"Under the table, Mabel"

For me, the holidays always provide multiple opportunities to play cards. In addition to the tripoly (or Michigan Rummy) game for pennies, which everyone plays, we also have a game of 'kitchen table' games (or dealer's choice), which not everyone can play, for silver: nickels, dimes and quarters. These games are always fun, and the night inevitably ends with people divided between the two games.

The last two nights I've ended up playing dealer's game, although tomorrow night I'm sure I'll be playing tripoly. Seeing as I've been up way too long today, the remainder of this post will consist of a list of my favorite dealer's-choice games:

5) Pass the Trash; everyone knows this one: you literally pass the trash (i.e., the worst card) until it gets to the dealer or someone has a King...the loser pays the pot.

4) Black Mariah; this is Chicago (highest spade in the hole splits the pot w/the highest poker hand) with a twist: if the queen of spades comes face up, the hand is dead and everyone starts over.

3) 5-card draw, Jacks or better to open; when I was just beginning in the kitchen table circuit, I didn't quite understand the "or better" part: I thought you needed exactly a pair of jacks to open. I remember throwing away three 9's in disgust one Thanksgiving evening--ugh!

2) 5.5/26.5; this one's a big pot builder...it's not a poker game at all, but it does have roots in blackjack. You're cards equal their number, w/Aces as 1 or 11 and face cards equal to a half a point. The object is to get closest to 5.5 or 26.5. The hardest part is remembering the name of the game!

1) My favorite dealer's-choice game: "Under the table, Mabel." This is a five-card draw, hi-lo split game in which you don't get to see the cards that you draw. They are placed "under the table" and I'm convinced that my Uncle Jim named this game after my maternal great-grandmother Mabel. It's either that, or he just liked to say, "Under the table, Mabel." Who knows?

Don't forget "Acey-Deucy," "Guts" and "Iron Cross!" See you at the table...