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Draw and split-pot games

31 and Under poker rules

2 to 6 Cards / Omaha + 31 / Bust Loses Both

Hole cards
2 to 6
Board
1 community board
Betting
Pot-Limit
Players
2-7 players
Pot
Split pot
Family
Draw and split-pot games

What is 31 and Under?

31 and Under crosses Omaha with the card game 31. You start with two private cards and, after preflop betting, may draw one card at a time up to six, stopping whenever you like; Aces count 1 or 11 and face cards count 10.

A total over 31 kills your whole hand. Survivors play the flop, turn and river, and the pot splits between the best Omaha high (exactly two hole cards plus three board cards) and the highest hole-card total at or below 31.

Pot-Limit, 2-7 players; the most unusual game in the SophiesPick library.

Starting cards

2 private cards. Pot-Limit betting. Aces count as 1 or 11; faces count as 10.

How to play

  1. Preflop betting, then one optional draw phase: draw one card at a time, or stop with any two to six hole cards.
  2. A draw over 31 kills the entire hand and both pot claims. If only one live player remains, they win the entire pot immediately.
  3. Survivors play normal flop, turn and river betting.

Showdown

Use EXACTLY 2 hole cards + EXACTLY 3 community cards from the evaluated board. You cannot play the board or use 1, 3, or 4 hole cards.

Split pot

Half to Omaha high using exactly two hole cards and three community cards, even when you stop with two. Half to the highest full two-to-six-card hole-hand total at or below 31. Aces optimize to the highest legal total. Ties split; one player may scoop. Omaha receives the odd split chip; tied winners receive remainder chips clockwise from the dealer.

If every eligible player in a side pot busts, that pot rolls into the highest lower pot with live eligible players. Busted players cannot win either half.

Hand rankings in 31 and Under

PLO High

  1. Royal Flush
  2. Straight Flush
  3. Four of a Kind
  4. Full House
  5. Flush
  6. Straight
  7. Three of a Kind
  8. Two Pair
  9. One Pair
  10. High Card

Royal Flush is the highest possible Ace-high Straight Flush.

Use exactly 2 hole cards + exactly 3 board cards.

31 Side

Best result: 31. The closest whole-hole-card total to 31 without exceeding it wins; exact 31 is best.

Ace = 1 or 11; J/Q/K = 10. Going over 31 kills the entire hand, including its claim to the PLO high half.

Common mistakes

  • Drawing past 31: busting kills the entire hand, including its claim to the Omaha half.
  • Drawing after the flop: the single optional draw phase comes after preflop betting only.
  • Counting fewer than two or more than six hole cards: you stop with any two to six cards and all of them count toward the 31 total.
  • Using one hole card at showdown: the Omaha half needs exactly two hole cards plus three community cards, even if you stopped with two.

31 and Under is the only published game in its family. See how it lines up against every other game in the poker variants comparison table.

31 and Under FAQ

How do card values work in 31 and Under?

Aces count as 1 or 11, whichever gives the highest legal total; J, Q and K count as 10; other cards count at face value.

What happens if I go over 31?

The entire hand is dead, including its Omaha claim. If only one live player remains, that player wins the entire pot immediately.

How is the pot divided?

Half to the best Omaha high using exactly two hole cards and three community cards; half to the highest hole-card total at or below 31. Ties split; one player may scoop.