Big2 Poker.......Help Needed

VegasKyle · #1 08-08-2007, 07:57 PM

A couple of friends and I have started to play Big2 in addition to Chinese. It started out as once and a while and now takes up over half the time we spend playing Chinese (which is a lot).

I have only played the game for a couple of weeks. We all play the game about the same but I know that wont last long. I want to know, is there any info out there? If I can get better at this game quicker than my friends it could be lucrative.

Is there a book? Does anyone have any advice? Is there any general guidelines that may not be obvious?

Thanks for the Help

Kyle

P.S. I tried the search and didn’t come up with anything

Al Mirpuri · #2 08-08-2007, 08:12 PM

What is Big2? Explain the rules and I will give the strategy a shot for you.

VegasKyle · #3 08-08-2007, 08:28 PM

http://www.tigergaming.com/thegames/big2.html

It's a great game kind of a chineese, gin rummy cross.

Phat Mack · #4 08-09-2007, 12:58 AM

Back in the late 80s or early 90s, there was a freeware program called "Chinese Poker" (which it was sometimes called back then) that played a fairly good game and had a tutorial. You might ask the software forum if anyone has a copy.

I think there was both a DOS version and a Windows version. You might try some of the freeware sites and see if someone has something newer that's compiled for modern OSs.

henrikrh · #5 08-10-2007, 02:41 PM

How is betting done? Blindly before hand is dealt?

Ok, i played this a bunch in high school with no money involved, here are some very basic strategies...

(having read over it my advice is too specific, ive internalized the game too much to give good general advice)

-Always keep track of every single deuce ace and king dropped, so that at anytime you know exactly which card is highest so you know if you can take control. Also, will help you evaluate the likelihood of success if you risk the second highest card to try and take control.

-If you have lots of high mid-high cards, J-A, try and use the to coax out as many deuces as possible, if people dont throw them out you are free to get rid of some low combos, if they do you will be able to dominate late in the hand.

-Dont leave any low straggling cards in your hand, plan ahead so that you dont leave more lone low cards than you hae deuces or pairs higher than kings (cause they are a free chance to get rid of them anyways)

-Watch people organise their hands, moving lots of pairs, moving a 5 card hand etc. If you are behind someone moving a 5 card hand then try to avoid holding on to a low straight, since he'll take control if you play it striaght out and if he plays his you likely wont beat it.

-Some people hold on to big cards and some people play them liberally, know your opponents, if everyone else has passed except you and a player who always goes to the end for control dont waste a 2[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] since he'll just play his higher one, dont play big cards when it has no benefit to you... example... you have 5577JJ A[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] and you know there are 2 deuces and the A[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] left, if it's singles and someone sticks out a king in front of you with no one having passed yet you are not going to get control, dont even try for it, wait until your aces is the best card and people are siting trying to get rid of the mid singles they have left when your ace can take control and no one is likely to have a higher pair left.

-Think ahead, 3 rounds from now how can you get rid of all your cards uncontested? How can you works to set up a situation like that? It kinda just comes with practice

I hope that helps, dont take it as authorative, i never gambled on the game and i havnt played in like a year.

DDT Monrovia · #6 08-11-2007, 04:49 AM

I've been trying to learn this game on tiger gaming too.

You win or lose an amount based on the number of cards you have at the end. For every card more than your opponent you pay an amount to them (and vice versa). So if you have 5 cards and your opponent has 3 then you pay them 2x the amount.

This means that someone else can win the game and you can still win money if you are second or third, depending on the numbers of cards everyone has.

I think this changes the strategy compared to if you play it without betting. It can be pretty good to have only one card left if someone else wins. It can be terrible if you have a lot of cards left at the end and all your opponents have few.

So, if your hand is good you want to think about how to get rid of all your cards as quickly as possible. If your hand is bad then you probably want to get get rid of what you can even if you are then stuck.

VegasKyle · #7 08-11-2007, 03:48 PM

Thanks for the replies, I haven't had a chance to play Big2 since i last posted but it looks like a game is going to come together in the next couple of days so I'll let everyone know how it goes.

From the info I have been able to gather it looks like you want to be able to take the lead and keep it throughout the hand. I also think the person that can best keep track of the cards is at a decided advantage. This is also true with Chineese, especially when you play 2 hands each. By the time you are setting your second hand you kow what cards are against you.