PartyPoker’s New Game Type: Double Hold’em

A new variation of Texas Hold’em is now available only on PartyPoker’s tables, the Double Hold’em. For the most part, it is played the same way as normal Hold’em, except you are dealt three hole cards, not two.

The Double Hold'em in action

This is how it works: upon receiving your cards, you have to choose one of the three to be your point (or common) card after the flop but before the betting round. Once you picked yours, it moves to the centre and it cannot be altered. There is only a limited time to choose your point card, however; in case you fail to do so, the system automatically picks the one with the greatest value. If you have two high cards that are of the same face value, the one that has a suited match with the third card will be chosen. Should there be no suited match at all, both face and suit values are considered.

Assigning one of your cards as common means it can play with either of the two non-point cards while those cannot play with each other. This basically means you will have two hands: one with the point card and the card on its left, the other with the point card and the one on its right. In the end, either hand can use all of the community cards or one of the hole cards of the given hand and four community cards or both hole cards and three of the community cards. Only the stronger hand is considered; in case of a tie in the showdown, the pot is split.

In every other aspect, Double Hold’em plays as normal HE would. Whether this innovation (although a promotional video, describing the same game type, was released almost a year ago) attracts a new wave of enthusiasts or fades out in no time, remains to be seen.