Guts Poker

Introduction

Guts Poker, commonly referred to simply as Guts, is a well-liked card game that revolves around poker mechanics. Its appeal lies in its straightforward gameplay and high volatility. The game can lead to substantial winnings, which means that players need to be quite resilient to excel at Guts. Thanks to its uncomplicated nature, it’s an excellent choice for moments when players are too worn out or inebriated to engage in a more serious poker match.

Rules

There are many different styles of Guts Poker. I have personally observed multiple ways to play it. Nevertheless, a key feature shared by nearly all variants is that players face a fundamental choice with each hand—either to go 'in' or 'out.'

At this moment, I will focus on a specific version that I will refer to as Three-Card Monte Carlo Guts. In this adaptation, each participant receives three cards, and all players who lose must contribute to the pot, not just the one with the lowest hand. Here are the detailed instructions.

Three-Card Monte Carlo Guts

1. A single 52-card deck is used.
2. Every participant is required to place a predetermined amount into the pot as their Ante.
3. Each player is dealt three cards.
4. The hierarchy of poker hands is ranked as follows, from the strongest to the weakest:
   • Straight flush
   • Three of a kind
   • Straight
   • Flush
   • Pair
   • Three singletons
5. Once players have looked at their cards, they uniformly announce their decision to stay in or fold. This is typically done by everyone revealing their hands at the same moment. A closed fist signifies 'in,' while an open fist means 'out.' An alternative method involves players dropping their cards to signify 'out' and holding them to mean 'in.' However, this latter technique can be susceptible to a tactic known as a 'late drop' to cheat.
6. The pot is awarded to the player with the highest-ranking hand among those who opted to stay in the game. All other participants who chose to stay in and lost must match the pot.
7. If only one player decides to stay in, that player automatically wins the uncontested pot.
8. If no players choose to stay in, a new hand will be dealt.
9. The game concludes when a player wins an uncontested pot.

Variations

Here is a list of various rule adaptations.

• Rather than using three cards, players might use two (or any number).
• If no one decides to stay in, players are required to place another Ante into the pot.
• In scenarios where three or more players stay in, only the player holding the losing hand must match the pot (this variant is known as Survivor Guts).
• Players announce their choices in a specific order. A button circulates around the table to denote which player is required to declare their decision first.
• If a single player is in, they must outperform a predetermined dummy hand.
• The rankings of hands may be modified; for instance, straights or flushes could be disregarded.

Strategy

What follows is my approach to playing Three-Card Monte Carlo Guts. I argue that this strategy is either on par with or superior to any other mix of playing styles available. While it may not be the definitive best hand, I am confident it is very close and should perform well against casual players.

The table below illustrates the minimum hand one should have to go 'in' based on the total number of players involved (including yourself).

It's also important to mention that the strategies for 'survivor' guts, where just the losing player must Ante, surprisingly share a similar approach. For the time being, I can say that in a casual setting, it would be relatively safe to rely on the table mentioned earlier for the rules of 'survivor guts.'

Written by: Michael Shackleford