A New Wild and Crazy Poker Game Called Donkey

DONKEY: A split-pot hi/lo poker game in which every player is dealt 3 cards and must use these in conjunction with a 5 card board of community cards. Players must use two cards from their hand to play for high, while their one remaining 'donkey' card plays for low.

This is no joke, I've actually invented a new poker game that I think could be a lot of fun. It's been an idea bouncing around in the back of my head for quite some time and I think it's finally ready to be played.

Donkey is a limit game that combines elements from Holdem, Pineapple and Omaha hi/lo. As of the writing of this article it has never been played by anyone EVER. So read on, learn the rules and set up a game and you could actually be the first person/people in history to play the great new game of Donkey.

The Basics
On the deal every player gets three cards. The betting is the same as Holdem or Omaha hi/lo and your goal is to make the best hi and/or the best low hand to claim a share of the pot.




The Wrinkles
Just like in Omaha you MUST use two cards from your hand to make your high hand. The wrinkle is that your third card, the one not being used for high, automatically plays for low. In other words all of your cards always play. This will make it difficult to scoop, but will open up the range of 'good' starting hands. AA2 is likely the best hand in the game, but AK2, A23 and even 234 or 332 would be very powerful.

Showdowns
Because hands could be played in different ways on the showdown this aspect of the game is different in Donkey than in Holdem or Omaha8. The showdown order always starts from the last bettor (whoever bet last in the hand, regardless of which street) and moves clockwise, each player having to declare in turn how they are using their cards. This makes the decision of whether to bet late in hand slightly more challenging and offers up an advantage to passive players, as they will often be showing down after having seen one or more player's cards. Players showing down later will have the benefit of changing up how they are playing their cards. Obviously, on the river your position relative to the last bettor is crucial.

Strategy
Anyone who is dealt an ace will automatically be guaranteed a portion of the pot so long as an ace doesn't hit the board. This will likely be a nice catalyst for action, but as any good player will quickly figure out, having just an ace in your hand does not mean you should be in there raising. You have to factor in your chances of scooping as well as the likelyhood you will be quartered or worse.

Amendments
As I haven't tested this game out yet I'm sure there will need to be a lot of amendments in order to make it run smoothly. I think it has a lot of potential to be a fun addition to the world of poker, as a kind of sideshow game like crazy pineapple, but more complex.

One of the possible variations on the rules might be to force players to play their best two cards for high, leaving the lone 'donkey' card to play for low. This would mean you'd have a lot less control over the play for low, but would facilitate the showdowns and create fewer split pots as well.

I hope some of you out there in pokerland will try out the game and get back to me. In the meantime I'll try and setup a homegame where I can test out the new wild and crazy game of Donkey.

Also, I'd like to work out new rules to make this game a split-pot Badugi game, and call it Badonkey. Let me know if you have any suggestions.