Super Power Poker

Just a quick blog to explain a fun game I just played while on my trip to Norway. It’s called Super Power Poker and is a no limit hold’em tournament with a few fun and interesting wrinkles. At the start of the tournament each player is given three additional cards. Each card represents a specific advantage that you can use throughout the game:

Run It Twice- Whenever you go all in you must use this card simultaneously. If no one calls, you get this card back. If you are called by at least one player they will run the remaining cards out twice. So if you are all in preflop and called after using your Run It Twice Card, the dealer will deal two full boards. If you go all in on the flop, the dealer will deal the turn and river twice. If you win both, you get the whole pot. If you lose both, you lose the whole pot. Win one out of two and you get half the pot.

Pineapple- This card must be used preflop before the player takes any action. So if its raised and re-raised to you and you are in the big blind, for example, you can use your pineapple card and then choose to fold, call, or re-raise as normal. You now have a three card hand and after the flop you can choose which of those three cards to throw away.

Show One Card- This one is quite simple. Anytime you are in a heads up pot you can play this card and your opponent must choose which of the two cards in his hand he will turn face up and show you.

You can use more than one card on the same action. For example, if you are short stacked and all in you can play your Run It Twice card AND your pineapple card at the same time. Or, if you are 3 bet by a player and want to see one of his cards, you can play your Show One Card, then you could go all in and play your Run It Twice card. You could even play all three cards in the same hand! Example:

You are in the small blind and it’s folded around to you. You can play your Show One Card and the big blind must turn a card over. Then you can play your pineapple card, and if you like what you see, you can go all in and play your Run It Twice card! I wouldn’t advise wasting all your cards in one shot, though, since you only get one opportunity to use each card.

We didn’t think of this before this event, but realized quickly it would be even more fun that when you bust a player you also win any Super Power Cards your opponent didn’t use.

If you want to add a little spice to your home games, I say give this a try! It was really great fun and creates the kind of atmosphere at the table we all want to see.

I’m off to the Isle of Mann to visit the PokerStars HQ, but before I go I also wanted to take a moment to thank everyone in Norway for their tremendous hospitality. I most certainly felt loved and cared for during my brief stay. A special thanks to Bjorn Petter for making sure I had food, a free gym membership, a Norwegian Rap Spotify playlist, as much water as I can drink, and of course, for loaning me his car, his cellphone, and his ex-girlfriend for the trip. Thanks buddy!