How to Play Indian Poker
Place a starting bet to get dealt in. Give each of the players a stack of poker chips to place their bets, or use coins. Each player who wants to play a round of the game takes one of their chips and places it in the middle of the table to form the pot. While the starting bet, or ante, can be any amount, 1 chip per round is a good choice so people can play multiple games. In some areas, playing for real money may be considered gambling and be illegal. Check your state or city’s government website to check gambling laws before you use real money as a bet.
Deal 1 card to each player. Use a standard deck of cards with the jokers removed. Choose a player to shuffle a deck of cards. The dealer then gives each player 1 card face-down in front of them. Set any leftover cards aside for the rest of the round. Indian Poker usually works best with at least 4 players, but you can play with a smaller or larger group. In the game, cards are ranked from high to low: A, K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8 , 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1.
Each player holds their card on their forehead. Without looking at their own card, the players pick their cards off the table and hold them against their forehead so it’s visible to everyone else. Keep the cards against your forehead for the rest of the round. If you get tired holding the card against your head, put on a headband and tuck the card into it.
Take turns choosing to bet or fold for the round. Starting with the player to the left of the dealer, each player gets to place bets like a standard poker game. If a player thinks they have a high card, they can bet or raise to increase the pot. If a player isn’t feeling confident, then they can fold and go out for the round. Once players are done making their bets, then the betting round ends. On your turn, you may do one of the following: Check: If no one else has placed an opening bet, then you may “check” to skip your turn and go to the next player. If all players check, then the betting round ends. Bet: If you’re the first person to bet, add any number of your chips to the pot in the middle of the table. Place a bet if you’re feeling confident that you have a high card. Call: Once another player has placed a bet, you must “call” and add chips to the pot to match their bet if you want to stay in for the round. If the other players all call after a bet, then the betting round ends. Raise: You may “raise” by adding more chips to the pot than the previous bet. After you raise, all other players have to match your new bet if they want to stay in. Raising your bet is a good choice if you’re confident you have a higher card. Fold: Set your card face-down on the table. You lose any chips you already added to the pot, and you are out for the rest of the round.
Reveal the cards and win for the highest value. When all players are done betting, everyone removes their card from their forehead and places it face-up on the table for everyone to see. Compare the card values, and whoever has the highest card wins all the chips in the pot. If 2 or more players are tied for the highest value, then they split the pot evenly.
Winning Strategies for Indian Poker
Watch how other people react to your card. Once everyone holds their cards up for the first time, pay attention to players looking at your card. If you have a high card, they may look surprised or nervous at first because they’re worried about losing. If you have a low card, they may smile or act more confident because they think they’ll win. Remember that other people will be looking at how you react to their cards as well, so try to keep a straight face throughout the round.
Try bluffing about what card a person is holding. If the person has a lower-valued card, then act a little nervous when you bet against them. That way, they will stay in the round longer and potentially lose to a higher card. If the person has a higher card, then act a little more confident when you place bets to make them fold early. Other players will try to bluff about what card you’re holding as well, so pay attention to how they react and how their bets change throughout the round. For example, if a player acted confident until you raised a bet, there’s a chance they’re acting nervous to fool you.
Make smaller bets so you don’t lose chips. Rather than being really aggressive and betting all of your chips in a round, only add a chip or two to the pot if you’re betting or raising. Because the rounds are quick, saving your chips means you get to play more of the game.
Fold the round if another player stays firm with their bets. When other players aren’t backing down from their bets, it’s usually a good sign that they’re trying to make you add more chips to the pot. Rather than giving up your chips to them, fold the hand instead. If you’re able to pick up on a player’s tells, like if they twitch or do a specific movement when they’re lying, and you know the person is bluffing, then it’s okay to stay in the game.
Variations of Indian Poker
Set ranks for the card suits to prevent ties. Normally, multiple players split the pot if they’re tied for the highest value. Instead, rank the suits from highest to lowest value, such as Spades-Clubs-Hearts-Diamonds. During a tie, the highest rank suit wins the pot instead.
Deal 2 cards to each player for a more challenging game. At the start of the game, give each player 2 face-down cards to hold against their forehead. In this version, a pair is the highest value hand. If no one has a pair, then the person holding the single highest value card wins the round. If multiple players have a pair, then the highest-value pair wins. For example, a K-K hand is stronger than a 5-5 hand. If no one has a pair and multiple people are tied for the highest single card, compare the value of their second card. Whoever has the highest value for their second card wins the round.
Have multiple betting rounds for a fun twist on hold’em. If you want a fun twist on a classic poker game, deal 2 cards to each player and have them hold it against their forehead. After a normal round of betting, deal 3 cards face-up to the middle of the table and have another betting round. Deal a 4th face-up card to the center of the table and have a third betting round. Then, add a final 5th card to the table and hold a final betting round for any players still left in. Reveal your cards, and whoever has the strongest 5-card poker hand wins the pot.
Make the losers take drinks if you want to make it a drinking game. If you want to make the game more social, pour your favorite drink for the end of the round. Any player who folded takes sips equal to the value of their card. Any player that was still in at the end of the round and lost takes sips equal to the difference between their card and the winner’s. Example: If the winner had an 8 and someone lost at the end of the round with a 6, then they have to take 2 sips of their drink.
Why is it called Indian Poker?
The name comes from the cards resembling Indigenous headdresses. People thought that when they held cards to their forehead that it looked like feathers in a traditional Indigenous headdress. Because the term was “American Indian” before “Native American” or “Indigenous” became the more acceptable norm, the name Indian Poker stuck. Now that the term is more outdated, the name Indian Poker can potentially come across as insensitive or offensive. If you want to suggest the game but want to be culturally sensitive, then try one of the following names: Blind Man’s Bluff One-Card Poker Forehead Poker Oklahoma Forehead
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