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Shotgun poker
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General Shotgun Poker is an exciting version of poker invented by Vadim Varvarin and can be used in dealer's choice games of poker when the participants agree to players picking non-H.O.R.S.E games. The game is a combination of Texas Hold'Em for the format of betting combined with the street rules of shotgun, i.e. players being able to "shotgun" their own turn and river cards. The game is played strictly in no-limit format, i.e. players are able to bet everything they have in front of them whenever it's their turn to speak. The Flop However, while the players all receive two holecards (which are only visible to them), the flop is dealt immediately (the dealer burns 1 card and deals 3 face up) and the game begins with a round of betting on the flop. Antes are used instead of blinds. After the round of betting on the flop (where actions are just like in Hold'Em, i.e. bet/raise/call/check/fold), the remaining players get to see the turn. The Turn However, if there are "n" players seeing the turn, the dealer deals "n+1" cards face down and then the person first to speak (position works exactly like Hold'Em) chooses a card and flips it over. If one of the "n" players seeing the turn wants that card to become his turn card, he has to shout "Shotgun" and throw in an amount of money equal to 5 times the big blind into the pot just as a fee for "shotgunning" the card. If no one wants the card then the person who flipped it over simply gets to keep it and the action passes over to the next person. However, if someone does "shotgun" the revealed card then as a consolation, the person who flipped it over becomes the last person to speak and is able to start shotgunning others' cards, i.e. the turn to flip over the card goes to the person in next position who doesn't yet have a turn card face up. Once a person has their turn card, be it via picking it and nobody else wanting to "shotgun" it or "shotgunning" his preferred card, he can no longer shotgun a different turn card and has to play the chosen card (which remains displayed face up on the table next to that player). Once all the players except for the one in last position (which changes as shotgun is being called) had their cards assigned, the last person should have 2 cards to pick his turn card from which cannot be shotgunned by anyone else as their turn cards have already been assigned. His chosen card becomes his turn card and the other card becomes the burn before the river. A round of betting occurs where players can again bet/raise/call/check/fold. It should be noted that shotgun fees which are thrown into the pot as premiums for players picking their preferred card are not considered as bets which other players have to match later on - they are just added to the pot as a bonus. Therefore, even if some players shotgunned a particular card, the action on the turn can still be "check" by every player. The River If "x" players see the river, "x+1" cards are dealt out and the process of "shotgunning" and then betting is the same as on the turn. Once everyone has their assigned river card displayed face up next to their turn card next to them, a final round of betting occurs, followed by a showdown. The Showdown Players have to pick the best 5-card hand out of the 7 they have available to them - i.e. the 2 holecards, the 3 flop (community) cards and the 2 personal cards they shotgunned or drew out of the pile. The ranking of hands is the same as in Hold'Em - i.e. High Card, Pair, Two Pair, Three of a Kind, Straight, Flush, Full House, 4 of a Kind, Straight Flush, Royal Flush. The player with the best hand picks up the pot. Disputed Shotguns If two people attempt to "shotgun" the same card at the same time, the person who threw his fee in first gets the card. If that is under dispute, the table votes on the situation, if the table cannot come to a decision, the destiny of the card is determined by placing it on the edge of the table and both players attempting to pitch a single chip as close as possible to it without going over the edge. Should the chip go over the edge and not land on the table then the person pitching it automatically loses the privilege to shotgun the card. The person in earlier position has to throw first (ensuring early position is just as much of a disadvantage as in Hold'Em) Comparison to Hold'Em As in Hold'Em, both players get two holecards and players end up making the best 5-card hand using any combination of the 7 cards available to them. The difference is that in shotgun poker, the turn and the river aren't community cards but rather, everyone has their own turn and river cards which are available to them and to them only. Ideas and Strategies Players should pay attention to position as the person in 1st position, just like in Hold'Em will be in a tougher situation than someone in late position as if the card they pick first out of the "n+1" cards isn't wanted by any of the players, they have to keep that card, while the player in last position will get to see more cards being turned over, and hence, have greater potential to shotgun. Further, suited cards and flush draws on the flop in late position become of great importance as the player is able to shotgun the relevant suit card on time and make his hand while being able to see many different cards rather than someone in first position who will have to potentially settle for a card that no one wants. Finally, bluffing is just as much of an element of shotgun poker as it is in Hold'Em as if the flop is revealing a dangerous texture - i.e. straight/flush draw or a paired board, whatever your holecards are, if one shotguns cards that follow that pattern, players are able to represent the associated hand and due to the game's no-limit structure, they can put pressure on others with big bets, just like in Hold'Em.
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