Irish Poker

Irish Poker, also known as “Bottoms Up” poker, is a fun-to-play and entertaining poker game and resembles the popular Texas Hold’em but with a few unique features that set it apart.

Irish Poker is a game similar to Omaha and Texas Hold‘em; however, it is much more thrilling than the two. The game follows the rules of both Texas Holdem and Omaha but with a twist. The game involves strategic decision-making which ensures action at every level and hence is loved by people who are not much into card games.

What is Irish Poker?

A game of Irish Poker is played between 2-10 players. As mentioned, the game is a combination of NLHE and PLO-4. As the game begins, all the players are dealt four-hole cards face-down. The initial betting round begins and after the Flop, all the players have to discard any two-hole cards and continue playing with the remaining two. This round adds a level of excitement to the game as a player needs to make a strategic decision to let go of two cards and play with the remaining two. The Turn and River remains the same as in Texas Holdem, and the player who has the highest hand wins the pot.

Irish Poker Rules – How to Play Irish Poker

The rules of Irish Poker are a blend of two popular poker variants – Omaha and Holdem. Once all the players are dealt four-hole cards, the Pre-Flop betting round begins. The player to the immediate left of the big blind starts the bet, followed by all the players and the betting continues till the bet amount is matched. After the Pre-Flop round is closed, three community cards open up on the table face-up. This round is called the Flop.

Irish Poker: Post-Flop

All the players advance to the next betting round, which starts with the player sitting immediately left to the dealer. The betting round begins and every rule followed is similar to that in the game of Omaha. All the players still hold the four-hole cards, but the twist comes in once the betting round ends. The players playing the hand must discard any two cards from their four-hole cards and continue the rest of the game with just two-hole cards. Post this, the game continues and is played exactly like Holdem followed by Turn and River. In the end, the player with the best five-card hand (according to poker hand rankings) wins the pot.

Irish Poker Strategy

Irish poker is an interesting and entertaining game, but the game requires a certain skill set and strategy to win the game. 

When playing Irish Poker, start with strong hands like high pairs, suited connectors and high-value cards. After the flop, the decision to discard two cards plays a significant role in making or breaking the game. Keep the cards that maximise your chances of straights, flushes or high pairs.

Also, your position at the table matters the most. Play tight when in an early position and aggressively, when playing at the end. Try to put pressure on your opponents with stronger hands, but be careful when dealt weaker hands. When in doubt, FOLD. 

Bluffing in poker is an art and one must learn this art when playing any variation of poker. But bluff strategically when playing Irish poker as it provides more information to your opponents with the cards you discarded.

Also, observing your opponent is one of the key features when playing Irish Poker. Keep a tap on their moves, on the discarded cards and their betting patterns. This will help you strategise or adjust your moves, and let you play tighter or aggressively.

Last but not least, when playing Irish Poker, also look out for these hands as they are considered the best starting hands.

• Double big pairs (AAKK, KKQQ, KKJJ, QQJJ, etc)
• Double Suited (AH8H,KD10D, AS10S,QH9H, etc)
• Wraps (KQJT, QJT9, J1098, 109,87, etc)
• High Pairs with high or middling connectors (KKJT, QQJ10, KKJ9, QQ109, etc)

Irish Poker: A Fun Variant

If you think playing Irish Poker is interesting and entertaining as well, there is another version of Irish Poker which is fun to play and makes a perfect poker night with your friends and loved ones – Irish Poker Drinking Game.

Irish Poker Drinking Game

Irish Poker Drinking Game is nowhere similar to other poker games such as Omaha and Texas Holdem. The game is really simple and played for fun. All you need is a standard deck of cards, beverages and a few players to play with. Where Irish poker is played for money, Irish Poker Drinking Game is purely played for fun and entertainment.

How to Play Irish Poker Drinking Game

As we already mentioned Irish Poker Drinking Game is a fun game to play; it is divided into four rounds, each round having its own set of rules.

Round 1 – Black or Red

As the game begins, all the players are dealt four-hole cards face down. Once everyone receives their card, the person to the dealer’s left starts the game. 

Round 1 is all about guessing the colour of the first card – Red or Black! Once done, they turn the card face up to see if the guess is correct. If they are right, they get to choose two players to take a sip of the beverage. But if wrong, they need to drink the two sips themselves. The round continues till every player has played their turn.

Round 2 – Higher or Lower

In this round, a player has to guess whether the value of the second card is higher or lower than the first face-up card. In this round, the number of players you choose to drink (if you lose) doubles, ie. 4 players in this case. Remember, in every round two more drinks are added to the previous number of drinks.

Now, if the player guesses the value correctly, they need to pick four players to sip the drinks. But if they lose, they need to finish all the four. This round is repeated until everyone has had their turn.

Round 3 – Inside or Outside

The third round begins where a player has to guess whether the third card is inside or outside the value of the first two hole cards that are facing up on the table. If their guess is correct, they choose 6 players to take the shot. But if they lose, they will need to drink all the 6 shots themselves.

Round 4 – Which Suit

By now, players will almost turn tipsy and this is the fourth and final round. In this round, a player has to choose which suit the fourth card is – Heart, Diamond, Spade or Club. 

This round is a bit easier than the other three rounds as most of the cards are now open on the table. If they can guess it correctly, they can hand over the eight shots to their opponents. But if they guess it wrong, they have to drink all the eight shots.

Adapting the Rules

As this is your game, you can make your own rules and play with any kind of beverage you like. You can even add bonus rounds if the game demands. You can also change the number of shots you decide to sip in each round according to your limit. But if you decide to play with alcoholic beverages, it is always advisable to play and drink responsibly.

Irish Poker FAQs

1 – What are the best-starting hands in Irish Poker?

Ans: Based on the above article, the best starting hands when playing Irish Poker are high card pairs such as AA, KK, and QQ, but the best suited are also ideal. Usually, the best of hands are defined by the many possibilities. To maintain the decision-making ability in each round, high cards with suited connectors have been observed to be the best cards in every condition.

2 – What is Irish Poker?

Ans: Irish Poker is a combination of Texas Holdem and Omaha. As the game begins, all the players are dealt four-hole cards face-down. The initial betting round begins and after the Flop, all the players have to discard any two-hole cards and continue playing with the remaining two. In the end, the best five-hand card wins the pot.

3 – What is an Irish Poker Drinking Game?

Irish Poker Drinking Game is a really simple and fun game. All you need is a standard deck of cards, beverages and a few players to play with. Where Irish poker is played for money, Irish Poker Drinking Game is purely played for fun and entertainment.