Run it twice

How it works

Once nobody can bet any more because the players still in are all in, there's nothing left to decide, only cards to come. Running it twice deals those cards twice, from the same deck, without putting any back:

• The cards already on the board stay for every run.
• Only the cards still to come are dealt again, once for each run.
• Each run wins an equal share of every pot. Any odd chip goes to the earlier run, and a pot too small to share goes to the first run.

The odds don't change: on average you win the same share of the pot. What changes is the swing. Running it twice makes a coin-flip hand much less likely to cost you everything, which is why so many home games play it.

Choosing how many times

The host decides the most times a board can be run: up to twice at a new cash table, and at most three times. Then each player chooses under Seat how many times they want to run it, up to that, or picks Ask me:

• The most anyone wants is put to everyone who wants fewer, and they can agree or keep their choice.
• Ask me gives you a few seconds to choose when it happens. Not answering runs it once.
• The board is run the fewest times anyone settles on, so nobody is made to run it twice.

Tournaments run it once unless the host allows more.