Seven Twenty Seven (727)

Base Game: Non-Poker
Wild cards: No
Created by: Unknown
Submitted by: Brian O'Neill

There are two major variations to this game.

Under 727

The goal is to get cards totalling as close to 7 as possible without going over, or as close to 27 as possible without going over. Cards count equal to their value. Face cards are worth 1/2 point. Aces are worth 1 or 11. A player with more than 27 points is busted and must fold.

Each player antes to start. The betting is fixed at the amount of the ante, which we will call X.

Each player is dealt one card face down. Starting with the player to the dealer's left, a player has the option to take a card, which is dealt face up in front of them. After taking or not taking a card, they have the option to bet or pass. If they bet, ALL players still in the game must place X in the pot. If a player passes, the deal move to the left.

It is helpful to keep your bets in front of you as opposed to a general pile in the middle of the table to make sure everyone is keeping up with the bets, which can amount to a lot, so it is wise to keep X low - say, at your minimum bet value.

Play continues until an entire round, ending with the dealer, takes place where no one takes a card (this does give the dealer the advantage of being being able to control the length of the game.)

Once play has concluded, players must declare simultaneously whether they are going for 7, 27, or both (see High-Low Splits rules). A player could conceivably go for both based on the Aces - a hand holding two Aces and other cards totalling 5 could have both 7 and 27 simultaneously. The pot is split into two purses, one half going to the person closest to 7, the other the closest to 27. In the event of a tie for a purse, the purse is further subdivided among the tying players. If the total pot is uneven, the excess goes to the 27 purse. It is possible that no one wins a particular purse (say, all players went either low or high), in which case the total pot is split among any winners.

Inside 727

The goal is to get cards totalling as close to 7 as possible, or as close to 27 as possible.

Played the same as Under 727, except you are allowed to go over the 7 or 27 goals, and players are initially given two cards, one face down and one face up.

Once play has concluded, players must declare simultaneously whether they are going for 7, 27, or both (see High-Low Splits rules). The pot is split into two purses, one half going to the person closest to 7, the other the closest to 27. In the event of a tie of distance from a stated goal, the player(s) to the inside of 7 and 27 has preference to the player(s) on the outside. The pot is divided the same otherwise.

Variations

Jokers can be used to "alter" a players hand. Our most common alteration is that a Joker up makes your down card negative, and a Joker face down (your initial card) is equal to the number of up cards you have.

Of course any values other than 7 and 27 can be used, but values much higher can be tough to reach.

Hints

Keep in mind that if more than one of you are going for the same goal and you tie, then you are splitting only HALF the pot (unless no one is going for the other goal). Depending how many people are still in play, you could still LOSE money even though you won a share of the pot.



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