Pokeno game

Pokeno is a game created by United States Playing Card Company. ^[1] First released in 1930, ^[2] the game is a combination of poker and keno (or lotto) and is similar to the game of bingo in several aspects.

Gameplay

The game can be played by 2 to 13 players. ^[3] The dealer places five ranks of five squares across the board for a total of 25 squares. With another deck of cards at hand, cards are turned over one at a time and each player who has a board with that playing card pictured places a poker chip or other marking device over the square. The first player to get five squares in a row is the winner.

Methods of scoring

There are many possible ways to keep score in Pokeno.

• The winner receives a reward, greater or lesser, according to the poker value of the line or "hand." Note that the boards are arranged so that each vertical and horizontal line represents a different poker hand, ranging from "straight flush" to "one pair." No boards are better than others. All are intended to be balanced.
• The same as before except that the dealer continues turning over cards until every player has five in a row; the player with the highest poker hand covered is the winner.
• Pokeno may be played similarly to Blackjack, where the dealer covers his own board and plays against each individual player. The dealer turns over playing cards until he has five in a row covered on his own board. Any player who does not have five in a row covered, or whose row has a lesser value than the dealer's, loses. The dealer loses to those who have rows covered of greater poker value. Larger hands may bring a greater reward.
• Pokeno may be played similarly to keno. Each player except the dealer or "banker" is given a board and may bet on any figure that automatically covers one row and one column. The banker turns over playing cards and the players cover only those called that are in the two rows on which he wagers. If one of these two rows is not covered by any player so that no one is "out" by the time twenty-five cards are turned over, the banker gets the wagers. If player is "out" on either his horizontal or vertical row, that player gets a certain standard reward arranged in proportion, as in roulette.
• Pokeno may be played like regular bingo with poker cards instead of numbers/bingo balls.

Twisted Pokeno

Twisted Pokeno was another version of Pokeno, created by United States Playing Card Company again, somewhere in the late 90s. It is played like the original version, with some extra tweaks:

• Players will choose which pattern they want to play: Straight Line(either vertically, horizontally or diagonally), 4 Corners and Center, the letter "X", or Cover all
• Some cards have special powers:
  • Wild Card: One in the deck. The player can:
    • Request the last card drawn be shuffled back into the deck, or
    • Exchange the Pokeno board with a player of choice.
  • Joker: One Joker in the deck. With this, the player must exchange their board with the person to left.
  • Kings: Any King drawn will reverse the play rotation.
  • One-Eyed Jacks(J♡ & J♠): When the drawn player should:
    • Call any card they want and only they cover it.
    • Place the One-Eyed Jack face up next to the discard pile, and no one covers this card. The card goes back into play, when the Q♢ is drawn.
  • Queen of Diamonds(Q♢): It puts back any One-Eyed Jack into play.
  • Queen of Hearts(Q♡): All players should:
    • Cover this card if they have it.
    • The player who drew the Q♢ gets to draw again, and only they covers the Second card drawn.
  • Deuce(2's): Take the last card drawn, and shuffle it back into the deck. Also all players remove this chip.
  • Ace of Spades(A♠): It allows the player who drew this card, to exchange their board with any player. The player does not have to exchange, if they does not want to.

External links

• How to Play Pokeno video
• How to Play Twisted Pokeno video

References

1. "Original Pokeno Cards". United States Playing Card Company.
2. "Pokeno Board Game Review, Rules & Instructions".
3. "Pokeno Board Game Review, Rules & Instructions".