Seven cards are all immediately dealt face-down. Each player keeps his seven cards face-down without looking at them. The first player to the left of the dealer flips over his first card. Based on that card, he opens a betting round. That face-up card is now the best hand showing at the table. After the betting round, the next player flips over cards until his cards face-up beat the best hand showing. For example, if the first player turned up a jack, then the next player flips over cards until what he has showing beats a single Jack, that is any card higher than a Jack or a pair. Those cards showing now become the new best hand showing at the table, and that player opens a betting round. This continues with each player flipping over cards until they can beat the best hand showing at the table, opening a betting round after they have done so.
There are two ways that players are removed from this game. If a player has flipped over all of his cards and cannot beat the best hand at the table with what he has showing, then that player is out of the game. Also, of course, if a player does not at least see each bet that comes his way, he is out of the game. The game ends when all players have flipped over all of their cards. The best hand wins.
Variations:
Most people think that there should be special cards in this game that revolve around a baseball theme. For example:
- Innings: Nine cards dealt instead of seven, called "nine innings".
- Wild cards: Threes and nines wild, modeled after three strikes, three outs, nine innings, and nine players. Other people play that when a player turns up a card that is wild, they must pay for that card to be wild, a small amount like a quarter at a nickel-ante table.
- Extra card: If a player flips up a four, modeled after four balls and four bases, that player is dealt an extra card face-down from the dealt. Other people play that the player if a player flips up a four and wants the extra card, he must also pay for it, typically 50 cents at a nickel-ante table. Other than that, the card does not contribute anything to the hand other than being a regular four. However, getting the extra card can really help a hand.
- Baseball: Blind Baseball is not basic Baseball, only the more popular version. Basic Baseball (or just Baseball) is a standard seven card stud game, in which threes and nines are wild, and a four dealt face-up allows you to receive a new card from the deck. These threes, fours, and nines typically cost a player a predetermined fee in order to take advantage of them (at a quarter-table, for example, it may be a quarter for a three or nine to be counted as wild, and 2 quarters to get an extra card from the four).
- Winter Baseball: A variation on either Baseball or Blind Baseball. The exception is in this game, a four gets you an extra card but costs nothing, a nine is wild but costs nothing, and a three is wild but the player who receives it (at all in Blind Baseball, or dealt face-up in Baseball) must match the pot for it to be counted as wild. If the player is not interested in matching the pot, that player can simply fold, or put a "price" on the wild card. Going clockwise around the table from the player, other players decide if they are willing to pay that player's price for the three in exchange for a card from their hand. The first player to decide he will pay the player for that wild card must pay the player's price to the player, as well as match the pot.
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