Poe Crumb

Contributed by Jared McComb

Editor's note: Although it was invented independently, this game is coincidentally quite similar to the traditional game of Knock Poker, which is described in some card game books.

Quick synopsis

A version of Rummy in which the goal is to acquire a better Poker hand than everyone else. It can theoretically be played by any number of players between 2 and 10, but between 3 and 6 tend to make the best game.

Players, Cards, Deal

Poe Crumb requires one standard deck of 52 cards and at least two people. Before play, determine the first dealer. Dealer shuffles the deck, deals five cards to each person, puts the remainder of the deck in the center of the playing area, and flips the top card over to form the discard pile. Left of the dealer has first turn, and play continues clockwise.

Play

A regular turn consists of two parts: the Draw and the Discard. In the Draw, you have the choice between the top card of the deck or the top card of the discard pile to add to your hand, and in the discard, you may select any card from your hand and play it on the top of the discard pile. Picking up the top card of the discard pile and playing it back on the pile is permitted, but usually pointless. If the deck becomes exhausted, the dealer should immediately remove everything under the topmost card, reshuffle and replace the deck, and continue play as normal.

If you think you have the best hand of the group, then in lieu of your next turn, you may knock on the table. You may not knock on your first turn, and you may not knock and draw/discard in one turn. After one player has knocked, everyone else in the game gets one more regular turn, after which the showdown commences.

In the showdown, everyone lays all five cards in their hand face up in front of them. Whoever has the best hand, ranked according to the rules of Poker, wins the round. Deal passes to the left in subsequent hands.

Variants

Sudden Death: Whenever the deck is exhausted, the showdown immediately commences, without giving anyone a chance to knock.

Wild Card: Add a Joker to the deck (or two, if desired), play as normal. The Joker counts as any card desired. However, natural hands always beat hands of the same type that include the Joker, even if the natural hand has an actual lower value. Example: 3-4-5-6-7 (natural straight flush) beats 7-8-9-Joker-J ('unnatural' or 'aided' straight flush), and both of these beat Q-Q-Q-4-4 (full house) and are beaten by 2-2-2-2-Joker (five of a kind). Using two jokers works best for games with 5 or more people, whereas 1 is usually sufficient for less than that.