Contents
Dealer’s Choice is a format in which a designated player, such as the player on the dealer button, chooses the poker game. It is not a separate game with universal rules or a paytable. Announce and agree on the exact version before the first card is dealt. Below, you’ll find an agreement card and a complete instructional hand that applies only to the announced no limit 2-7 Single Draw game, with one draw opportunity.
Agree on the Table Format First
Before play begins, agree on the available games, how long each choice lasts, and when the right to choose passes to the next player. The name Dealer’s Choice does not determine any of these details.
Keep three roles separate:
- The physical dealer deals the cards.
- The dealer button, or button, marks a position at the table.
- The chooser announces a game from the agreed list.
One person may fill more than one role, but do not assume that they do. Handling the deck does not automatically give someone the right to choose the game.
Even an organized tournament specifies its own version of the format. For example, the 2025 WSOP Event #18 structure sheet lists 21 variants and separate forced-bet and betting-limit entries for limit community-card and draw games, stud games with faceup and facedown cards, and pot limit and no limit games. That document applies to a specific 2025 tournament; it is not a universal or current rulebook for your home game.
Read the Agreement Card Before Dealing
Fill in all eight fields with specific terms and read them to everyone before the first card is dealt.
| Field | What to record before play | What remains unclear without it |
|---|---|---|
| Choice period | One hand, a set number of hands, or a full rotation around the table; the exact point when the period ends | When a different game may be called |
| Allowed games | A closed, agreed list. A new or unfamiliar game requires unanimous agreement before the deal | Whether someone may call a game whose rules other players do not know |
| Forced bets | Blinds: required bets from designated positions; ante: a required contribution; a bring-in, if the variant uses one. Specify amounts and who pays them | Who contributes how much before voluntary action |
| Betting structure | Fixed limit, pot limit, or no limit. Record bet and raise sizes and any applicable restrictions | Which bets and raises are allowed |
| Cards and draws | Deck composition, jokers, and any wild cards; facedown, faceup, and community cards; how many cards are dealt and used; dealing order; number and order of draws or card passes | Which cards determine the hand and when they may be replaced |
| Hand rankings | The exact system: a high hand is the strongest under the chosen ranking; a low hand is the best under the announced low-hand rules. For A-5, 2-7, badugi, short deck, or another system, record the specific rules and source | Who wins at showdown |
| Pot awards | High-only or low-only, or a high/low split with the exact qualifying condition and how it is decided (declare or cards speak); number of boards; ties; who receives an odd chip left after division; how main and side pots are awarded | Who receives each part of the pot |
| Roles and transfer of choice | Who physically deals, where the button is, who calls the game, and when the right to choose passes on | Who announces the next game |
A side pot is not the same as a split pot. Main and side pots depend on contributions and which players are eligible to win them. A pot may be split between high and low hands, between boards, or between tied hands. Specify the basis for any split separately.
Also agree in advance on a standing table rule for misdeals and disputes. You cannot wait until you see the cards and then choose the ranking system that favors one player.
Dealer’s Choice agreement card with eight fields to complete before the dealOriginal educational diagram: agree on the format and how the pot will be awarded before dealing. Choosing a game does not replace agreeing on its exact version.
One Missing Rule Can Change the Winner
The same cards produce different winners under A-5 and 2-7 rankings. Calling “lowball”—poker in which the best low hand wins—is not enough: you must name the ranking system.
Anna has mixed-suit A-2-3-4-5, and Boris has mixed-suit 7-5-4-3-2. Both hands can come from one deck because matching card ranks can have different suits.
| Agreed system | How the cards are ranked | Winner |
|---|---|---|
| A-5 ranking | The ace is low. Straights—five consecutive ranks—and flushes—five cards of one suit—are ignored when ranking the low hand. A-2-3-4-5 is the best hand | Anna |
| 2-7 ranking | The ace is high. Straights and flushes count against the low hand. Mixed-suit 7-5-4-3-2 is the best possible hand | Boris |
The ranking system announced in advance determines the winner, not the word “lowball.” Choosing it after showdown changes the terms of a hand that has already been played.
The same two low hands produce different winners under A-5 and 2-7 rankingsOriginal educational diagram: A-2-3-4-5 wins under A-5 rankings, while mixed-suit 7-5-4-3-2 wins under 2-7 rankings.
Play One Hand Under the Agreed Rules
This instructional hand uses no limit 2-7 Single Draw: each player receives five facedown cards, with one optional draw opportunity and two betting rounds. The ace is high, straights and flushes count against the hand, and mixed-suit 7-5-4-3-2 is the best hand. These rules are announced in advance for this constructed hand, not automatically set by Dealer’s Choice.
This is a constructed example, not an account of a real session. All amounts are abstract chips, not money.
Agreement Card for This Hand
Anna’s choice lasts for one hand. After the pot is awarded, the button and the right to choose move one seat clockwise to Boris.
| Field | Agreed condition |
|---|---|
| Players and choice period | Four players: Anna, Boris, Clara, and Denis. The choice lasts for one hand |
| Chosen game | 2-7 Single Draw |
| Forced bets | Small blind 1: Boris; big blind 2: Clara. No ante and no separate required opening bet |
| Betting structure | No limit |
| Cards and draw | Standard 52-card deck without jokers. Five facedown cards per player; all five count at showdown. One optional draw opportunity. The draw starts to the left of the button among the remaining players |
| Rankings | 2-7 low: the ace is high, and straights and flushes count against the hand |
| Pot awards | The best low hand wins the entire pot. No high/low split. Hands with equal ranks split the pot; suits do not break ties. No community cards. No odd chip or side pot arises in this sequence |
| Roles and transfer of choice | Anna has the button and calls the game. Physically dealing the cards is a separate role that does not confer the right to choose. After the pot is awarded, the button and the right to choose pass to Boris |
For your own table, also complete the applicable fields in the general form, including who physically deals and the standing procedure for resolving disputes.
First Betting Round: A 19-Chip Pot
After the blinds are posted, Denis calls 2, Anna raises to 6, Boris folds, and Clara and Denis each add 4.
| Action | Contribution to the pot |
|---|---|
| Boris posts the small blind, then folds | 1 |
| Clara posts the big blind of 2 and adds 4 | 6 |
| Denis calls 2, then adds 4 | 6 |
| Anna raises to 6 | 6 |
The pot before the draw is:
1 + 6 + 6 + 6 = 19
Boris’s chip stays in the pot after he folds. Anna’s raise to 6 means a total contribution of 6, not an additional 6 on top of the previous bet.
The Draw: One Opportunity, Different Numbers of Cards
Clara draws two cards, Denis draws one, and Anna stands pat, keeping all five cards. Single Draw means one draw opportunity, not a requirement to replace exactly one card.
The order starts to the left of the button among the remaining players:
- Clara replaces two cards.
- Denis discards the
KfromK-6-5-4-2and receives a7. His final hand is7-6-5-4-2. - Anna stands pat and keeps all five cards.
Standing pat is not checking: the draw and betting actions are separate parts of the hand.
Second Betting Round: A 35-Chip Pot
Clara checks, Denis bets 8, Anna calls 8, and Clara folds.
The final pot is:
19 + 8 + 8 = 35
There is no side pot here. The calculation uses whole abstract chips, so no rounding is needed.
Showdown and Transfer of Choice
Denis wins the 35-chip pot because his 2-7 low hand beats Anna’s.
| Player | Mixed-suit hand | Comparison |
|---|---|---|
| Denis | 7-6-5-4-2 | Highest card is a seven |
| Anna | 8-7-5-4-2 | Highest card is an eight |
Neither hand contains a pair, straight, or flush, so the seven-high hand beats the eight-high hand. Denis receives the entire pot. Then the button and the right to choose the next game pass to Boris, as announced before the deal.
For a separate explanation of this game, see the full 2-7 Single Draw rules.
What the Card Does Not Decide Automatically
The card records only the terms you fill in: the name Dealer’s Choice does not supply missing rules. Even choosing 2-7 Single Draw does not, by itself, determine blind sizes, how long the choice lasts, or who receives an odd chip when a pot is divided.
Before the first card is dealt, check three boundaries:
- The exact ranking system is specified. Do not carry A-5 rules into 2-7 or add a low-hand qualifying condition from another game.
- The pot-award procedure is clear. A tie, a high/low split, and a side pot require different rules.
- There is a procedure for errors and disputes. Use the table rule agreed in advance rather than choosing a convenient resolution after seeing the cards.
If a field has two possible interpretations, stop and clarify it before dealing. The practical purpose of Dealer’s Choice is to let a player choose a game within agreed boundaries—not change the terms during a hand.
Evgeniy Volkov
Verified ExpertFullstack developer with a background in mathematics. I build the calculators and game-style tools on ToolsGambling with Pixi.js and modern web tech, and every result uses transparent probability formulas you can verify yourself.