opener must show that their opening was legal.