Tripoley is a mix of three card games in one that can be enjoyed by two to nine players.
Collect the most chips to win this game!
Find the video tutorial and written explanation for how to play the card game Tripoley below.
Tripoley Tutorial
Needed
Two to nine players; Tripoley game
Setup
Each player is given an equal amount of chips. Each player will place one chip into each space on the mat.
The dealer will then deal out all the cards, one card at a time. A dead hand is dealt just before the dealer's card is dealt.
It is okay if some players have one more card than others. Once all the cards are dealt, the dead hand is set to the side.
Objective
The object of the game is to win chips. Chips can be won in a round through three different playing phases, hearts, poker, and Michigan rummy.
The first phase is hearts, where players will win chips based on having specific cards.
The second phase is poker where players will win chips by betting and having the best five card poker hand.
The third phase is Michigan rummy where players will win chips by being the first player to get rid of all their cards.
Game Play
The hearts phase begins with players winning chips for having a matching card with one of the triply sections on the mat.
For example, the player with the ace of hearts will collect the chips in the ace of hearts section on the mat. If no player has the card(s) for a section, the chips are not collected at this time.
Players then move to the second phase of poker. In poker, each player will create the best possible five card poker hand. The dealer starts the poker phase by making a bet or passing on betting.
After a bet is made, players can match the bet, raise the bet, or fold. Once all players have matched the previous bet or folded, the remaining players will show their poker hands.
The player with the highest ranking poker hand wins the chips in the middle Tripoley pot.
Poker hand rank:
Straight Flush
Four of a kind
Full house
Flush
Straight
Three of a kind
Two Pair
Pair
Players now move to the final third phase of Michigan rummy. The dealer begins this round by laying out their lowest card.
The player with the next card in sequence and the same suit will lay it out. Players continue to play cards in sequence until a stop is made.
A stop occurs when the next card cannot be played because it is in the dead hand, or had already been played. After a stop, the player of the last card will play again.
The player must play their lowest card in a different suit than the one just being played. Play continues until a player has played all their cards.
The winning player wins all the chips in the kitty section on the Tripoley mat. Other players will also pay the winner an amount of chips equal to the amount of cards left in their hands.
Winning
The game is played for an agreed upon amount of rounds. After all rounds have been played, the player with the most chips wins the game.
Rules
If two or more players have an 8-9-10 sequence in one suit, the chips in that section are divided among the tying players.
In the Michigan rummy phase, the aces are high. If the sequence gets to an ace, it is considered a stop. The player of the ace will start a new sequence.
If a player makes a stop but is unable to start a new sequence in a different suit, play moves left to the next player to start a new sequence.
Chips that remain in a Tripoley section at the end of round roll over to the next round.
If at the end of a game there are still chips in one or more Tripoley sections, a showdown poker round is played. Each player is dealt five cards face up. The player with the best poker hand wins the remaining chips on the mat.
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