OBJECTIVE OF EAST WEST: Be the player with two or more of the highest poker hands
NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 2 players
NUMBER OF CARDS: 32 cards
RANK OF CARDS: (low) 7 – Ace (high)
TYPE OF GAME: Poker, Casino
AUDIENCE: Adults
INTRODUCTION OF EAST WEST
East west is a two player casino style game that challenges players to create the best poker hands possible. This game was created by German game designer Reiner Knizia, and it is reminiscent of Chinese Poker.
THE CARDS & THE DEAL
East West utilizes a 32 card deck ranging from 7’s up through Aces. In this game Aces are high. The 2’s – 6’s from all four suits should be removed. Both players should sit on the same side of the table for this game. The player on the left is West, and the player on the right is East.
To decide who will be the dealer, each player should take a card from the deck. The player that chooses the lowest card must deal.
Shuffle the deck thoroughly and deal three cards face up to form a vertical column. The cards should not be overlapping. These three cards make up the board, and they will be used by both players in order to make their hands.
The remaining cards are put face down above the board in order to become the draw pile.
THE PLAY
The player opposite of the dealer goes first. That player takes the top card from the draw pile, and places it beside any of the three board cards. This card should be placed on their side of the board. Once they have done this, play passes.
The next player does the same. They take the top card from the draw pile and place it next to a board card of their choice. They must place it on their side of the board. Players make not place cards on their opponent’s side of the board.
Once a row contains four cards plus the board card, the hand is complete. No more cards may be added to that row. Play like this continues until both players have formed three full hands. Each hand will contain five cards: the four that were placed plus the board card.
After each player has completed three full hands, the game is over. It is time to compare the hands.
When comparing, players compare their hand with their opponent’s in the same row. The better hand wins the row.
POKER HANDS
From Highest to Lowest
1. Royal Flush – A five card hand built with a 10, J, Q, K, A in the same suit
2. Straight Flush – A five card hand built out of number cards in sequence and the same suit.
3. Four of a Kind – A hand built out of four cards of the same rank
4. Full House – A five card hand built out of three cards of the same rank, and two other cards of the same rank
5. Flush – A five card hand with every card in the same suit
6. Straight – A five card hand built out of cards from different suits in sequence
7. Three of a Kind – A hand built out of three cards of the same rank
8. Two Pairs – A hand built out of two pairs of differently ranked cards
9. One Pair – A hand built out of a single pair of cards that are the same rank
WINNING
The player who wins two out of three of the rows wins the game.
- TRIPLE SNAKES - February 15, 2021