The Casino Answer Man

One of the most important things poker players in home games can do is to agree on the rules before games begin.

If you were playing in a casino, there would be no dispute. There also would be no declaration - casino poker isn't played like that. The cards speak for themselves, and tying for high hand doesn't bar a player with the low hand from taking his share of the pot.

Home games are different. Nearly every one I've seen has a declaration in split games. (Let's see, do we show one chip for low, two for high and three for both, or nothing for low, one for high and two for both?) But the games I've played in are split on whether a player who declares both ways shares the pot if he ties on one end. Some poker groups rule that a player who declares both ways must win both outright, or he forfeits the entire pot. Others rule that a player who wins low and ties for high gets half the pot for the low hand plus half of the remaining half for tying on the high hand.

I've played in games in which the host sets the house rules, in games in which rules were discussed by all, and in games in which the dealer just set the rules for his turn.

It doesn't matter which rule you adopt. The key is to make the rule before you play.