How to Play Strip Poker

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Such a discipline as strip poker is considered by many as only an entertainment and a party component, so it seems that there are no special rules in this card game. But it's not completely true. In this game, a lot depends on the preliminary agreements of the participants, because you need to choose the discipline, the number of clothes and the features of the process.

This poker format has a large number of fans. And the game takes place not only in the home format at parties with friends. In different countries, official poker tournaments of this game were held with large prize pools. The biggest of them – the international poker event in London – started as an April Fool's joke, but ended up in the Guinness Book of Records.

Therefore, in this article we will talk about how to play strip poker, what are the most popular varieties, as well as tips that will help you prepare.

Basic Strip Poker Rules

What do you need to play this discipline?

• Know how to play poker in general.
• Know the rules of strip poker.
• A deck of cards, chips and other attributes.
• The courage and willingness to take off your clothes.
• Approximately the same set of clothing items for each player.
• Before the start of the game, you should agree on how far you are willing to go.

Strip poker format is played according to the usual rules of poker. Most often, Texas Holdem or Draw Poker is chosen for the game. In home games, however, no one limits you, and you can even choose Badugi as the basis for the game (although this will not be easy for participants).

The seniority of combinations, bets, the order of actions at the table – everything is like in a regular game. There is only one important feature in it: its participants are forced to undress. This does not happen immediately (as a rule), but during the game. Depending on predetermined rules, players remove one piece of clothing when they lose all their chips or the hand at showdown.

In different countries and companies, strip poker rules may vary slightly. Sometimes players introduce additional conditions by mutual agreement. For example, they can somehow win back their things or perform some tasks if this or that combination falls out.

In general, if we are talking about a home game of this discipline, then there are no barriers to your imagination. You may also be interested in such unusual types of game as Caribbean Stud poker or Irish drinking one.

Two Popular Variants of the Game

There are two main types of these games. Let's conditionally call them "classic" and "fast". They differ, in fact, in one nuance – when you need to take off your clothes.

In the classic strip poker game, clothing is used as a rebuy. So the game starts as usual, and then the player, having lost his entire stack, exchanges one piece of clothing for new chips and returns to the game. And so it continues until he runs out of clothes.

In a fast variant of strip poker, clothes are removed after each lost hand at showdown (when the cards are revealed on the river or in case of an all-in). In this variation, the game runs much faster.

The goal of playing this interesting discipline is different for each player. But seriously speaking, the main goal here, like in poker in general, is to win all the opponent's chips and, in this case, to force your opponents to undress.

How to play strip poker without chips?

This is such an unusual type of game that sometimes just a deck of cards is enough for it. There are two popular options: with chips and without them. In the first option, clothing items can be used when losing the entire stack to get a rebuy. In the second option, clothes are used just instead of chips: that is, after each hand, one of the participants becomes less dressed. All participants must decide on the chosen format before the start of the game. Most often, in home games, they prefer the option without chips, but in official tournaments, of course, you can’t do without the usual stacks and rebuys.

Various Formats to Choose to Play

Let's take a quick look at the two most popular formats that players most often choose to play strip poker.

Draw poker

Why is this the best type of poker for this game? It's simple: the rules are very easy, the rounds go quickly and do not require much thought. The details of the gameplay may vary, but in general, everything goes like this:

• each player bets an ante (if you're playing with chips) or a certain piece of clothing;
• everyone gets five cards face down;
• everyone has the option to change some of their cards or leave it as is;
• at the showdown, the winner with the strongest combination is determined.

After that, there are several options to continue:

• all participants except the winner take off a piece of clothing;
• only the participant with the weakest combination must fulfill this condition (then the game will go longer);
• also in some variations, the winner gets the right to choose the “loser” on their own.

Texas holdem

This is the most popular type of poker and quite often players choose it to play strip poker. The basic rules are simple:

• everyone gets two pocket cards;
• players post the small and big blind, also often all participants post an ante;
• then community cards are dealt (flop, turn and river).

It is very important to limit the time for making decisions, as this format should be carried out in an entertaining manner and not turn into boring games with sophisticated strategies.

Details and Special Features

When it comes to playing strip poker as entertainment, no one really controls how many clothes someone has. Some people put on a couple of extra sweaters, T-shirts, socks, etc. on purpose, in order to be able to stay in the game longer. Others, on the contrary, initially leave a minimum of clothing and enter the game with a willingness to play and lose.

If we are talking about fair game, then the rules stipulate that each player must have approximately the same set of clothes from an equal number of items.

So, for example, in a tournament that got into the Guinness Book of Records, all participants were required to put on only 5 pieces of clothing. They could take it off in any order. Therefore, while some began to undress from their caps, others left their hats for the last round. Particularly shy were allowed to wrap themselves in towels after losing a number of items.

It's also worth pointing out that strip poker isn't always played to the point of being completely naked. Sometimes a minimum of clothing is set that can remain on a person. As a rule, this is underwear. The winner of the game is the one who is the last to remain in clothes or at least one of its elements. But if you play this format for fun, then everyone can win in such a game.

Are there online strip poker tournaments?

This type of poker is mainly created for offline games. Strip poker online is quite difficult to find. In official events, this game is available only for 18+ players (or even 21+ sometimes). In home games, everything happens at the discretion of the participants.

To prepare for an exciting party where you will play this format, you can first practice playing in poker rooms online. So you can get comfortable with poker hands and feel confident at the table.

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