Northern Colorado Poker Wiki

Anaconda Rules

A favorite for some, always gets a groan from others....

Anaconda is a 7-card game, so can only be played with a maximum of 7 players. It is also a Hi-Lo game, but there are no restrictions on the Lo hand (a player may start out the hand thinking they have a Hi hand, and may change their mind mid-hand).

Each player is dealt 7 cards. After looking at them, each player chooses 3 cards to pass, two to the left and one to the right. Once a player receives their new cards, they make their best (or worst) 5 card hand and discard the extra two cards. The cards are then placed face down in a pile in front of the player in the order they want to reveal them. Once the players start revealing their cards, they may look at their remaining cards, but may not change the order. Each player turns one card face-up, and whoever has the highest card showing starts the betting (if there is a tie for the highest card, it is the first person with that card to the dealer's left). Each player then turns up a second card, highest hand bets, then the third and fourth with a round of betting. After the fourth card revealed and the betting, each player must declare whether they are playing for the Hi hand, Lo hand, or both. Each player puts chips in their hand under the table - 0 for Lo, 1 for Hi, 2 for both - then open their hands at the same time. If a player chooses to go for both the Hi and the Lo hand, they must win both or they win nothing.