Rules
Double-sided Poker is a two-player betting game with a twist: every card has a number on both sides. On The Genius the cards were dealt front up, so both players could see each other’s front. Each player could also look at their own back, but never at the opponent’s.
The deck
The deck has 90 cards: every ordered pair of two different numbers from 1 to 10. A card never has the same number on both sides. The deck is used hand after hand without a reshuffle, so the cards already shown tell you something about the backs still out there.
A hand
- Both players put 1 chip into the pot.
- Each player gets one card, front up. You see both fronts and your own back.
- The first player chooses which side to play, front or back, and bets. The choice is announced and cannot change.
- The other player chooses a side too, and calls (matches), raises or folds. Players keep raising until one calls or folds.
- On a call, the chosen sides are compared and the higher number wins the pot. Equal numbers carry the pot over to the next hand.
Betting both sides
Instead of choosing one side, the second player can bet both sides by staking twice the opponent’s bet. If both of their numbers are higher than the opponent’s chosen side, they win the pot and 10 extra chips. If either number is equal or lower, they lose. An opponent who folds against a both-sides bet also pays the 10 chips.
End of the game
Hands continue until one player has no chips left. That player loses.
Our version
- The Season 3 deck (90 cards, a fresh shuffled deck when it runs out) and 30 starting chips. You can also start with 20, or play Quick with 15.
- A coin flip picks the first bettor for hand 1, then the first bettor alternates every hand.
- The first bettor must pick a side and bet at least 1 chip, or fold. After that: call, raise (+1, +3, +5 or all-in) or fold. No bet can be larger than what the opponent can still match.
- Bet both sides is your first move of a hand, after the opponent has picked a side and bet. It needs chips for twice their bet. Nobody can raise over it.
- At a showdown both whole cards are shown. A folded card stays hidden.
- The Win chances helper (on by default) shows how often each of your numbers wins, from the cards not yet seen.
Strategy
Their front is a fact, their back is a guess. If they play their front, you know exactly what to beat. If they play their back, it is probably bigger than their front, or they would not have chosen it.
Your choice talks. Playing your back over a big front tells them your back is bigger still. Playing a small front can be a bluff, but they can see it is small.
Hunt for the both-sides bet. When they play a low front and both your numbers are higher, the both-sides bet cannot lose and pays 10 extra chips.
Count the shown cards. Each card exists only once per deck. The backs revealed at showdowns tell you which pairs are gone.
Fold cheaply. A fold early costs only your ante and your bets so far. Save your chips for the hands where your number is clearly ahead.