SLIPPERY SAM, or shoot, as it is sometimes called, is probably the only banking card game which favours the player rather than the banker, because the player has the advantage of seeing his cards before he bets and, therefore, can calculate whether the odds are in his favour or against him. Provided he bets with intelligence he should come out a winner.

NUMBER OF PLALERS

Any number up to ten may play, with six to eight the best.

CARDS

The full pack of 52 is used, the cards ranking from the Ace (high) to 2 (low).

THE PLAY

The banker places an agreed sum in a pool and then deals three cards, one at a time, face downwards, to each online poker player. The remainder of the pack 9the stock) he places face downwards on the table in front of him and topples it over to make it easier to slide off the top card.

The player on the left of the dealer, after looking at his cards, bets that at least one of them will be in the same suit as, and higher than, the top card of the stock. He may bet all that is in the pool or any part of it, but he may not bet less than an agreed minimum.

When he has made his bet, the banker slides the top card off the stock and exposes it. If the player has won his bet he exposes card and takes his winnings out of the pool. If he has lost his bet he pays the amount that he betted into the pool and does not expose his card. The four bets are then thrown into a discard pile, and the opportunity to bet passes to the next player.

Meanwhile: a player must not look at his cards until it is turn to bet; if the pool is exhausted the bank immediately passes to the next player, otherwise the banker holds the bank for three full deals round the table, and then he may either pass the bank to the player on his left or hold the bank for one more, but only one more, deal round the table

Since the player wins if a red card or a club lower than the 10 is exposed, and loses only if a spade or the Ace, King, Queen or Jack of clubs is exposed, he has 32 chances of winning and 17 of losing: he should stake heavily.

Games for Five or More Players