Russian Poker Strategies

Russian Poker is by far one of the most fascinating and exciting 6-card Poker games. Its main peculiariuty is that you are able to buy a 6th card and replace one or more less desirable cards from the starting hand combination. As you know, there're tons of strategies that professionals come up with in order to win in Omaha or Texas Hold'em Poker game. When it comes to Russian Poker, things are far less complicated to catch up with. Here, all you need to do is to outbid the dealer. This is the main point of the game. So there's no need to invent any devious plans for bluffing and tricks to get closer to the winning pot. The basis of the strategy for the Russian Poker is the decision to buy a sixth card depending on the starting card combination you have.

The game itself runs fairly simple. The dealer and the player get 5 cards, one of the cards remains open, and that one belongs to the dealer.

The player always has several to give up, to bet, to buy the 6th card (for an additional rate) and to replace one or more of his cards. After all changes and a showdown, the winner is the one whose Poker combination is higher.

Buying a 6th card and card replacement

The great thing about Russian Poker is the ability to buy a 6th card and replacing a less desirable card. You are the one who needs to decide whether or not spent you money on buying a card / replacing another. That is why it's vital to learn to analyse your card combination correctly and your chances to win with it.

Take into consideration these two facts:

1. Never buy a 6th card if your card combination is fairly weak or hasn't changed that much during the game. In this case you might want to fold, avoiding pointless money spending. Also your chances are better when you have set of three cards in your hand. In this case you are more than welcome to buy a 6th card.
2. Buy this 6th card only when it's necessary to trade a draw hand, when you already have an unfinished combination for a Flush or a Street. The only exception for this rule would be the 'internal' Street. That is a combination of missing middle cards: six, seven, nine and ten and no eight.

Exchanging the cards

Keep in mind that every single card replacement will cost you something and every time you do the exchange, it will increase its rate.

One card is exchanged only in a situation with a starting draw hand: if a player has a Straight Draw or a Flush Draw with four cards and a chance to complete the combination by exchanging one card.

Two cards are often exchanged on the basis of the cost of the combination and the cost of the exchange itself. It's quite beneficial to exchange two cards in a starting card combination, especially if there's an incomplete Straight Flush with three cards.

If the value of the exchange of two cards constitutes a half-rate exchange and above, it should be changed only when the card combination is very strong. As an example: an incomplete Straight Flush (or a Royal Flush) with three cards.

If you are thinking about exchanging 5 cards, it is beneficial to replace them only under one condition: the game itself should allow to exchange all 5 cards in a single bet.

Russian Poker strategy for newbies

If you consider yourself a newbie to this game and think that you're still a little bit shaky on the details on how to analyse your combination correctly and the necessity of exchanging / buying the cards, there are several tips in the game you need to get familiar with:

1. The finished combination of 5 cards in your starting hand is a Royal Flush, a Straight Flush or a Flush;
2. A Set (Triple): exchange the two cards that are not in combination;
3. A Pair: buy 6 cards or exchange three remaining cards;
4. A draw hand:  the combination of four cards (Straight Flush, Straight, Flush with one card to complete). Buy a sixth card;
5. Draw: hand four card combination (the strategy is profitable only in terms of getting a Straight Flush). Exchange the two remaining cards;
6. Ace + king: change three of your cards. The hand with the highest card (ace or king): the exchange of four cards, depending on the dealer;
7. No combination at hand: the exchange of four cards according to the following conditions a) the highest card in the opening hand is an eight or above, and b) the highest card at the hand is higher than the dealer's. In all other cases, the best solution would be to fold the combination.

This game is easy to learn and to follow. It's way less aggressive than Omaha Poker and it's not fast-paced. It's fun, exciting and easy to play. Good Luck!