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Medusa Card Game
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Summary "Medusa" is the name of a poker-style gambling game using a standard 52-card deck. It is usually played in ring-type or "dealer call" poker games. It is best played between 5 and 8 people. Rules of play Medusa is a match-the-pot game. It is a 5-card poker game using the standard poker hand rankings. Each player antes a certain amount of money to form a pot. The dealer deals each player 4 cards, plus a "Medusa" hand of 5 cards. After the cards are dealt, the dealer goes around the table starting on his immediate left, and asks each player if they want their fifth card to complete the 5-card poker hand. If a player accepts his fifth card, he is "in the game" and is risking the amount of money equal to the pot if he loses. A player "in the game" must beat (have a better 5-card poker hand than) anyone else who is "in the game", and also must beat the Medusa. The winner rakes the pot, and any/all losers must match the pot. The pot can grow larger if several people stay in and/or multiple players lose. In this case, the deck is reshuffled, all players are dealt in for the next hand until there is no more pot to win (If only one player stays in the game, and he beats the Medusa hand, then he wins the pot and there is nobody left to match the pot, and the game ends. Playing Example Example one: 5 players around the table, $10 ante each, for a total pot of $50. The cards are dealt, the dealer goes around asking each player, and 2 people accept their fifth card. One player ends up with the highest ranking poker hand, beating both the Medusa and the other player. This player rakes the pot, and the losing player puts $50 in the pot. There is still a pot, so the game is played again starting with a $50 pot. Every player at the table is dealt in, there is no penalty for folding (not accepting your fifth card). Example two: 5 players around the table, $50 starting pot, two people accept their fifth card. This time, the Medusa hand beats both players on the table, so both players lose and must match the pot. After both players throw $50 each into the pot, the game is replayed with a pot of $150 (the original $50 in the pot, plus each player's losings of $50 = $150). Every player at the table is now risking $150 if they accept their fifth card. Medusa variations "Simultaneous declare" The dealer has an advantage in this game, as he is the last to decide whether to take his fifth card. He knows how many hands he has to beat. If there are 2 other people in before him, he must beat 3 poker hands (the 2 player's hands, plus the Medusa hand). If, however, everyone else has folded to him, he must only beat the Medusa hand. This advantage can be overcome by simultaneous declare. Each player, after looking at his hand and making a decision, holds the cards face down a few inches over the table. The dealer then counts down "3 - 2 - 1 - drop", and those who fold will drop their cards simultaneously on the table, leaving only the people who wish to play still holding their cards. Each player is given their fifth card, and play continues normally. "Markadusa" This is the same as "Simultaneous declare", however, after determining who is still in the game, one community card is flipped over, and each player uses (shares) that card as their fifth card. The Medusa still gets dealt her complete hand of 5 cards, and does not share the players' community card. Other notes The 5-card Medusa hand is often called "The Bitch".
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