Online Poker » Dealers Choice Games » Dog Leg

Dealer's choice poker games are intended to keep classic poker variations interesting and challenging. The selection of dealer's choice games continues to grow. Dog Leg is a popular dealer's choice game that combines 5 Card Draw and 5 Card Stud. It was designed to create a more intense poker game that requires more skill than just playing 5 Card Draw or 5 Card Stud. Dog Leg is very easy to play if you already know the rules of the traditional poker games.

Dog Leg Rules

Dog Leg begins the same way as 5 Card Draw. The game begins with each player placing his or her ante, a small bet, into the pot. Each player is then dealt five cards face down, beginning with the player on the dealer's left. Players can look at their cards after all five have been dealt in Dog Leg. A round of betting begins after players look at their cards. The betting begins with the player to the dealer's left. Players can make the same bets in Dog Leg as they can in any traditional poker game. A check essentially means that you pass and do not add any bets to the pot. Players can also choose to bet and add more chips or money to the pot. All subsequent players after the bet can choose to raise. A raise is a bet that is larger than the amount of the original bet. Players also have the option to fold. A fold means you give up on the hand and wait until the next one to play.

Dog Leg turns into a variation of 5 Card Stud after the first betting round. Players can place their cards in any order that they want on the table in front of them. Each player then reveals two cards. A round of betting takes place and then one more card is revealed. This combination of revealing one card and a round of betting continues until all of the cards have been revealed. If any players remain, a showdown takes place once all of the cards are revealed. The winner is determined in the showdown based on who has the best poker hand. Hands are judged in Dog Leg exactly the same as they are in traditional poker. Dog Leg rarely makes it to the showdown because it is so easy to judge if other players have strong or weak poker hands. This results in most players folding before the showdown is reached.

Dog Leg Variations

Dog Leg is a versatile game that can be played high-low split. Dog Leg High-Low is played exactly the same as regular Dog Leg except the pot is split between the player with the best high hand and the best low hand. Players are eligible to win both pots in the same game. In addition, the pot can be split further if more than one player has the best high hand or the best low hand in Dog Leg.