How to play Caro Hold'em
A few minutes ago, I sat down intending to write this column on a completely different topic. what happened? Well, my mind started wandering. And I imagined myself playing Hold'em, but the game that wandered into my head wasn't any that you've ever played before. I've never played it either, except just now in my vision. But I'm so intrigued by the concept that I want to share it with you.
If you like the game I’m about to describe, I invite you to be the fi rst to try it out in your home game environment or coax your cardroom into spreading it. Then, report back to me at mike@caro. com and let me know what happened.
Feeling modest tonight, I’ve decided not to credit myself in naming this new game. Instead, I’m calling it Caro Hold’em as a tribute to my grandfather. The rules are really very simple, and it won’t take you long to get accustomed to them.
Not Limit, Not No Limit
Caro Hold’em can’t be played No Limit, as you’ll quickly understand. But it isn’t quite a form of Limit Hold’em, either. Everything plays the same way as standard Limit Hold'em, except each player starts with five hole cards, not just two. Oh, and one more thing: It’s not a three-card fl op, followed by a single card on the turn and river. Hell no! It’s a two-card flop let’s call it a fl ip – followed by a single board card which we’ll call a blip, just because it rhymes. Then there’s a refl ip – two more board cards. There are the familiar four betting rounds: Pre-fl ip, fl ip, blip, refl ip. What’s so innovative about that order of dealing the board? Nothing. But there’s a reason for it. The game wouldn’t balance strategically with a 3-1-1 board. That’s because of the method of wagering. And this is where it gets strange.
Whatever the established limit is for a betting round, you wager it once for each card you continue to hold. At any point in the wagering, you can throw away any excess cards above one, then bet the established wager amount multiplied by the number of cards you still hold. You can bet or raise holding fi ve, four, three, two, or even just one card. Yes, you must keep at least one card, even if you plan to play the board. Winners are determined at the showdown, when necessary, just as in regular hold ’em.
Why wouldn’t you keep all fi ve cards? You might, but then you’d be paying fi ve times the wagering limit for each bet, call, or raise. The risk might be worth it, but might not.
Let’s say it’s a $10 per unit game. Each unit of wagering – meaning you bet, call, or raise that much for each card you retain – is then $10 before the two-card fl ip and after the fl ip, $20 after seeing the one-card blip, and $40 after seeing the two-card refl ip. How come? It’s a matter of keeping the game in tune. The larger fi nal betting round refl ects the fact that almost all players will normally be holding only two cards at that point, having seen the entire board. Otherwise, the wagering often would be smaller than on previous rounds when some players may have chosen to hang on to more cards.
The Keys
These are the key rules and elements:
. The more cards you keep, the more likely you’ll be to stumble into a winning hand.
. The more cards you keep, the more expensive it is to play and the greater your risk.
. You might indicate strength by throwing away more cards and perhaps psychologically enhance your bluffi ng chances
. You might mislead by keeping more cards than needed, though that can be expensive if you lose.
. Cards discarded must be placed face up in front of player, so others can discern how many cards are kept and easily monitor the correct betting. The face-up provision adds an element of strategy. (You might show a discarded pair face up when there’s a smaller pair on the board, representing three-of-akind and hoping to bluff your way to victory.)
. Players who fold throw their cards away facedown, as in regular hold ’em.
. Players may reduce their hands at any point before betting, calling, or raising, even on the same round where they originally held more cards and wagered more. (There are possible elements of deception here, too.) You must think of bets and raises not in terms of the size of the wager, but the number of levels. A bet is level one. A raise is level two. A reraise is level three. (There probably should be a cap at level four, especially if more than two players remain.) You cannot throw away cards when you check, but only just before you wager.
. Just so you see it more clearly, if an opponent on a $20 round holds fi ve cards, he must bet $80 or check. If he bets and you reduce your hand to two cards, you can raise and put in a total of $80 ($20 for each card to call and $20 for each card to raise). If he calls without further reducing his hand, he’ll be investing $160 to your $80.
. By the way, if you split a pot, you might lose money, assuming you kept more cards than an opponent.
That’s Caro Hold ’em. Call it just Caro, for short, if you prefer. You’ll meet elements of poker gamesmanship you’ve never encountered before. And I’m betting that after just a couple hands, you’ll be comfortable with the rules and procedures. I’m not claiming any legal ownership. As of now, this game is in the public domain, so it’s yours. Enjoy. — MC
