I think I have mentioned somewhere in my earlier posts that I am not much of a gambler. I don't usually play card games and I find learning them a little confusing. But In-Between is different! It is easy to learn, fun to play and can be very thrilling! If you are like me who don't really gamble and who don't quite like to play cards, then In-Between is for you!
Here's how you play the game.
1. Each player receives 1 card face-up.
2. Each player is then dealt a second card, also face-up, starting from the player to the left of the dealer in clockwise direction.
3. Each player at his turn, is offered to bet on whether or not the next card on top of the deck will numerically fall between the two cards he was dealt with.
4. The amount of the bet must be equal to or lower than the size of the pot. (Before the start of the game, every player contributes an equal amount agreed by all to kick start the pot)
5. Players can also decline to bet.
6. If the player bets and wins, he collects amount equal to his bet from the pot. If he loses, he places his bet into the pot.
7. Now here's the killer. If however the third card matches one of the two cards dealt to the player, he not only loses his bet, but is required to pay double the amount of his bet.
8. The game continues until someone wins the entire pot.
That's it! Simple?
Well, just to understand it better, let's take a look at this example.
A player is dealt 2 cards, one is a 3 and the other an 8. If he bets RM5 that the next card on the deck will fall between 3 and 8, and the card is 6, then he wins the RM5 taken from the pot. If the next card is a 10, then he loses his RM5 which will be added to the pot.
However, if the next card is a 3 or an 8, he loses and pays double ie. RM10!
What happens if a player receives 2 matching cards? In this case, there is no possibility of any card that can fall between the 2 matching numbers!
The same goes for a player who receives 2 cards which are very close to each other numerically like 3 and 4, or 7 and 8. There's no way the third card will fall in between those 2 numbers!
In such cases, the players can decline to bet.
The best hand in the game is when the 2 cards are very far apart numerically like an Ace and a King. The probability of the third card falling in between Ace and King is huge!
So players who receive these cards usually bet the whole amount of the pot! And if they win, they win big and the game ends. But if the third card happens to match one of their cards (and this can happen although chances are lower) then they really lose big as they then have to pay double the amount in the pot!
This game can be very thrilling and nerve wrecking! I remember during the Chinese New Year last month, I played this game with my friends, we started out with a meagre RM5 in the pot. Everyone initially bet very small amounts like 50sen and some even 10sen! But halfway through the game, people became greedy and the pot shot up to RM300!
I still remember how thrilling it was at that time. One friend was so confident he would win when he had cards with number 2 and King. So he bet the whole amount in the pot! Guess what? The third card was opened up to reveal a King! So he ended up paying double that is, RM600! In this way, the pot was suddenly increased to RM900!!
At one point in the game, I was sweating like mad. The pot had breached the RM1,000 mark and I just received cards with number 2 and Queen. Should I? Should I bet the whole pot? I could be RM1,000 richer or I could be RM2,000 poorer!!
Guess what I did? Well, I'm sorry to say I'm no gambler and I do not have the guts to gamble big. So I just bet RM200. Yes, that's the highest amount I have ever bet in my entire life! I was thinking the most I would lose is RM400. The cost of a Mamma Mia ticket! Or 4 buffet dinners at Jogoya. Or a month's supply of petrol. Or .....Oh, just do it, for God's sake!
The result? The third card was a 5. Yay! I won! But not RM1,000! Just RM200. If I had been more daring, I would have been RM1,000 richer that day!
Even though I won that RM200, I lost quite a bit in some rounds, so on the whole I still lost some money on that day. See? I told you I'm not much of a gambler. But you know, it's fun. This game is fun and thrilling. You should try it one of these days. Just make sure you don't turn into a compulsive gambler!
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