Boss Poker

Objective:

Acquire the most token value by the end of the final round.



Overview

Rounds of Boss Poker are won by high card, since every player can only submit one card per round. Face cards are not submitted, so the highest card is 10, unless the Ace is in play. Once a card is committed during a round, it cannot be changed or withdrawn. Every round, players have two opportunities to gamble and one opportunity to learn about another player’s card before the final showdown. If a player has no more tokens, they cannot continue to play.



Players

2-5



Materials

  • Cards per Player: 

    •  One 13-card suit: 10 Number Cards (A, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10); 3 Face Cards (J, Q, K)

      • For a 3 player game, exclude the 2 from every player’s hand. 

      • For a 4 player game, exclude the 2 and 3 from every player’s hand.

  • Gambling Tokens per Player (Total Value: 150)

    • 10 x White (value 1)

    • 8 x Red (value 5)

    • 5 x Blue (value 10)

    • 1 x Black, (value 50) 

    • 3 x Green Token (Action Value)

  • Green Token Reserve

    • 10 Green Tokens for Round Winners.


Number of Rounds

  • In a 2 player or 5 player game, 10 rounds are played.

  • In a 3 player game, 9 rounds are played.

  • In a 4 player game, 8 rounds are played.


Key Terms

  • ​The Boss: The player who opens the betting and reveals their cards first is the Boss during that round. At the end of the round, the player in the next clockwise position becomes the Boss in the next round.  If a Boss folders, the next player clockwise becomes the interim Boss, with the same requirements and perks until the end of the round—however, the Boss in the next round is always one position clockwise from the current Boss, not the interim Boss.

  • Ante: The amount all players must pay at the start of the round. The ante increases by 1 every round. A player who cannot pay the ante loses. The player who wins the round collects all the antes of the round.

  • Check: Do nothing (neither fold nor raise). Cannot be done if a player earlier in the round has raised.

  • Raise: Increase the bet by any quantity of Tokens you possess in excess of the current bet. For example, if the current bet is 1, you can raise  to 5, if the current bet is 10, you can raise to 17. If a player has already put in 10 and the bet is raised to 15, that player only needs to contribute 6 to raise to 16.

  • Call: Match the current bet. If all players have matched the most recent raised bet (excluding the raiser), the bet is over and the round proceeds. If a player has already put in 10 and the bet is raised to 15, that player only needs to contribute 5 to call.

  • Fold: Withdraw from a raised bet without calling or raising. You cannot recover your card, but you can keep it face-down for the remainder of the game. If the Boss folds, the player clockwise from them becomes the interim Boss. You cannot fold before paying the ante.

  • All In: If a player cannot meet a raise or a call, they may go All In, betting their remaining tokens. They may stay in the round regardless of any further raises.


Round Structure​

  1. ANTE: All Players ante up 4 + Round # (i.e. Round 3, everyone antes 7 chips)

  2. NUMBER PLAY: Players choose a number card from their hand and play it face-down.

  3. FIRST BETTING: The Boss opens the betting, and may check or raise. The next player (clockwise) may call, raise, or fold. When all players have checked, or when a player’s raise has been responded to by all other players by fold or call, the first betting round ends.

  4. FACE PLAY: Players who haven’t folded choose a face card from their hand and play it face-down. Players cannot choose King or Queen if they don’t have a Green Token left.

  5. FACE REVEAL: The Boss (or interim Boss) reveals their card. If Jack, no effect. If Queen, the player are unaffected if targeted by another player’s King. If King, the player selects another player with the intention of looking at their number card (but not yet). The next player (clockwise) reveals their face card. If targeted and a Queen is revealed, their number card is safe for the turn. If a King is revealed, they may either target any face-up Jack/King, or target any remaining players who have not revealed their face cards. Players who reveal a King or a Queen must pay 1 Green Token to the Green Token Reserve.

  6. FACE RESOLVE: Once all face cards have been revealed, resolve any successful effects. Players who look at another player’s card do not show it to anyone else.

  7. SECOND BETTING: The Boss (or interim Boss) opens the second betting, and may check or raise. The next player may call, raise, or fold. When all players have checked, or when a player’s raise has been responded to by all other players by fold or call, the first betting round ends.

  8. NUMBER REVEAL: If there are multiple players still in the round, those players reveal their Number Cards. The player with the highest card revealed wins all bet and anted tokens as well as one Green Token. If both a 10 and an Ace are revealed in the Number Reveal, the Ace is high. If there is no 10, the Ace is low. In the event of a tie, the Boss wins. If all players except one have folded before the Number Reveal, the remaining player wins the pot, and may keep their Number Card face-down by refusing the Green Token (or they may reveal and receive one as normal).

  9. ROUND END: Tokens are collected by the winner. Face cards are returned to respective face-hands. Folded Number Cards are placed face-down to the side. Revealed Number Cards are placed face-up to the side. At the end of each round, every player’s hand should be 1 card less than it was at the start of the round. The player clockwise from this round’s Boss is the Boss in the next round.

  10. GAME END: After the final round, when all cards have been played and the round is over, the player with the most Token value wins.