DISCLAIMER: Portions of Net Poker are based on the late '90s USA late night game show Strip Poker -- which is the property of Axelson-Weintraub Productions, USA Network and NBC Universal.   No challenge to ownership is implied. Contestants on Net Poker are highly encouraged to keep their clothes on as they play.


  Rules

IMPORTANT NOTE TO PLAYERS: As with other net game shows, you are not playing for real money and/or prizes. This is for entertainment purposes only.

Also, since various games of chance are included throughout Net Poker, it should be clearly noted this is not an online casino site.


OBJECT: To survive a series of rounds -- where each round is based on a variation of a hand of poker.

 

QUALIFYING: The game of Net Poker begins with a qualifying period of a few days. A question with a numerical answer (such as "How much money was given away on the March 14, 2003 episode of The Price is Right?") will be posted to the Net Games Yahoo! Groups mailing list and the Net Poker website (http://www.dougmorris.net/poker). If a visitor to the site/subscriber to the mailing list wishes to participate in the game, he/she must e-mail traxproductions@att.net to answer the question with a number. If (s)he is close enough to the numerical answer, the player will get to play in the main game.

If we already have a returning champion, we'll look for two challengers for qualifying. If no champ, we'll look for three players.

 

MAIN GAME: The main game of Net Poker consists of three rounds. All three players participate in the first round. The winner of the first round gets a second-round bye while the others play the second round. The winner of the second round plays against the winner of the first round for the championship in the third round.

 

ROUND 1 - VIDEO POKER: Each player in the first round is given 10 points to start. Afterward, the players are presented with five toss-up questions -- all revolved around a certain theme.  (For themes, please click here.)

With each question, there's a secret buzz-in number from 1-100, provided by random.org. The players will e-mail the host with their answers to each question as well as their guesses to the actual buzz-in number for each question.

Only the player who comes closest to the actual buzz-in number will have his/her answer recognized.  If that answer is correct, (s)he earns 10 more points.  If the player's answer is incorrect, 10 points are taken away.

After the five questions, each player, one at a time, has a chance to win more points at the video screen with this grid of 24 numbers...

 

...behind the numbers are the playing cards Ace through 9 of each of the four suits.

The player with the lowest point total will take possession of the video screen first, the player in second place will go next and the high scorer plays last. Any ties involving the champion means the champion will go first; ties involving challengers are broken by how well they did in qualifying.

Each player will take two consecutive turns at the Video Poker screen. On the first turn, the player will draw five cards by picking five of the 24 numbers to make his/her hand. If the player is satisfied with his/her hand, (s)he may end his/her possession of the video poker screen and pass control to the player next in line. If the player wishes to take his/her second turn, (s)he may exchange as many cards for new ones as (s)he likes. At the end of the player's possession, whether it was by choice or two consecutive turns, he/she is awarded more points according to the following table...

 


The player must achieve at least a pair of queens, kings or aces to earn any extra points. A hand with only one pair of Jacks, 10s or 9s -- or a hand that doesn't have any of the combinations listed above -- results in the loss of five points.

When possession of the video poker screen is passed from one player to the next, the cards are shuffled. Some cards may move to different positions on the video poker screen while others may stay in their previous positions. (For example, if you saw a Queen of Hearts at number 16, that card may still be at 16 or somewhere else on the board.)

After each player has had possession of the Video Poker screen, the Poker Run begins.  In this three-player Poker Run, the participants will be racing to be the first to collect five letters that spell out the word "POKER". 

 

PLAYER 1
PLAYER 2
PLAYER 3

Before the Poker Run begins, the top two players will be given a head start. The leading contestant will trade in all of his/her points for two letters in "POKER", the second place contestant will trade in all of his/her points for one letter in "POKER" and the third place player's score will be reset to zero and also not be given any letters for a head start.  Any tie for first or second place mean those involved in the tie will be spotted two letters or one letter; a two-way tie for first means the player not involved in this tie will be spotted one letter. Should there be a three-way tie just before the Poker Run, each player gets a two-letter head start. 

In addition, if any player's pre-Poker Run score is at least 100 points, that player is entitled to one additional head start letter.  If a player's pre-Poker Run score is at least 1000 points, that player is entitled to a total of four free letters in "POKER" -- regardless of the standings.

After the head start, the players will be e-mailed as many questions from the General Knowledge Multiple Choice theme as necessary for the leader to win (most likely up to three questions to start; further updates from the host will include three or less questions depending on how many correct answers the leader needs to win).  Each player will respond to each question with a buzzer number from 1-100 and his/her response as before.

As before, only the player closest to the actual buzz-in number will have his/her answer recognized.  If that player's answer is correct, (s)he earns a(nother) letter in "POKER". If incorrect, the player is automatically out of contention for the next question.

The first player to collect all five letters in "POKER" wins the Video Poker round and a chance to win up to CY$7500 by selecting a letter in the word "POKER" on the Video Poker screen. Behind the letters on the screen are five different amounts -- CY$1500, CY$2000, CY$2500, CY$5000 and CY$7500. The winner of the round receives the amount revealed.

The winner of Round 1 will sit out Round 2 and return to face the winner of Round 2 in Round 3.



ROUND 2 - 5 CARD POKER: Before this round begins, we'll shuffle a normal deck of 24 cards (still Ace through 9 of every suit) and offer a cut to the player who finished second in Round 1's Poker Run (if this tie involves the champion, the champion gets to cut; if the tie does not involve the champion, the player who had a higher pre-Poker Run point total cuts the cards; further ties are broken by how those involved fared in qualifying). A player cuts the cards by e-mailing the host a number between 0 and 23 inclusive. The higher the number, the deeper the cut (for example, if a player e-mails "12", the deck will be cut 12 cards deep; "0" means the player doesn't want to cut the cards).

After the cards are cut, the players' point totals are reset to zero and the first two cards are shown face up, such as this...

...and the players are given a 10-point toss-up question.

The toss-up questions for this round come from another theme of questioning.  As before, each toss-up question in this round is assigned a secret buzz-in number from 1 to 100, provided by random.org. When the question is given to the players, they will e-mail the host with their answers to the question and numbers from 1 to 100.

As before, only the player who comes closer to the acutal buzz-in number will have his/her answer recognized.  If that player is correct, (s)he earns 10 points and the control of the cards.  If that player is incorrect, the 10 points and control are automatically awarded to the opponent.

When a player controls the cards, (s)he selects one of them to add to his/her hand; the card (s)he declines is automatically added to the opposing player's hand.

Then, the next two cards from the deck are shown face up and another toss-up question worth 10 points and control of the cards is asked.

This continues until the players' combined score is 40 points; by then, each player will have four cards in his/her hand. The next two cards from the deck will be displayed face down and a 15-point "blind card" question will be asked. As before, only the player who comes closer to the acutal buzz-in number will have his/her answer recognized.  If that player is correct, (s)he earns 15 points and the control of the cards.  If that player is incorrect, the 15 points and control are automatically awarded to the opponent.

The player with the better hand wins 25 points. A breakdown of "what beats what" and necessary tie-breakers can be found here.

The round ends with another Poker Run speed challenge.  In a two-player Poker Run, the participants will compete in a race to score at least 100 points.  Each question from the General Knowledge Multiple Choice theme in the Poker Run will be worth 15 points plus five additional points for each face card (King, Queen or Jack) in the next pair of cards from the top of the deck.

Once the point value is set, the host will e-mail the players as many questions as it would take for the leading player to reach the 100-point goal.  As with Video Poker and its Poker Run, both players will e-mail the host with buzz-in numbers and answers to the  questions.  As before, only the player who comes closer to the acutal buzz-in number will have his/her answer recognized.  If that player is correct, (s)he earns the points at stake.  If that player is incorrect, the opposition automatically plays the next question unopposed.

If no one scores at least 100 points after the first set of Poker Run questions, this process is repeated until someone reaches 100 points. 

In the event any player made a natural royal flush in 5-Card Poker before the Poker Run begins, that player's score is augmented to 85 points; mathematically, this means that player needs be credited with just one right answer and not be assessed any penalty to win the round.  Otherwise, no adjustment to the score is made prior to the start of Round 2's Poker Run.

The winning player has a chance to pick a letter in "POKER" on the Video Poker screen for a chance at CY$7500 (amounts will be shuffled much like the cards in Video Poker). The runner-up in this round is eliminated from the main game -- but receives CY$10 per point as a consolation prize or CY$50 if (s)he has five points or less.

 

ROUND 3 - JOKER POKER: Plays like Round 2 with the following differences...


BONUS GAME - DEUCES WILD POKER: The champion gets to cut a deck of 24 cards (Ace through 9 of every suit).

Then, with the help of random.org, we hide 14 twos, or deuces, and ten outlaw cards on the video screen in a pattern similar to this...

 

...on the top row, there will be one outlaw, two outlaws on the second row, three outlaws on the third row and four outlaws on the fourth row.

Play begins on the top row. If the champion can draw a deuce and avoid an outlaw, we'll add the deuce of the corresponding suit to his/her hand like this...

 

 
...play continues on each of the remaining three rows of the screen. With each row comes the decreased chance of having a deuce added to the hand.

Should the champion avoid an outlaw four times, and in the process have the Deuce of every suit in his/her hand, (s)he automatically wins the outlaw's jackpot which starts at CY$50,000 and increases by CY$5000 each time an outlaw card is revealed.

Otherwise, to complete the champion's five-card hand, cards from the 24-card deck are dealt out in pairs face down. The champion will select one card which will then be displayed face up and added to his/her hand; the card not chosen is discarded immediately.

This continues until the champion has a total of five cards in his/her hand. As the title of this bonus game implies, Deuces are wild and can be used for anything.

When the hand is complete, the champion receives a cyber-cash bonus based on this paytable...

 

 
...these values automatically double in the event the champion is playing in his/her fourth consecutive bonus game.

Unless this is the fourth straight bonus game, the champion gets to return in the next episode to defend his/her crown upon the completion of Deuces Wild Poker.

 

AUDIENCE GAMES: We'll try, but can't guarantee, to include at least one audience game in each episode.   The audience game will take on one of these forms...

In the event of a tie for lowest number, those tie bids are ignored and the lowest, non-tying bid wins.  So players will have to be strategic in bidding.

The winning bidder's number selection will determine which video slot game (s)he plays.  In each video slot game, a player could win at least CY$1000 and up to CY$10,000 on one spin. More about the video slot game will be detailed after the player picks the game.

Every video slot game involves symbols unique to that particular game in all three reels. In addition, sometimes in the third reel we'll include a Joker -- which is wild and can be used for any other symbol.  In any or all reels, bonus symbols will come into play to trigger mini-bonus games.  Always in the third reel are a "bad luck" symbol and an outlaw.

"Bad luck" voids any payoff and the player is assessed one strike. An outlaw means an automatic three strikes.

When a player gets three strikes, (s)he automatically loses all cyber-money accrued in the Video Slot Challenge.  After a successful spin (or even before the first spin), the player may decline to spin if (s)he feels the spin will result in an outlaw or a third strike. However, if a player runs into "bad luck" on the third reel, (s)he must take that strike and spin again.

Should a player score at least CY$10,000 in the video slot challenge, (s)he will collect a bonus of CY$24,000 for a minimum payoff of CY$34,000.  
When the game starts, the player rolls six virtual poker dice.  These dice differ from normal six-sided dice cubes because the numbers 1 through 6 are replaced with Ace through 9.  The player must succesfully bank at least one cube in order to earn cyber-money.  If none of the dice result in a payoff, the player loses all cyber-cash accrued and the game ends.  

After banking a cube, the player may roll the remaining dice or stop and keep his/her cyber-cash.  Over the course of the game, if  the player banks all six cubes, either all at once or gradually, (s)he ends the game with a bonus of CY$24,000.

The payoff combinations are as follows...
*These combinations would automatically end the game with a CY$24,000 bonus

LIVE VERSION:  When the time allows, we'll play a live chat room version of Net Poker. For rules, click here.

 

MISC. RULES: Anytime there's a tie for closest to the actual buzz-in number on any toss-up question, the player who e-mailed the host sooner/soonest takes the tie-break edge.

Because an immediate penalty may incur with an incorrect answer, the player may elect to respond with "pass".  In addition, in the 5-Card Poker and Joker Poker rounds, the player may "pass" as well as selecting a card in the event the opposition is penalized after missing a question.

The shuffling of cards for Video Poker, certain audience games and the prize game for Joker Poker are done with the assistance of random.org's card shuffler.  The main portions of 5-Card Poker and Joker Poker each use an actual deck of cards.

With questions not involving a multiple choice, if the answer to the question is a person's name, the last name is sufficient unless the question or theme of questioning directs otherwise.  If the answer is a song lyric, phrase, title or precise spelling of a word, the response must be given exactly.

In Rounds 2 and 3, if all of the players' cards are of equal rank (for example, one player has a pair of Aces, a pair of Queens and a King while the other player also has two Aces, two Queens and one King), the 25 points for the better hand are not awarded. Again, a breakdown of "what beats what" can be found here.

In the interest of speed, in Rounds 2 and 3, when the players are e-mailed a toss-up question, it's encouraged each player respond with the answer to the question, his/her buzz-in number plus selection of one of the two cards -- all in one e-mail.  Because there are penalties for wrong answers, a player may e-mail the host with "pass" or "I don't know" or something like that -- plus choice of card in the event the opposition misses the question in play.

To ensure a fair deal, we have several 24-card decks and access to a website at our disposal. The website random.org is used to create the different Video Poker "screens" in Round 1. Also, one deck of cards will be assigned for Round 2, another deck plus two jokers in Round 3 and one more for the bonus game. Decks not used in a particular main game are set aside for audience games and future episodes.

The champion gets to defend his/her crown in the next game of Net Poker. Otherwise, once you play a game of Net Poker, you must wait at least the next three full games before trying to qualify for a future game.

If a player makes a natural royal flush, (s)he instantly wins a bonus of CY$1,000,000.  Since five of a kind outranks a royal flush, five of a kind is also worth CY$1,000,000 -- but the bonus payoff is only available in Joker Poker.  This bonus payoff does not apply to a royal flush including at least one wild card -- or a grand gamble in the main game where a player tries to build a poker hand.

If a champion wins four straight games of Net Poker, the player will be awarded a virtual new car -- and a possible CY$1,000,000 payoff will come into play.  Should the four-time champion win four Deuces, (s)he wins the contents of  the Outlaw's Jackpot *plus* the CY$1,000,000 (for a minimum total payoff of CY$1,050,000).  Should the champion win less than four Deuces, all the values on the Deuces Wild Poker paytable will be doubled (meaning a royal flush will be worth CY$40,000 and three of a kind will be worth CY$1000).

Should a player fail to win any Deuces at all in the first part of Deuces Wild Poker and later draw five cards each higher than a 9 and all of the same suit, we will treat the combination as a natural royal flush for CY$1,000,000 plus the normal value of the bonus round's royal flush (CY$20,000 or CY$40,000).

Once a player collects at least CY$1,000,000 in virtual winnings (including virtual prizes), the player retires (regardless of whether or not (s)he won a main game) and must wait at least the next five full games before trying to qualify for a future game.

 I know this was long -- but once we play, it'll all make sense. For further details, e-mail me at the address below...