This game is a fixed limit Australian version of the classic Texas Holdem. Like all variants of the game this one has a few interesting twist that makes it either more difficult or exciting depending on whom you play with. This exotic sounding name has not stopped the game from becoming on of the most popular in Australia. When visiting the lovely city of Sydney you can stop in at the Star City Casino to play a few rounds but until then you can find the game being played in a number of online casinos. This game is regional so depending upon where you are you will find yourself playing 2 or 3 card Manila.
How To Play Manila Texas Holdem
The game uses a scaled down deck, all the cards valued fewer than 8 are removed and the game is played with what is left. Now this also changes the way the hands are valued. There can never be a small straight in this game. In “2 hole” Manila Texas Holdem poker you bet after the two private cards and one community card has been dealt; what in normal Texas Holdem would be the flop cards, are revealed one at a time. Each subsequent card that is dealt will also be followed by a round of betting. Just as in most versions of Texas Holdem, you have to make a hand with five cards but the twist here is that you must use the hole cards as two of them. The lingo is still bid, bet, call, raise or fold.
Manila Texas Holdem Rules
The general rules of poker still apply here. The variations that make the rules a bit different are: that you have to use your hole cards as a part of the hand. Because of the cards left out of the deck the game is not played with a high low split or a low straight. Another result of having the 7-2 removed is that the flush now becomes the highest ranking card. If you have ever played Spanish poker then you can notice a few similarities in this game with that game. Stripped deck games often follow the same pattern of hand rankings. Learning standard hand rankings of any one of the different variations of the game, will give you a leg up on any new variations.
