Baseball

specialtymedium complexity2-7 players (ideal: 6)

Also known as: Baseball Poker, Night Baseball

A wild card variant of Seven-Card Stud themed around baseball. All 3s and 9s are wild. A 4 dealt face up earns the player an extra card. If a 3 is dealt face up, the player must match the pot or fold. Creates huge hands and unpredictable action.

Quick Rules

  1. Played like Seven-Card Stud: 2 down, 4 up, 1 down.
  2. 3s and 9s are WILD (can represent any card).
  3. A 4 dealt face UP gives that player an extra card immediately.
  4. A 3 dealt face UP requires the player to match the pot or fold.
  5. 3s dealt face DOWN are simply wild (no pot-matching penalty).
  6. Best 5-card hand wins (with wild cards, expect very strong hands).
Cards Dealt
7
Community
0
Bet Rounds
5
Hand Rankings
standard high with wilds

Strategy Notes

With six wild cards in the deck, four-of-a-kind and straight flushes are common winning hands. Never fold a wild card. The pot-matching penalty for face-up 3s can create enormous pots. Evaluate your hand relative to what is possible, not what would be good in standard Stud.

Home Game Tips

One of the most popular home game specialty games. Fun, chaotic, and produces memorable moments. Pots can get very large due to the 3-matching rule — consider capping the match amount if stakes are a concern. Night Baseball is a variant where all cards are dealt face down.

Home Game
excellent
Tournament
not applicable
wild-cardshome-game-classichigh-actionparty-game