Deal the cards evenly to all players.
The cards are ranked by both number and suit. The lowest ranking card is 3
♣ , continuing up to A
♠ . 2 is ranked higher than A . The rank of the suits, from lowest to highest, is Clubs, Diamonds, Hearts, Spades.
The player holding the 3
♣ begins play. When starting a round, the starting player can play any of the following subset of poker hands: single, pair, straight, flush, full house, four-of-a-kind. Subsequent players may either play a hand ranked higher than the previous set, or pass.
Poker hands are ranked by the highest card in the hand. A full house is ranked by the triplet, not the pair. Once the starting player has chosen the hand being played, other poker hands cannot be played in that round. For instance, if the starting player opens with a straight, the next player cannot play a flush.
Four-of-a-kind can be played on singles or doubles, and immediately ends the round (giving that player the ability to start). Once a player has passed, they cannot play again for that round.