Pilatch Card Games

Binary Betting

Up/Down card flipping back and forth

Up/Down cards, also called "bet cards" or "binary cards," can show which community cards each player's wager is on, or control other information.

Increasing the stakes allows a player to flip her bet card.*

Use with two sets of community cards

When a player flips her bet card that means she has changed her wager from one set of community cards to the other. Whether it's the face-down, or the face-up community cards is denoted by which side of her bet card is showing.

When you fold, do not toss your hand into the center of the play area. The face-down community cards live there! That could cause a mix-up, and nobody wants to bet on the hand you folded. Instead of mucking the cards in your hand, return your bet card to the dealer.


*Detailed Rulings

  • When playing with blinds, a player is allowed to flip her bet card when she posts either the small or big blind, as blinds are considered forced bets, and effectively raise the stakes.
  • With no-limit betting rules, a player is allowed to flip her bet card when she calls by going all-in. This is the only instance in which a player can flip her bet card without raising the stakes
  • If a player bets or raises more than any other player can match, and must retract the entire bet/raise, then that action effectively does not increase the stakes. Meaning, that player may not flip her bet card at that time.